bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
How the volatile organic compounds emitted by corpse plant change through flowering
Authors: Kang Lili , Kaur Jasmeen , Winkeler Kelsey , Kubiak Daniella , Hill Jane E.
Published: January 2023

The corpse plant (Amorphophallus titanum) is so named because it produces a pungent, foul odor when flowering. Little is known about how the emitted volatiles change throughout the two-day flowering period. In this study, the comprehensive monitoring of the presence and change in volatile molecules during the female and the male flowering phases of A. titanum was conducted, and the plant temperature was monitored. A total of 422 volatile features were detected over the entire sampling period, of which 118 features were statistically significantly different between the pre-flowering and both flowering phases, and an additional 304 features were found present throughout the flowering period. A total of 45 molecules could be assigned putative names. The volatile profile of A. titanum changes over the two-day flowering period, with the S-containing molecules and aldehydes dominant in the female flowering phase, and the alcohols and hydrocarbons dominant in the male flowering phase. The two-dimensional gas chromatography time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GC × GC-TOFMS) enabled us to identify 32 new molecules produced by A. titanum. Each of these molecules alone, and in combination, likely contribute to the different odors emitted during the flowering phase of A. titanum.
Association of preexisting psychiatric disorders with post-COVID-19 prevalence: a cross-sectional study
Authors: Kataoka Mayumi , Hazumi Megumi , Usuda Kentaro , Okazaki Emi , Nishi Daisuke
Published: January 2023

Evidence demonstrating the association of preexisting psychiatric disorders with post-COVID-19 is limited. We aim to investigate the association using larger sample sizes and more extended postinfection periods than previous studies. A total of 6015 (response rate = 77.5%) COVID-19 survivors were surveyed using a self-administered questionnaire from July to September 2021. Poisson regression analysis with robust error variance was performed to estimate post-COVID-19 prevalence ratios (PRs) with or without preexisting psychiatric disorders. Participants with preexisting psychiatric disorders numbered 1067 (17.7%), and with post-COVID-19 were 2149 (35.7%). Post-COVID-19 PR with preexisting psychiatric disorders was 1.09 (95% CI 1.02–1.18, p = 0.013). The interaction between preexisting psychiatric disorders and postinfection periods was significant (p for interaction < 0.001). The subgroup analysis showed that those with preexisting psychiatric disorders might be at greater prolonged risk of post-COVID-19 than those without the disorders. These findings suggested that preexisting psychiatric disorders were associated with an increased post-COVID-19 risk, and post-COVID-19 with preexisting psychiatric disorders might prolong even if time passes.
Nonlinear EHD instability of two viscoelastic fluids under the influence of mass and heat transfer
Authors: Moatimid Galal M. , Zekry Marwa H. , Ibrahim Doaa A.
Published: January 2023

This study attempts to provide an approach to studying the nonlinear stability of a vertical cylindrical interface between two Oldroyd-B prototypes. An unchanged axial electric field influences the system, and porous medium, and the effects of heat and mass transfer (MHT) are considered. Hsieh's modulation and the viscous potential flow (VPT) are used to abbreviate the mathematical analysis. The viscoelastic Oldroyd-B model significant role in geothermal, engineering and industrial enhancement motivated us to carry out this in-depth investigation. The methodology of the nonlinear technique depends mainly on solving the linear equations of motion and applying the appropriate nonlinear boundary conditions. Numerous non-dimensional physical numbers are exposed using a non-dimensional technique. The stability conditions are theoretically achieved and numerically verified. As a limiting case, the linear dispersion equation is accomplished, and a set of stability diagrams is reachable. Together with the nonlinear stability method, a Ginzburg–Landau equation is derived. Subsequently, both theoretical and numerical methods are used to achieve the nonlinear stability criteria. Furthermore, a precise perturbed approach for surface deflection is achieved theoretically and numerically using the Homotopy perturbation method and the extended frequency conception. Along with the linear approach, it is found that the structure becomes unstable by the Laplace, Reynolds, Weber, and elasticity quantities as well as the linear MHT parameter. Furthermore, the stability zones are enhanced in the nonlinear instability approach.
Hypersaline Lake Urmia: a potential hotspot for microbial genomic variation
Authors: Kheiri Roohollah , Mehrshad Maliheh , Pourbabaee Ahmad Ali , Ventosa Antonio , Amoozegar Mohammad Ali
Published: January 2023

Lake Urmia located in Iran is a hypersaline environment with a salinity of about 27% (w/v). Metagenomic analyses of water samples collected from six locations in the lake exhibited a microbial community dominated by representatives of the family Haloferacaceae (69.8%), mainly those affiliated to only two genera, Haloquadratum (59.3%) and Halonotius (9.1%). Similar to other hypersaline lakes, the bacterial community was dominated by Salinibacter ruber (23.3%). Genomic variation analysis by inspecting single nucleotide variations (SNVs) and insertions/deletions (INDELs) exhibited a high level of SNVs and insertions, most likely through transformation for abundant taxa in the Lake Urmia community. We suggest that the extreme conditions of Lake Urmia and specifically its high ionic concentrations could potentially increase the SNVs and insertions, which can consequently hamper the assembly and genome reconstruction from metagenomic reads of Lake Urmia.
Connecting genomic islands across prokaryotic and phage genomes via protein families
Authors: Aldaihani Reem , Heath Lenwood S.
Published: January 2023

Prokaryotic genomes evolve via horizontal gene transfer (HGT), mutations, and rearrangements. A noteworthy part of the HGT process is facilitated by genomic islands (GIs). While previous computational biology research has focused on developing tools to detect GIs in prokaryotic genomes, there has been little research investigating GI patterns and biological connections across species. We have pursued the novel idea of connecting GIs across prokaryotic and phage genomes via patterns of protein families. Such patterns are sequences of protein families frequently present in the genomes of multiple species. We combined the large data set from the IslandViewer4 database with protein families from Pfam while implementing a comprehensive strategy to identify patterns making use of HMMER, BLAST, and MUSCLE. we also implemented Python programs that link the analysis into a single pipeline. Research results demonstrated that related GIs often exist in species that are evolutionarily unrelated and in multiple bacterial phyla. Analysis of the discovered patterns led to the identification of biological connections among prokaryotes and phages. These connections suggest broad HGT connections across the bacterial kingdom and its associated phages. The discovered patterns and connections could provide the basis for additional analysis on HGT breadth and the patterns in pathogenic GIs.
Molecular docking, network pharmacology and experimental verification to explore the mechanism of Wulongzhiyangwan in the treatment of pruritus
Authors: Anqi Lyu , Shijun Shan
Published: January 2023

Wulongzhiyangwan (WLZYW) is a Chinese prescription medicine for the treatment of pruritus, but its mechanism has not been clarified. The purpose of this study was to explore the mechanism of WLZYW in pruritus through network pharmacology analysis and experimental validation. The active components and corresponding targets of WLZYW were obtained from the Traditional Chinese Medicine Systematic Pharmacology (TCMSP) database. Pruritus-related targets were obtained from the GeneCards, TTD (Therapeutic Target Database), and DrugBank databases. The key compounds, core targets, main biological processes and signaling pathways related to WLZYW were identified by constructing and analyzing related networks. The binding affinity between WLZYW components and core targets was validated by AutoDock Vina software. In this study, RBL-2H3 cells were used to construct a degranulation model to simulate histamine-dependent pruritus. 10 chemical constituents, 235 targets and 3606 pruritus-related targets of WLZYW were obtained. Subsequently, 26 core targets were identified through analysis, VEGFA and AKT1 were the main candidates. A pathway enrichment analysis showed that overlapping targets were significantly enriched in the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway. A molecular docking analysis revealed tight binding of VEGF to three core compounds, kaempferol, luteolin and quercetin. Experiments showed that WZLYW inhibited mast cell degranulation, regulated VEGFa mRNA and protein expression levels by inhibiting PI3K/AKT and ERK1/2 signaling pathway activation. The mechanism of WZLYW in pruritus may be regulating VEGFa expression. Network pharmacology assays suggested that WLZYW downregulates VEGFa expression by regulating the PI3K/AKT and ERK1/2 signaling pathways in pruritis treatment.
Contact analysis and strength calculations of involute spline couplings
Authors: Li Shuting
Published: January 2023

A finite element method (FEM) is presented to conduct loaded tooth contact analysis and strength calculations of involute spline couplings. Special FEM software has been developed. Contact, bending and shear stresses of the spline couplings are analyzed by the developed software and they are compared with results obtained by an approximation method. It is found that “Edge loads” exist at tooth tip and root contacts and also exist at two sides of the face width when the pair of teeth has different face widths. Effects of tooth profile deviations and pitch errors on tooth contacts are also investigated by the developed software respectively. It is found that tooth contact and stresses are affected by the tooth profile deviations and pitch errors greatly. Finally, reliability of the presented method and software are discussed.
Investigation of changes in ankylosing spondylitis disease activity through 2021 COVID-19 wave in Taiwan by using electronic medical record management system
Authors: Huang Pei-Ju , Chen Yun-Wen , Yen Tsai-Hung , Liu Yen-Tze , Lin Shih-Ping , Chen Hsin-Hua
Published: January 2023

We aim to investigate the alteration in disease activity of ankylosing spondylitis (AS) individuals before, during, and after the COVID-19 wave in Taiwan by using electronic medical-record management system (EMRMS). We identified 126 AS individuals from the single center, and gathered data of the three disease activities (Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index [BASDAI], Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Score with erythrocyte sedimentation rate [ASDAS-ESR], and Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Score with C-Reactive Protein [ASDAS-CRP]) by using EMRMS before (7 February to 1 May, 2021), during (2 May to 24 July, 2021), and after the COVID-19 wave (25 July to 16 October, 2021). We compared the disease activity measures of the three phases through a paired t test. Among the 126 individuals, CRP was significantly higher during the COVID-19 wave (0.2 (0.1, 0.5) mg/dl, p = 0.001) than before the wave (0.2 (0.1, 0.4) mg/dl), ESR (8.0 (4.0, 15.0) mm/h, p = 0.003) and ASDAS-ESR (1.4 (1.0, 1.9), p = 0.032) were significantly higher after the wave than during the wave (6.0 (3.0, 12.0) mm/h and 1.2 (0.9, 1.8) mm/h) e. ESR, CRP, ASDAS-ESR and ASDAS-CRP were all significant higher after COVID-19 wave than before. The disease activities of AS individuals in Taiwan worsened after 2021 COVID-19 wave in Taiwan.
Ischemia modified albumin can act as an independent predictor of inhospital mortality in patients with acute aortic dissection
Authors: Xiang Jun , He Ling , Pen Tailuan , Wei Shuliang
Published: January 2023

Acute aortic dissection (AAD) is a serious disease characterized by high mortality. However, there are no accurate indicators to predict in-hospital mortality. The objective of this study was to identify the potential value of ischemia modified albumin (IMA) in prediction of in-hospital mortality of AAD patients. This was a single-center, prospective study involved 314 patients undergoing AAD, including 197 males and 117 females, aged 26–87 (57.14 ± 21.71) years old, 116 cases of TAAD and 198 cases of TBAD (37 cases of complicated, 114 cases of high risk, and 47 cases of uncomplicated), 228 cases were underwent surgery/intervention treatment (77 cases of TAAD,151 cases of TBAD) and 86 cases were underwent conservative therapy (39 cases of TAAD, 47 cases of TBAD). The basic data, on-admission IMA level, and the all-cause in-hospital mortality was recorded. IMA in the non-survivor group and TAAD group was found to be significantly higher than that in the survivor group and TBAD group (P < 0.001). Multivariate logistic regression analysis results revealed that age (OR = 1.923, 95%CI: 1.102–4.481,P = 0.020), conservative therapy (OR = 17.892, 95%CI: 7.641–24.748,P < 0.001), D-dimer level (OR = 3.517, 95%CI: 1.874–7.667,P = 0.011) and IMA level (OR = 5.406, 95%CI: 2.951–10.395,P = 0.004) served as independent risk factors for in-hospital mortality of TAAD patients. And D-dimer level (OR = 2.241, 95%CI: 1.475–5.663,P = 0.018), IMA level (OR = 3.115, 95%CI: 1.792–6.925,P = 0.009) also served as independent risk factors for in-hospital mortality of TBAD patients, whereas surgery (OR = 0.110, 95%CI: 0.075–0.269,P < 0.001) was the protective factor of in-hospital mortality of TAAD patients. After IMA prediction, the AUC, optimal cut-off value, sensitivity, and the specificity of in-hospital mortality of AAD patients were observed to be 0.801 (95%CI: 0.744–0.858), 86.55 U/mL, 79.1%, and 73.2%, respectively. In addition, it was found that AUC was 0.799 (95%CI: 0.719–0.880) in TAAD and 0.753 (95%CI: 0.641–0.866) in TBAD. Overall, it was concluded that on-admission IMA level acted as an independent prediction index for in-hospital mortality of AAD patients.
Fast, accurate, and racially unbiased pan-cancer tumor-only variant calling with tabular machine learning
Authors: McLaughlin R. Tyler , Asthana Maansi , Di Meo Marc , Ceccarelli Michele , Jacob Howard J. , Masica David L.
Published: January 2023

Accurately identifying somatic mutations is essential for precision oncology and crucial for calculating tumor-mutational burden (TMB), an important predictor of response to immunotherapy. For tumor-only variant calling (i.e., when the cancer biopsy but not the patient’s normal tissue sample is sequenced), accurately distinguishing somatic mutations from germline variants is a challenging problem that, when unaddressed, results in unreliable, biased, and inflated TMB estimates. Here, we apply machine learning to the task of somatic vs germline classification in tumor-only solid tumor samples using TabNet, XGBoost, and LightGBM, three machine-learning models for tabular data. We constructed a training set for supervised classification using features derived exclusively from tumor-only variant calling and drawing somatic and germline truth labels from an independent pipeline using the patient-matched normal samples. All three trained models achieved state-of-the-art performance on two holdout test datasets: a TCGA dataset including sarcoma, breast adenocarcinoma, and endometrial carcinoma samples (AUC > 94%), and a metastatic melanoma dataset (AUC > 85%). Concordance between matched-normal and tumor-only TMB improves fromR2 = 0.006 to 0.71–0.76 with the addition of a machine-learning classifier, with LightGBM performing best. Notably, these machine-learning models generalize across cancer subtypes and capture kits with a call rate of 100%. We reproduce the recent finding that tumor-only TMB estimates for Black patients are extremely inflated relative to that of white patients due to the racial biases of germline databases. We show that our approach with XGBoost and LightGBM eliminates this significant racial bias in tumor-only variant calling.
Early-life exercise primes the murine neural epigenome to facilitate gene expression and hippocampal memory consolidation
Authors: Raus Anthony M. , Fuller Tyson D. , Nelson Nellie E. , Valientes David A. , Bayat Anita , Ivy Autumn S.
Published: January 2023

Aerobic exercise is well known to promote neuroplasticity and hippocampal memory. In the developing brain, early-life exercise (ELE) can lead to persistent improvements in hippocampal function, yet molecular mechanisms underlying this phenomenon have not been fully explored. In this study, transgenic mice harboring the “NuTRAP” (Nuclear tagging and Translating Ribosome Affinity Purification) cassette in Emx1 expressing neurons (“Emx1-NuTRAP” mice) undergo ELE during adolescence. We then simultaneously isolate and sequence translating mRNA and nuclear chromatin from single hippocampal homogenates containing Emx1-expressing neurons. This approach allowed us to couple translatomic with epigenomic sequencing data to evaluate the influence of histone modifications H4K8ac and H3K27me3 on translating mRNA after ELE. A subset of ELE mice underwent a hippocampal learning task to determine the gene expression and epigenetic underpinnings of ELE’s contribution to improved hippocampal memory performance. From this experiment, we discover gene expression – histone modification relationships that may play a critical role in facilitated memory after ELE. Our data reveal candidate gene-histone modification interactions and implicate gene regulatory pathways involved in ELE’s impact on hippocampal memory.
Mangrove forests can be an effective coastal defence in the Pearl River Delta, China
Authors: De Dominicis Michela , Wolf Judith , van Hespen Rosanna , Zheng Peng , Hu Zhan
Published: January 2023

Coastal vegetation can reduce extreme water levels during storm events, but the controlling factors and processes in complex estuary or delta systems are still unclear. This limits an effective implementation of nature-based coastal defences in delta mega-cities in low-lying coastal areas. Here we have numerically modelled how mangroves can offer coastal protection to the large coastal cities located in the Pearl River Delta (China), such as Guangzhou and Shenzhen, during strong typhoons, like Hato (2017). Water level attenuation by mangroves is effective during extreme water level conditions and differences in mangrove forests’ properties drive their coastal protection function. The local (within-wetland) attenuation of extreme water levels is more effective with wide vegetation patches and higher vegetation drag. Narrower vegetation patches can still provide non-local (upstream) water level attenuation if located in the upper estuary channels, but their design needs to avoid amplification of water levels in other delta areas.
A multicomponent equimolar proton-conducting quadruple hexagonal perovskite-related oxide system
Authors: Ullah Abid , Hussain Basharat , Youn Yong , Bae Hyung-Bin , Hong Jong-Eun , Joh Dong Woo , Lee Seung-Bok , Song Rak-Hyun , Kim Tae Woo , Lim Tak-Hyoung , Kim Hye-Sung
Published: January 2023

Since the high configurational entropy-driven structural stability of a multicomponent oxide system was proposed by Rost et al. in 2015, many experiments and simulations have been done to develop new multicomponent oxides.
200 MPa cold isostatic pressing creates surface-microcracks in a Zn foil for scalable and long-life zinc anodes
Authors: Zhang‡ Di , Lu‡ Hongfei , Lyu‡ Nawei , Jiang Xin , Zhang Zili , Jin Yang
Published: January 2023

200 MPa cold isostatic pressing creates a surface microcrack Zn foil for scalable and long life zinc anodes that increase zinc ion transport channels and improve zinc ion battery cycling performance.
Photocatalyst-free, metal-free, visible light-induced thiolation/pyridylation of styrenes using an electron donor–acceptor complex as a bifunctional reagent
Authors: Shen Jiaxuan , Li Jincan , Chen Meijun , Chen Yimin
Published: January 2023

Visible light-induced intermolecular thiolation/pyridylation of styrenes using a thiolate-based EDA complex as a bifunctional reagent under mild conditions free of a photocatalyst, metal or external redox agent is reported.
A Ni-catalyzed asymmetric C(sp)–P cross-coupling reaction for the synthesis of P-stereogenic alkynylphosphines
Authors: Zhang Bin , Zhou Wen-Qing , Liu Xu-Teng , Sun Yingying , Zhang Qing-Wei
Published: January 2023

A catalytic asymmetric C(sp)–P cross coupling reaction for the synthesis of P-stereogenic alkynylphosphines was realized. A series of alkynylphosphines which could be derivatized to useful phosphine compounds was synthesized with excellent enantioselectivities.
Enhancing the interfacial stability between argyrodite sulfide-based solid electrolytes and lithium electrodes through CO2 adsorption
Authors: Jiang Shi-Kai , Yang Sheng-Chiang , Huang Wei-Hsiang , Sung Hung-Yi , Lin Ruo-Yun , Li Jhao-Nan , Tsai Bo-Yang , Agnihotri Tripti , Nikodimos Yosef , Wang Chia-Hsin , Lin Shawn D. , Wang Chun-Chieh , Wu She-Huang , Su Wei-Nien , Hwang Bing Joe
Published: January 2023

The CO2 treatment on argyrodite sulfide-based solid electrolyte Li6PS5Cl (LPSC) can effectively improve the interfacial stability between the Li and LPSC.
Near-infrared band responsive ROS regulator selectively inhibits breast cancer cells by programming combination phototherapy
Authors: Liu Yanan , Yuang Guanglong , Chen Xu , Liu Jie
Published: January 2023

An illustration of the PIH@R synthesis process and its phototherapy procedure in vitro and in vivo.
A self-healing and antibacterial electronic skin based on a natural small molecule
Authors: Wang Yuqi , Zhang Shuangsheng , Zhou Yuemin , Dong Fuhao , Liu He , Xu Xu
Published: January 2023

We develop a new strategy for electronic skin based on a natural small molecule that exhibits good self-healing, adhesive, and antibacterial properties, and electrical conductivity for detecting human movements.
Design and research of power system Beidou timing and positioning module based on K‐means clustering and gross error processing
Authors: Xu Yawei , Wang Wei , Yang Xiaona , Deng Ke , He Zhiyuan
Published: January 2023

The clock synchronisation of the power system is to realise the clock synchronisation of the whole network. The clock synchronisation network is composed of the clock synchronisation systems of power grids at all levels. Dispatching agencies, power plants, and substations have their clock synchronisation systems. By using computer technology, communication technology, and network technology, combined with the topological structure of the power grid and geographic information of the geographic information system, automatically process the key index data to ensure that the distribution network project can manage the power consumption and distribution 24 h without interruption. Considering the particularity of power, the accuracy of the receiver is strictly required, and so are the positioning, speed measurement, and time accuracy. Test indicators study a set of accurate and reliable test and evaluation methods. A gross error processing method based on the k‐means algorithm is proposed. Experiments show that gross errors can be well identified and eliminated in one‐dimensional and multidimensional data. Considering that invalid data may be hidden in the test data, to improve the identification accuracy without affecting the detection of normal gross errors, based on the proposed k‐means algorithm, the number of visible satellites is added. Because the magnitude difference between the number of visible satellites and the original three‐dimensional positioning error data is relatively large, it is normalised first. The processing data is extended from three‐dimensional to four‐dimensional. The experimental simulation shows that it can not only identify invalid data but also ensure a good effect of gross error elimination, reduce possible economic losses, bring significant direct and indirect economic benefits, and verify the feasibility and promotional value of the online monitoring platform through practice.
Radical technology innovations for high‐speed transport; ePlanes to replace rail?
Authors: Riley Paul H. , Degano Michele , Gerada Chris
Published: January 2023

This paper evaluates various modes of transport against the dual requirements of Net‐Zero carbon emissions and user convenience, in particular, speed of travel and cost of transportation. Results show that when operated across a whole country, battery‐powered ePlanes have the lowest energy use as measured by well‐to‐wing efficiency of other high‐speed transport systems such as the UKs HS2 and conventional diesel rail systems. This condition may not hold for extremely high passenger numbers per hour as seen in metropolitan areas with high density populations. Various proposed disruptive technologies lower cost of ownership when combined with changes in the transport paradigm that has rarely been explored in other papers.
Analysis of power quality and economic worthiness of electric motorcycle charging in a residential electrical system
Authors: Chiradeja Pathomthat , Ngaopitakkul Atthapol
Published: January 2023

In the urban society of Thailand, most people use motorcycles for travelling because they can meet the manoeuvrability of travelling in short distances and save energy compared to using a car. Many people are switching to electric motorcycles (EMCs), which install EMC chargers in their residential buildings. EMC chargers are power electronic devices that may produce electrical and electromagnetic interference; therefore, it is critical to evaluate the potential influence of an EMC charger on a household electrical system and other electrical equipment before installing one. Therefore, this study examined the effects of an EMC charger on residential electrical systems with and without a photovoltaic system connection as well as on individual load types in terms of power quality. The investigation revealed that EMC charging has a direct impact on the grid system's reactive power, power factor, and current harmonics. However, when the electrical load in the system has sufficient power, it is possible to reduce the reactive power and current harmonics of the grid. The cost of electricity when an EMC is connected to a residential electrical system was also analysed to determine the metre type and charging interval suitable for Thailand.
Retracted: Scientific programming using optimized machine learning techniques for software fault prediction to improve software quality
Authors: Shafiq Muhammad , Alghamedy Fatemah H. , Jamal Nasir , Kamal Tahir , Daradkeh Yousef Ibrahim , Shabaz Mohammad
Published: January 2023

Retraction: [Muhammad Shafiq, Fatemah H. Alghamedy, Nasir Jamal, Tahir Kamal, Yousef Ibrahim Daradkeh, Mohammad Shabaz, Scientific programming using optimized machine learning techniques for software fault prediction to improve software quality, IET Software 2023 (https://doi.org/10.1049/sfw2.12091)].

The above article from IET Software, published online on 6 January 2023 in Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com), has been retracted by agreement between the Editor‐in‐Chief, Hana Chockler, the Institution of Engineering and Technology (the IET) and John Wiley and Sons Ltd. This article was published as part of a Guest Edited special issue. Following an investigation, the IET and the journal have determined that the article was not reviewed in line with the journal’s peer review standards and there is evidence that the peer review process of the special issue underwent systematic manipulation. Accordingly, we cannot vouch for the integrity or reliability of the content. As such we have taken the decision to retract the article. The authors have been informed of the decision to retract.
Framework for the architecture of exoplanetary systems
Authors: Mishra Lokesh , Alibert Yann , Udry Stéphane , Mordasini Christoph
Published: January 2023

We present a novel, model-independent framework for studying the architecture of an exoplanetary system at the system level. This framework allows us to characterise, quantify, and classify the architecture of an individual planetary system. Our aim in this endeavour is to generate a systematic method to study the arrangement and distribution of various planetary quantities within a single planetary system. We propose that the space of planetary system architectures be partitioned into four classes: similar, mixed, anti-ordered, and ordered. We applied our framework to observed and synthetic multi-planetary systems, thereby studying their architectures of mass, radius, density, core mass, and the core water mass fraction. We explored the relationships between a system’s (mass) architecture and other properties. Our work suggests that: (a) similar architectures are the most common outcome of planet formation; (b) internal structure and composition of planets shows a strong link with their system architecture; (c) most systems inherit their mass architecture from their core mass architecture; (d) most planets that started inside the ice line and formed in-situ are found in systems with a similar architecture; and (e) most anti-ordered systems are expected to be rich in wet planets, while most observed mass ordered systems are expected to have many dry planets. We find, in good agreement with theory, that observations are generally biased towards the discovery of systems whose density architectures are similar, mixed, or anti-ordered. This study probes novel questions and new parameter spaces for understanding theory and observations. Future studies may utilise our framework to not only constrain the knowledge of individual planets, but also the multi-faceted architecture of an entire planetary system. We also speculate on the role of system architectures in hosting habitable worlds.
UNIONS: The impact of systematic errors on weak-lensing peak counts
Authors: Ayçoberry Emma , Ajani Virginia , Guinot Axel , Kilbinger Martin , Pettorino Valeria , Farrens Samuel , Starck Jean-Luc , Gavazzi Raphaël , Hudson Michael J.
Published: January 2023

Context. The Ultraviolet Near-Infrared Optical Northern Survey (UNIONS) is an ongoing deep photometric multiband survey of the northern sky. As part of UNIONS, the Canada-France Imaging Survey (CFIS) provides r-band data, which we use to study weak-lensing peak counts for cosmological inference.

Aims. We assess systematic effects for weak-lensing peak counts and their impact on cosmological parameters for the UNIONS survey. In particular, we present results on local calibration, metacalibration shear bias, baryonic feedback, the source galaxy redshift estimate, intrinsic alignment, and cluster member dilution.

Methods. For each uncertainty and systematic effect, we describe our mitigation scheme and the impact on cosmological parameter constraints. We obtain constraints on cosmological parameters from Monte Carlo Markov chains using CFIS data and MassiveNuS N-body simulations as a model for peak counts statistics.

Results. Depending on the calibration (local versus global, and the inclusion or not of the residual multiplicative shear bias), the mean matter density parameter, Ωm, can shift by up to −0.024 (−0.5σ). We also see that including baryonic corrections can shift Ωm by +0.027 (+0.5σ) with respect to the dark-matter-only simulations. Reducing the impact of the intrinsic alignment and cluster member dilution through signal-to-noise cuts leads to larger constraints. Finally, with a mean redshift uncertainty of Δz̄ = 0.03, we see that the shift in Ωm (+0.001, which corresponds to +0.02σ) is not significant.

Conclusions. This paper investigates, for the first time with UNIONS weak-lensing data and peak counts, the impact of systematic effects. The value of Ωm is the most impacted and can shift by up to ∼0.03, which corresponds to 0.5σ depending on the choices for each systematics. We expect constraints to become more reliable with future (larger) data catalogs, for which the current pipeline will provide a starting point. The code used to obtain the results is available on GitHub.
Correction of the brighter-fatter effect on the CCDs of Hyper Suprime-Cam
Authors: Astier Pierre , Regnault Nicolas
Published: January 2023

The brighter-fatter effect affects all CCD sensors to various degrees. Deep-depleted thick sensors are seriously affected and the measurement of galaxy shapes for cosmic shear measurements requires an accurate correction of the effect in science images. We describe the whole correction chain we have implemented for the CCDs of the Hyper Suprime-Cam imager on the Subaru Telescope. We derive non-linearity corrections from a new sequence of flat field images, and measure their statistics, namely their two-pixel function. We constrain an electrostatic model from flat field statistics that we use to correct science images. We find evidence that some fraction of the observed variance and some covariances is not due to the combination of Poisson statistics and electrostatics – and the cause remains elusive. We then have to ignore some measurements when deriving the electrostatic model. Over a wide range of image qualities and in the 5 bands of the imager, stars in corrected science images exhibit size variations with flux small enough to predict the point spread function for faint objects to an accuracy better than 10−3for the trace of second moments – and even better for the ellipticity and the fourth radial moment. This performance is sufficient for upcoming large-scale cosmic shear surveys such asRubin/LSST.
HD 213258: A new rapidly oscillating, super slowly rotating, strongly magnetic Ap star in a spectroscopic binary
Authors: Mathys G. , Khalack V. , Kobzar O. , LeBlanc F. , North P. L.
Published: January 2023

We report on HD 213258, an Ap star that we recently identified as presenting a unique combination of rare, remarkable properties. Our study of this star is based on ESPaDOnS Stokes I and V data obtained at seven epochs spanning a time interval slightly shorter than 2 yr, on TESS data, and on radial velocity measurements from the CORAVEL data base. We confirm that HD 213258, which was originally suspected to be an F str λ 4077 star, is definitely an Ap star. We found that, in its spectrum, the Fe IIλ 6149.2 Å line is resolved into its two magnetically split components. The mean magnetic field modulus of HD 213258, ⟨B⟩∼3.8 kG, which we determined from this splitting, does not show significant variations over ∼2 yr. Comparing our mean longitudinal field determinations with a couple of measurements from the literature, we show that the stellar rotation period is likely of the order of 50 yr, with a reversal of the field polarity. Moreover, HD 213258 is a rapidly oscillating Ap (roAp) star, in which high overtone pulsations with a period of 7.58 min are detected. Finally, we confirm that HD 213258 has a mean radial velocity exceeding (in absolute value) that of at least 99% of Ap stars. The radial velocity shows low amplitude variations, which suggests that the star is a single-line spectroscopic binary. It is also a known astrometric binary. While its orbital elements remain to be determined, its orbital period is likely one of the shortest known for a binary roAp star. Its secondary is close to the borderline between stellar and substellar objects. There is a significant probability that it is a brown dwarf. The pair represents a combination that has never been observed before. Most of the above-mentioned properties taken in isolation are only observed in a small fraction of the whole population of Ap stars. Thus, the probability that a single star possesses all of them is extremely low. This makes HD 213258 an exceptionally interesting object that deserves to be studied in detail in the future.
Correlation of Prenatal and Postnatal Diagnosis in Umbilical-Portal-Systemic Venous Shunts
Authors: Jimenez-Gomez Javier , Güizzo Javier Roberto , Betancourth Alvarenga Josue , Santiago Martínez Saioa , Gaspar Perez Mireia , Pina Perez Silvia , Beltrán Viviana Patricia , Loverdos Inés , Esteva Miró Clara , Jimenez Arribas Paula , Sanchez Vazquez Begoña , San Vicente Vela Begoña , Álvarez García Natalia , Nuñez García Bernardo
Published: January 2023

Introduction Umbilical-portal-systemic venous shunts (UPSVS) are rare anomalies in the development of the fetal venous system. There are several postnatal and prenatal classifications of hepatic venous anomalies but the link between them is missing. We aimed to review the prenatal to postnatal diagnosis correlation in UPSVS at our center.

Methods It is a retrospective study of patients diagnosed with UPSVS between 2019 and 2021 at our institution. Demographic, obstetric, genetic, and neonatal data were reviewed with special focus on prenatal and postnatal ultrasounds.

Results A total of seven patients were diagnosed with UPSVS at a median of 24 (20–34) weeks of gestational age. All patients were male and 62% were Caucasian. None of the patients had chromosomopathies or cardiac anomalies. One patient had renal ectopia, another one had a single umbilical artery, and a third one suffered from intrauterine growth retardation. An umbilico-systemic shunt (USS) was found in two patients and a ductus venosus-systemic shunt (DVSS) in the rest. Patients with USS were diagnosed postnatally with intrahepatic portosystemic shunts. One of the DVSS patients was transferred to another hospital and the other four had normal postnatal cardiac ultrasounds, with normal abdominal ultrasounds in two patients and lack of postnatally abdominal control in the other two. All babies were found to be doing well at a median follow-up of 1 month (0–24).

Conclusion There is a knowledge gap in the natural history of UPSVS between fetal and neonatal life. Building bridges between prenatal and postnatal research is mandatory in order to understand these rare anomalies.
Negotiating the necessity of biomedical animal use through relations with vulnerability
Authors: McGlacken Renelle
Published: January 2023

In the UK, claims are often made that public support for animal research is stronger when such use is categorised as for medical purposes. Drawing on a qualitative analysis of writing from the Mass Observation Project, a national writing project documenting everyday life in Britain, this paper suggests that the necessity of using animals for medical research is not a given but understood relationally through interactions with inherent vulnerability. This paper stresses the ubiquity of ambivalence towards uses of animals for medical research, complicating what is meant by claims that such use is ‘acceptable’, and suggests that science-society dialogues on animal research should accommodate different modes of thinking about health. In demonstrating how understandings of health are bound up with ethical obligations to care for both human and non-human others, this paper reinforces the importance of interspecies relations in health and illness and in the socio-ethical dimensions of biomedicine.
Structural dynamics of water in a supersonic shockwave
Authors: Vassholz Malte , Hoeppe Hannes P. , Hagemann Johannes , Rosselló Juan M. , Osterhoff Markus , Mettin Robert , Möller Johannes , Scholz Markus , Boesenberg Ulrike , Hallmann Jörg , Kim Chan , Zozulya Alexey , Lu Wei , Shayduk Roman , Madsen Anders , Salditt Tim
Published: January 2023

We explore the pressure evolution and structural dynamics of transient phase transitions in a microfluidic water jet after laser-induced dielectric breakdown. To this end, we use a combined approach of near-field holography with single femtosecond x-ray free-electron laser pulses and x-ray diffraction. During cavitation and jet breakup, we observe shock wave emission along the jet. The formation of the shockwave is accompanied by pronounced changes in the structure factor of water as an evidence by a shift in the water diffraction peak. This indicates a transition to a high density liquid structure induced by the transient pressure increase.
Shortfalls of deliberative democracy in Georgia: the analysis of the General Assembly of a Settlement
Authors: Sultanishvili Tengiz
Published: January 2023

This study analyzes the reasons for citizens’ refusal to participate in public deliberation through the Georgian mechanism of the General Assembly of a Settlement (GAofS) in the remote communities of Georgia. This paper draws on the existing academic literature on effective deliberation processes and reasons behind the public's disengagement from them to explain Georgian public's withdrawal from the deliberation processes. By applying the analytical framework on effective deliberation and logic of non-participation, this article uses the case study approach and qualitative research methods to show how façade deliberation processes cause public disenchantment with engagement in local decision-making processes and reinforce the public image of civic participation mechanisms as pointless efforts.
A review of the dynamic analysis and free vibration analysis on fiber metal laminates (FMLs)
Authors: Ma Quanjin , Merzuki M N M , Rejab M R M , Sani M S M , Zhang Bo
Published: January 2023

It is a challenging target to improve the dynamic analysis and free vibration analysis of fiber metal laminates (FMLs) while providing great promise as lightweight structural components. FMLs have attracted increasing research interest in various multi-stack FML components to enlarge industrial applications. This review paper concentrates on the free vibration analysis of FMLs, which mainly refers to dynamic analysis, macro mechanical and micro mechanical approaches, and temperature effects. The available types of experimental vibration methods on FMLs are described. Moreover, dynamic analysis of FMLs is mainly reviewed in recent studies of FMLs on the macro mechanical and micromechanical scale aspects, and the temperature effect is also studied. Furthermore, several classical theoretical equations of different FMLs on free vibration analysis are summarized. In addition, optimization studies on FMLs under dynamic analysis are further discussed.
Targeting Left Ventricular Mechanics In Patients With Pheochromocytoma/Paraganglioma: An Updated Meta-analysis
Authors: Cuspidi Cesare , Gherbesi Elisa , Faggiano Andrea , Sala Carla , Carugo Stefano , Grassi Guido , Tadic Marijana
Published: January 2023

Background

Numerous studies targeting left ventricular (LV) systolic function by measuring LV ejection fraction (LVEF) in patients with pheochromocytoma and paraganglioma (PPGL) either failed to reveal any impairment of this parameter or found a super-normal systolic function compared to essential hypertensives or normotensive controls. To provide an updated piece of information on LV systolic dysfunction in the PPGL setting, we performed a meta-analysis of speckle tracking echocardiography (STE) studies investigating LV mechanics via global longitudinal strain (GLS), a more sensitive index of LV systolic function than LVEF.

Methods

A computerized search was performed using PubMed, OVID, EMBASE, and Cochrane library databases from inception until September 30, 2022. Full articles reporting data on LV GLS and LVEF in patients with PPGL and controls were considered suitable.

Results

A total of 252 patients with PPGL and 187 controls were included in 6 studies. LV GLS was worse in the pooled PPGL group than in the control group (−17.3 ± 1.2 vs. −20.0 ± 0.6) with a standard means difference (SMD) of 1.13 ± 0.36 confidence interval (CI: 0.43–1.84, P = 0.002), whereas this was not the case for LVEF (67.3 ± 1.9 and 66.4 ± 1.6%, respectively), SMD: 0.12 ± 0.03, (CI: −0.41/0.65, P = 0.66). A meta-regression analysis in PPGL patients showed an inverse relationship between adrenergic activity and GLS (P < 0.0001).

Conclusions

Our findings suggest that early changes in LV systolic function not detectable by conventional echocardiography in the PPGL setting can be revealed by STE; therefore, STE implementation in the workup of patients with PPGL may improve the detection of subclinical systolic dysfunction.
Theory of Mind in Typical Adults: Sex-Differences and Its Associations with Anxiety and Depression Symptoms
Authors: Petrovic Sanja Andric , Kaurin Nina , Knezevic Jelena , Maric Nadja P
Published: January 2023

Objective

Despite an increased interest in research of theory of mind (ToM) in recent years — both related to psychopathology (depression and anxiety spectrum disorders) and within the typical adults, the existing literature is scarce and presents some conflicting results. Present study aimed to explore sex differences in ToM, alongside its associations with current anxiety and depression symptoms, in a large sample of typical adults collected online.

Method

Participants completed the 15-minutes survey obtaining socio-demographic data, current self-reported depression and anxiety symptom severity, and ToM ability (the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Task). The sample comprised 605 participants —mostly younger adults, women, and high school graduate/student population.

Results

The majority of participants reported minimal/mild depressive and anxiety symptoms that were significantly more severe in women. Women also displayed significantly better overall ToM ability than men. Significant negative correlation between the severity of current depressive and anxiety symptoms and ToM ability was also observed, but only in individuals expressing the symptoms requiring clinical attention (such association was absent in those exhibiting minimal/mild symptoms).

Conclusions

Present research adds to the existing knowledge on the association between ToM ability, anxiety, and depressive symptoms in typical adults as well as on the sex-differences in this important social cognitive domain. Exploring the factors representing indicators of vulnerability for depression–anxiety spectrum disorders is important for their timely detection and treatment.
DeLIVR: a deep learning approach to IV regression for testing nonlinear causal effects in transcriptome-wide association studies
Authors: He Ruoyu , Liu Mingyang , Lin Zhaotong , Zhuang Zhong , Shen Xiaotong , Pan Wei
Published: January 2023

Transcriptome-wide association studies (TWAS) have been increasingly applied to identify (putative) causal genes for complex traits and diseases. TWAS can be regarded as a two-sample two-stage least squares method for instrumental variable (IV) regression for causal inference. The standard TWAS (called TWAS-L) only considers a linear relationship between a gene’s expression and a trait in stage 2, which may lose statistical power when not true. Recently, an extension of TWAS (called TWAS-LQ) considers both the linear and quadratic effects of a gene on a trait, which however is not flexible enough due to its parametric nature and may be low powered for nonquadratic nonlinear effects. On the other hand, a deep learning (DL) approach, called DeepIV, has been proposed to nonparametrically model a nonlinear effect in IV regression. However, it is both slow and unstable due to the ill-posed inverse problem of solving an integral equation with Monte Carlo approximations. Furthermore, in the original DeepIV approach, statistical inference, that is, hypothesis testing, was not studied. Here, we propose a novel DL approach, called DeLIVR, to overcome the major drawbacks of DeepIV, by estimating a related but different target function and including a hypothesis testing framework. We show through simulations that DeLIVR was both faster and more stable than DeepIV. We applied both parametric and DL approaches to the GTEx and UK Biobank data, showcasing that DeLIVR detected additional 8 and 7 genes nonlinearly associated with high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, respectively, all of which would be missed by TWAS-L, TWAS-LQ, and DeepIV; these genes include BUD13 associated with HDL, SLC44A2 and GMIP with LDL, all supported by previous studies.