bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Pollution challenges and consequences of the Akaki catchment, Upper Awash Basin, Ethiopia: Evidence for policy reform and action
Authors: Dessie Bitew K. , Aschale Minbale , Assegide Endaweke , Alamirew Tena , Walsh Claire L. , Zeleke Gete
Published: January 2024

This paper draws upon previous and current research on the levels of various pollutants in the Awash River Basin. The research used high‐tech instruments to determine the levels of physio‐chemical parameters, potentially toxic elements, and other pollutants in wastewater, sediment, soil, vegetables, and fish samples collected from different sampling sites in the Akaki catchment. The results showed that the average concentration for most of the analyzed parameters exceeded the recommended limits stated by drinking and irrigation water quality guidelines. The concentrations varied with the sites significantly with trends of localized contributions of the different contaminants associated with industrial, municipal, domestic, medical centers, garages, petrol stations, and other commercial centers evident. Concentrations of contaminants were remarkably high in the catchment rivers and shallow groundwater reservoirs. Comparison with permissible standards showed poor environmental management by relevant regulatory bodies and industries. Despite having good laws and standards at the federal and regional levels, they are not effectively implemented or enforced to prevent environmental pollution. Given the potential health implications of the toxic substances, we recommended a range of mitigation measures as a matter of urgency to the relevant authorities.
The Cancer Care Challenge in the Light of Pandemic Experience
Authors: Mackintosh Maureen , Banda Geoffrey , Njeru Mercy Karimi , Srinivas Smita , Makene Fortunata Songora
Published: January 2024

This introductory chapter argues that tackling the escalating cancer crisis in Africa and India is essential for human wellbeing and inclusive health care, while having much to teach about how to build better local health security in low- and middle-income contexts. Global health security is built on the foundations of strong local health security. Local health security in turn relies on effective and innovative industrial supply chains to provide essential medicines, devices and other commodities at manageable prices, and effective industrial-health sector policy collaboration to ensure broad health benefit, lessons the pandemic has hammered home.
Broken Supply Chains and Local Manufacturing Innovation: Responses to Covid-19 and Their Implications for Policy
Authors: Banda Geoffrey , Wanjala Cecilia , Manduku Veronica , Mugwagwa Julius , Kale Dinar
Published: January 2024

The immense scale of the pandemic healthcare supply crisis across Sub-Saharan Africa showed that a stronger industrial base allowed India, and some African countries, to better tackle crucial supply gaps. Governments have been forced by Covid-19 into developing new “socio-technical imaginaries”: shared visions of what is possible and important for local health security. The pandemic confirmed widespread pre-pandemic African predictions that in a major crisis, African countries would find themselves at the back of the queue; that truth is driving a new recognition of industrialisation’s role in building local health security, including the huge challenge of cancer care in Africa.
Manufacturing for Cancer Care in East Africa: Raising the Ambition
Authors: Manduku Veronica , Wangwe Samuel , Wanjala Cecilia , Mackintosh Maureen , Ngilangwa Richard
Published: January 2024

This chapter starts with the paradox of unmet need for cancer supplies in Kenya and Tanzania alongside low yet unmet market demand. An apparent lack of ambition is evidenced within the local industrial/innovation system, including manufacturers, entrepreneurs, regulators and policy makers. Pharmaceutical firms were failing to upgrade, expand product ranges and develop new markets, though that was starting to change before 2020. The chapter identifies market disorganisation and fragmentation as a key constraint on generating more sustainable investment and innovation to improve cancer-related manufacturing and finds scope for institutional change to link industrial incentives to health needs.
Dynamics of dark matter misalignment through the Higgs portal
Authors: Batell Brian , Ghalsasi Akshay , Rai Mudit
Published: January 2024

Abstract

A light singlet scalar field feebly coupled through the super-renormalizable Higgs portal provides a minimal and well-motivated realization of ultra-light bosonic dark matter. We study the cosmological production of dark matter in this model by elucidating the dynamics of two sources of scalar field misalignment generated during the radiation era. For large scalar masses (above $$ \mathcal{O} $$
O
(10−3 eV)), dark matter is produced through thermal misalignment, by which the scalar field is driven towards large field values as a result of the finite-temperature effective potential. The dominance of thermal misalignment in this mass range leads to a sharp relic abundance prediction which is, to a significant extent, insensitive to the initial conditions of the scalar field. On the other hand, for low mass scalars (below $$ \mathcal{O} $$
O
(10−5 eV)), dark matter is produced via VEV misalignment, which is caused by the induced scalar field vacuum expectation value triggered by the electroweak phase transition. We show that the relic abundance in this low mass range is sensitive to the scalar field initial conditions. In the intermediate mass range, the relic abundance is a consequence of a competition between thermal misalignment and VEV misalignment, which can potentially lead to novel forced resonance effects which cause a recurring enhancement and suppression in the late time oscillation amplitude as a function of the scalar mass. We compare our relic abundance predictions with constraints and projections from equivalence principle and inverse square law tests, stellar cooling, resonant molecular absorption, and observations of extra-galactic background light and diffuse X-ray backgrounds. New experimental ideas are needed to probe most of the cosmologically motivated regions of parameter space.
Entropy bounds and the species scale distance conjecture
Authors: Calderón-Infante J. , Castellano A. , Herráez A. , Ibáñez L. E.
Published: January 2024

Abstract

The Swampland Distance Conjecture (SDC) states that, as we move towards an infinite distance point in moduli space, a tower of states becomes exponentially light with the geodesic distance in any consistent theory of Quantum Gravity. Although this fact has been tested in large sets of examples, it is fair to say that a bottom-up justification based on fundamental Quantum Gravity principles that explains both the geodesic requirement and the exponential behavior has been missing so far. In the present paper we address this issue by making use of the Covariant Entropy Bound as applied to the EFT. When applied to backgrounds of the Dynamical Cobordism type in theories with a moduli space, we are able to recover these main features of the SDC. Moreover, this naturally leads to universal lower and upper bounds on the ‘decay rate’ parameter λsp of the species scale, that we propose as a convex hull condition under the name of Species Scale Distance Conjecture (SSDC). This is in contrast to already proposed universal bounds, that apply to the SDC parameter of the lightest tower. We also extend the analysis to the case in which asymptotically exponential potentials are present, finding a nice interplay with the asymptotic de Sitter conjecture. To test the SSDC, we study the convex hull that encodes the large-moduli dependence of the species scale. In this way, we show that the SSDC is the strongest bound on the species scale exponential rate which is preserved under dimensional reduction and we verify it in M-theory toroidal compactifications.
Multi-charged moments and symmetry-resolved Rényi entropy of free compact boson for multiple disjoint intervals
Authors: Gaur Himanshu , Yajnik Urjit A.
Published: January 2024

Abstract

We study multi-charged moments and symmetry-resolved Rényi entropy of free compact boson for multiple disjoint intervals. The Rényi entropy evaluation involves computing the partition function of the theory on Riemann surfaces with genus g > 1. This makes Rényi entropy sensitive to the local conformal algebra of the theory. The free compact boson possesses a global U(1) symmetry with respect to which we resolve Rényi entropy. The multi-charged moments are obtained by studying the correlation function of flux-generating vertex operators on the associated Riemann surface. Symmetry-resolved Rényi entropy is then obtained from the Fourier transforms of the charged moments. Rényi entropy is shown to have the familiar equipartition into local charge sectors upto the leading order. The multi-charged moments are also essential in studying the symmetry resolution of mutual information. The multi-charged moments of the self-dual compact boson and massless Dirac fermion are also shown to match for the cases when the associated reduced density moments are known to be the same. Finally, we numerically check our results against the tight-binding model.
The Schatten Classes of Calderón–Zygmund Operators
Authors: Villarroya Paco
Published: January 2024

We prove sufficient conditions for a Calderón–Zygmund operator to belong to the Schatten classes. As in the classical T1 theory, the conditions are given in terms of the smoothness of the operator kernel, and the action of both the operator and its adjoint on the function 1. To show membership to the Schatten class when $$p>2$$

p
>
2

we develop new bump estimates for composed Calderón–Zygmund operators, and a new extension of Carleson’s Embedding Theorem.
Limited Range Extrapolation with Quantitative Bounds and Applications
Authors: Cao Mingming , Liu Honghai , Si Zengyan , Yabuta Kôzô
Published: January 2024

In recent years, sharp or quantitative weighted inequalities have attracted considerable attention on account of the $$A_2$$

A
2

conjecture solved by Hytönen. Advances have greatly improved conceptual understanding of classical objects such as Calderón–Zygmund operators. However, plenty of operators do not fit into the class of Calderón–Zygmund operators and fail to be bounded on all $$L^p(w)$$

L
p

(
w
)

spaces for $$p \in (1, \infty )$$

p
∈
(
1
,
∞
)

and $$w \in A_p$$

w
∈

A
p

. In this paper we develop Rubio de Francia extrapolation with quantitative bounds to investigate quantitative weighted inequalities for operators beyond the (multilinear) Calderón–Zygmund theory. We mainly establish a quantitative multilinear limited range extrapolation in terms of exponents $$p_i \in (\mathfrak {p}_i^-, \mathfrak {p}_i^+)$$

p
i

∈

(

p
i
-

,

p
i
+

)

and weights $$w_i^{p_i} \in A_{p_i/\mathfrak {p}_i^-} \cap RH_{(\mathfrak {p}_i^+/p_i)'}$$

w
i

p
i

∈

A

p
i

/

p
i
-

∩
R

H

(

p
i
+

/

p
i

)

′

, $$i=1, \ldots , m$$

i
=
1
,
…
,
m

, which refines a result of Cruz-Uribe and Martell. We also present an extrapolation from multilinear operators to the corresponding commutators. Additionally, our result is quantitative and allows us to extend special quantitative estimates in the Banach space setting to the quasi-Banach space setting. Our proof is based on an off-diagonal extrapolation result with quantitative bounds. Finally, we present various applications to illustrate the utility of extrapolation by concentrating on quantitative weighted estimates for some typical multilinear operators such as bilinear Bochner–Riesz means, bilinear rough singular integrals, and multilinear Fourier multipliers. In the linear case, based on the Littlewood–Paley theory, we include weighted jump and variational inequalities for rough singular integrals.
Kooperation zwischen dem Health Data Hub und dem FDZ Gesundheit am BfArM beim Aufbau des europäischen Gesundheitsdatenraums
Authors: Arzideh Roxana , Jendrossek Mario , Zittlau Irene
Published: January 2024

In den vergangenen Jahren hat der grenzübergreifende Austausch der europäischen Mitgliedstaaten in Bezug auf die Nutzung von Gesundheitsdaten an Relevanz zugenommen. Um der aktuell bestehenden Heterogenität und den gesundheitsbezogenen Herausforderungen gemeinschaftlich entgegenzuwirken sowie die Vision des europäischen Gesundheitsdatenraums (EHDS) unter Einhaltung der hohen Datenschutzstandards sukzessive umzusetzen, wurden unterschiedliche Projekte mit Beteiligung des Health Data Lab (HDL) am Bundesinstitut für Arzneimittel und Medizinprodukte (BfArM) und des Health Data Hub (HDH) initiiert. Durch die enge deutsch-französische Kooperation werden einerseits Synergien geschaffen und Herausforderungen sowie Lösungsansätze europäisch beleuchtet. Andererseits fördert die Zusammenarbeit zwischen beiden Institutionen den grenzübergreifenden Wissens- und Erfahrungsaustausch, um auf nationaler und europäischer Ebene gemeinsam Herausforderungen zu begegnen und Ziele zu erreichen.
Altered expression of Sialyl Lewis X in experimental models of Parkinson’s disease
Authors: Nunes Maria João , Carvalho Andreia Neves , Rosa Alexandra I. , Videira Paula A. , Gama Maria João , Rodrigues Elsa , Castro-Caldas Margarida
Published: January 2024

The mechanisms underlying neurodegeneration in Parkinson’s disease (PD) are still not fully understood. Glycosylation is an important post-translational modification that affects protein function, cell-cell contacts and inflammation and can be modified in pathologic conditions. Although the involvement of aberrant glycosylation has been proposed for PD, the knowledge of the diversity of glycans and their role in PD is still minimal. Sialyl Lewis X (sLeX) is a sialylated and fucosylated tetrasaccharide with essential roles in cell-to-cell recognition processes. Pathological conditions and pro-inflammatory mediators can up-regulate sLeX expression on cell surfaces, which has important consequences in intracellular signalling and immune function. Here, we investigated the expression of this glycan using in vivo and in vitro models of PD. We show the activation of deleterious glycation-related pathways in mouse striatum upon treatment with 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP), a toxin-based model of PD. Importantly, our results show that MPTP triggers the presentation of more proteins decorated with sLeX in mouse cortex and striatum in a time-dependent manner, as well as increased mRNA expression of its rate-limiting enzyme fucosyltransferase 7. sLeX is expressed in neurons, including dopaminergic neurons, and microglia. Although the underlying mechanism that drives increased sLeX epitopes, the nature of the protein scaffolds and their functional importance in PD remain unknown, our data suggest for the first time that sLeX in the brain may have a role in neuronal signalling and immunomodulation in pathological conditions.

Key messages

MPTP triggers the presentation of proteins decorated with sLeX in mouse brain.

MPTP triggers the expression of sLeX rate-limiting enzyme FUT 7 in striatum.

sLeX is expressed in neurons, including dopaminergic neurons, and microglia.

sLeX in the brain may have a role in neuronal signalling and immunomodulation.
Age of onset for increased dose-adjusted serum concentrations of antidepressants and association with sex and genotype: An observational study of 34,777 individuals
Authors: Tveit Kristine , Hermann Monica , Nilsen Roy M. , Wallerstedt Susanna M. , Rongve Arvid , Molden Espen , Hole Kristine
Published: January 2024

Purpose

The aim of this study was to examine the age of onset for increased dose-adjusted serum concentrations (C/D ratio) of common antidepressant drugs and to explore the potential association with sex and CYP2C19/CYP2D6 genotype.

Methods

Serum concentrations and prescribed daily doses for citalopram, escitalopram, sertraline, venlafaxine and mirtazapine, and CYP genotypes, were obtained from a therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) service. Segmented linear regression analysis was used to examine the relationship between age and antidepressant log C/D ratio in (i) all individuals, (ii) men and women, and (iii) CYP2D6/CYP2C19 normal metabolizers (NMs) and CYP2D6/CYP2C19 intermediate or poor metabolizers (IMs/PMs).

Results

A total of 34,777 individuals were included in the study; CYP genotype was available for 21.3%. An increase in C/D ratio started at 44‒55 years of age. Thereafter, the increase progressed more rapidly for citalopram and escitalopram than for venlafaxine and mirtazapine. A doubled C/D ratio was estimated to occur at 79 (citalopram), 81 (escitalopram), 86 (venlafaxine), and 90 years (mirtazapine). For sertraline, only modest changes in C/D ratio were observed. For escitalopram and venlafaxine, the observed increase in C/D ratio started earlier in women than in men. The results regarding CYP genotype were inconclusive.

Conclusion

The age-related increase in C/D ratio starts in middle-aged adults and progresses up to more than twofold higher C/D ratio in the oldest old. Sertraline seems to be less prone to age-related changes in C/D ratio than the other antidepressants.
AMWEst, a new thermostable and detergent-tolerant esterase retrieved from the Albian aquifer
Authors: Adjeroud Moussa , Kecha Mouloud , Escuder-Rodríguez Juan-José , Becerra Manuel , González-Siso María-Isabel
Published: January 2024

A fosmid library was constructed with the metagenomic DNA from the high-temperature sediment-rich water of the Albian aquifer (Algeria). Functional screening of this library was subsequently done looking for genes encoding lipolytic enzymes. We identified a novel gene named AMWEst (1209 base pairs) encoding a protein of 402 amino acids with a predicted molecular weight of 43.44 kDa and conferring esterase activity. AMWEst was successfully overexpressed in the yeast mesophilic host Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and the expression system used proved to be efficient and produced sufficient activity for its biochemical characterization. Multiple sequence alignment indicated that AMWEst contained a conserved pentapeptide motif (Gly120-His121-Ser122-Gln123-Gly124). The optimum pH and temperature of the recombinant esterase AMWEst were 8 and 80 °C, respectively. Additionally, AMWEst showed higher activity towards short carbon substrates and showed maximum activity for p-nitrophenyl hexanoate (C6). Notably, AMWEst has a remarkable thermostability, and the enzyme retains almost maximum activity at 70 °C after incubation for 1 h. Moreover, enzyme activity was enhanced by high concentrations of SDS and Triton X-100 detergents.

Key points

• A novel thermostable esterase has been retrieved through functional metagenomics

• The esterase is detergent-tolerant, which is attractive for some applications

• The esterase can be expressed in a yeast mesophilic host to enhance its yield
Microbiome analysis reveals the intestinal microbiota characteristics and potential impact of Procambarus clarkii
Authors: Xu Ming , Li Fulong , Zhang Xiaoli , Chen Baipeng , Geng Yi , Ouyang Ping , Chen Defang , Li Liangyu , Huang Xiaoli
Published: January 2024

The intestinal microbiota interacts with the host and plays an important role in the immune response, digestive physiology, and regulation of body functions. In addition, it is also well documented that the intestinal microbiota of aquatic animals are closely related to their growth rate. However, whether it resulted in different sizes of crayfish in the rice-crayfish coculture model remained vague. Here, we analyzed the intestinal microbiota characteristics of crayfish of three sizes in the same typical rice-crayfish coculture field by high-throughput sequencing technology combined with quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and enzyme activity, investigating the relationship between intestinal microbiota in crayfish and water and sediments. The results showed that the dominant intestinal microbiota of crayfish was significantly different between the large size group (BS), normal size group (NS), and small size group (SS), where Bacteroides and Candidatus_Bacilloplasma contributed to the growth of crayfish by facilitating food digestion through cellulolysis, which might be one of the potential factors affecting the difference in sizes. Follow-up experiments confirmed that the activity of lipase (LPS) and protease was higher in BS, and the relative expression of development-related genes, including alpha-amylase (α-AMY), myocyte-specific enhancer factor 2a (MEF2a), glutathione reductase (GR), chitinase (CHI), and ecdysone receptor (EcR), in BS was significantly higher than that in SS. These findings revealed the intestinal microbiota characteristics of crayfish of different sizes and their potential impact on growth, which is valuable for managing and manipulating the intestinal microbiota in crayfish to achieve high productivity in practice.

Key points

• Significant differences in the dominant microflora of BS, NS, and SS in crayfish.

• Cellulolysis might be a potential factor affecting different sizes in crayfish.

• Adding Bacteroides and Candidatus_Bacilloplasma helped the growth of crayfish.
A convenient and practical index for predicting the induction response in adult patients with hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis: ferritin/platelet ratio
Authors: Feng Cuicui , Hua Zhengjie , He Lingbo , Yao Shuyan , Zou Heshan , Zhu Yingxin , Wang Zhao , Wang Yini
Published: January 2024

Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) is a hyperinflammatory syndrome with high mortality rate. The response to induction therapy is an important factor affecting survival. The purpose is to investigate laboratory predictors for induction response in adult patients with HLH, which are convenient, practical, and timeliness. Clinical data from January 2017 to December 2020 was retrospectively analyzed, and 269 patients were included. Patients were divided into remission and non-remission groups according to their induction response, 177 in the remission group, and 92 in the non-remission group. We reviewed general characteristics and analyzed the predictive value of serum ferritin, triglycerides, alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and blood cells before and 1–4 weeks after induction therapy for induction response by univariate analysis, ROC curves, etc. There was a correlation between serum ferritin, ALT, leukocytes, neutrophils, hemoglobin, platelets, and induction response (P < 0.05). Serum ferritin and platelets 1–4 weeks after induction therapy, respectively, might be a good predictor for induction response in adults with HLH, with AUC values close to or greater than 0.7. We established a new clinical model of the ferritin/platelet ratio. The results showed that the ferritin/platelet ratio at 1–4 weeks after induction therapy might be a practical index for predicting induction response, which significantly improved the area under the ROC curve (AUC > 0.75). Patients with a ferritin/platelet ratio > 16.08 at 2 weeks after induction therapy may have a relatively poor induction response. Ferritin/platelet ratio after induction therapy can be a good predictor for induction response in adult patients with HLH.
Efficacy of the use of video games on mood, anxiety and depression in stroke patients: preliminary findings of a randomised controlled trial
Authors: Blázquez-González Patricia , Mirón-González Rubén , Lendínez-Mesa Alejandro , Luengo-González Raquel , Mancebo-Salas Noelia , Camacho-Arroyo María Teresa , Muriel-García Alfonso , García-Sastre María Montserrat
Published: January 2024

Background

In the different published studies, there is no consensus on the efficacy of virtual reality as an adjuvant treatment of mood states.

Aim

The aim of this study is to evaluate the impact of no immersive virtual reality with the Nintendo Switch device in rehabilitation treatment on mood, anxiety and depression in stroke patients admitted to neurorehabilitation units.

Methods

Fifty-eight patients admitted to neurorehabilitation units underwent a 1:3 multicentre randomised clinical trial. The intervention group consisted of 17 patients and the control group of 41 patients. The intervention group performed 6 virtual reality sessions together with the conventional treatment, and the control group performed only the conventional rehabilitation sessions. Primary and secondary clinical outcomes were measured before and six weeks after the intervention.

Results

Comparing the intervention group and control group, the anxiety levels of the intervention group decreased compared to the results observed in the control group (p = 0.01), as did the dependence of the intervention group (0.015). On the other hand, the results obtained after the intervention by the control group for anxiety (0.479) and depression (0.292) were not statistically significant.

Conclusion

Rehabilitation VR used as an adjuvant treatment to conventional treatment has a beneficial impact on the neurological status and state of anxiety of stroke patients admitted to neurorehabilitation units.

Trial registration

Registered in the https://clinicaltrials.gov/ repository (NTC NCT05143385). Protocol registration date 7 October 2021, retrospectively registered.
Müllerian anomalies in girls with congenital solitary kidney
Authors: Walawender Laura , Santhanam Natasha , Davies Benjamin , Fei Y. Frances , McLeod Daryl , Becknell Brian
Published: January 2024

Background

The prevalence of Müllerian anomalies (MA) among patients with congenital solitary functioning kidney (SFK) is not well defined. A delay in diagnosis of obstructive MA can increase the risk of poor clinical outcomes. This study describes the prevalence of MA in patients with congenital SFK.

Methods

A retrospective review was performed of patients within the Nationwide Children’s Hospital system with ICD9 or ICD10 diagnostic codes for congenital SFK defined as either unilateral renal agenesis (URA) or multicystic dysplastic kidney (MCDK) and confirmed by chart review. Patients with complex urogenital pathology were excluded. Renal anomaly, MA, reason for and type of pelvic evaluation, and age of diagnosis of anomalies were evaluated.

Results

Congenital SFK occurred in 431 girls due to URA (209) or MCDK (222). Pelvic evaluation, most commonly by ultrasound for evaluation of abdominal pain or dysmenorrhea, occurred in 115 patients leading to MA diagnosis in 60 instances. Among 221 patients ages 10 years and older, 104 underwent pelvic evaluation and 52 were diagnosed with an MA of which 20 were obstructive. Isolated uterine or combined uterine and vaginal anomalies were the most common MA. MA were five-fold more common in patients with URA compared to MCDK. In 75% of patients, the SFK was diagnosed prior to the MA.

Conclusions

The prevalence of MA in patients with congenital SFK was 24% among those age 10 years or older, and 38% were obstructive. This justifies routine screening pelvic ultrasound in girls with congenital SFK to improve early diagnosis.

Graphical abstract
Detection and characterization of incidental vibrations from Drosophila suzukii in infested fruits
Authors: Fellin Lorenzo , Bertagnolli Giulia , Mazzoni Valerio , Anfora Gianfranco , Agostinelli Claudio , Rossi Stacconi Marco Valerio , Nieri Rachele
Published: January 2024

The spotted-wing drosophila (SWD), Drosophila suzukii (Matsumura), is an invasive species native to East Asia and now widespread worldwide. Major economic damage is caused by the larvae developing within ripening soft-skin fruit. Currently, larval detection in fruit is limited to destructive methods and post-harvest control strategies heavily rely on the use of chemicals or cold to inhibit egg eclosion and larval growth. Feeding larvae are likely to induce substrate-borne vibrations in the berry that could be exploited as cues by predators or to develop a non-invasive pest detection method, an approach previously applied on leaves and wooden structures, but never on fresh fruit. We used a laser vibrometer to detect and characterize the incidental vibrations produced by D. suzukii larvae within fresh blueberries at five different pest age (48, 96, 168, 216 and 264 h). An innovative statistical analysis was performed to assess if infestation level (number of pupae) and pest age (hours after exposure) affect the spectrum and the amplitude of vibrations. The recordings of infested berries were characterized by the presence of a series of broad-band pulses (frequency range 0.1–2 kHz) without a regular temporal pattern, in an amplitude range between 12.1 and 946 µm/s. Furthermore, the analysis revealed the possibility to distinguish between different pest ages and infestation levels. By a spectral analysis of the recordings, the pest ages can be distinguished among each other, but for the age groups at 168 and 216 h after infestation. The vibration amplitude trend gradually increased up to 168–216 h after infestation, and then decreased until fly emergence. Low-infested blueberries showed a faster D. suzukii development time compared to high-infested blueberries. This was reflected into vibrational recordings, as low-infested blueberries exhibited peak amplitude at earlier stage compared to high-infested ones. Results suggest that D. suzukii larvae induce detectable vibrations by feeding within berries that are dependent on infestation level and pest age. We discuss the possible ecological role of such vibrations as cues for unintended receivers, such as predators and parasitoids, and their potential for innovative infestation detection methods.
The Role of Forebody Topology on Aerodynamics and Aeroacoustics Characteristics of Squareback Vehicles using Computational Aeroacoustics (CAA)
Authors: Viswanathan Harish , Chode Kushal Kumar
Published: January 2024

This study investigates the influence of forebody configuration on aerodynamic noise generation and radiation in standard squareback vehicles, employing a hybrid computational aeroacoustics approach. Initially, a widely used standard squareback body is employed to establish grid-independent solutions and validate the applied methodology against previously published experimental data. Six distinct configurations are examined, consisting of three bodies with A-pillars and three without A-pillars. Throughout these configurations, the reference area, length, and height remain consistent, while systematic alterations to the forebody are implemented. The findings reveal that changes in the forebody design exert a substantial influence on both the overall aerodynamics and aeroacoustics performance of the vehicle. Notably, bodies without A-pillars exhibit a significant reduction in downforce compared to their A-pillar counterparts. For all configurations, the flow characteristics around the side-view mirror and the side window exhibit an asymmetrical horseshoe vortex with high-intensity pressure fluctuations, primarily within the confines of this vortex and the mirror wake. Side windows on bodies with A-pillars experience more pronounced pressure fluctuations, rendering these configurations distinctly impactful in terms of radiated noise. However, despite forebody-induced variations in pressure fluctuations impacting the side window and side-view mirror, the fundamental structure of the radiated noise remains relatively consistent. The noise pattern transitions from a cardioid-like shape to a monopole-like pattern as the probing distance from the vehicle increases.
Triggered Abuse: How and Why Leaders with Narcissistic Rivalry React to Follower Deviance
Authors: Gauglitz Iris K. , Schyns Birgit
Published: January 2024

Previous research has shown that leaders’ narcissistic rivalry is positively associated with abusive supervision. However, it remains unclear when and how leaders high in narcissistic rivalry show abusive supervision. Building on trait activation theory and the Narcissistic Admiration and Rivalry Concept (NARC), we assumed that leaders high in narcissistic rivalry particularly show abusive supervision in reaction to follower workplace deviance due to their tendency to devaluate others. We argued that leaders’ injury initiation motives explain why leaders high in narcissistic rivalry react with abusive supervision when experiencing organization-directed or supervisor-directed deviance. However, this should not be the case for coworker-directed deviance, as leaders high in narcissistic rivalry are less likely to find such behavior violates their internal norms. We conducted two studies. In the first study, we provided participants with experimental vignettes of follower workplace deviance. In the second study, we used a mixed-methods approach and investigated leaders’ autobiographical recollections of follower workplace deviance. We found a positive direct effect of leaders’ narcissistic rivalry across both studies. Leaders high in narcissistic rivalry showed abusive supervision (intentions) in response to organization-directed deviance (Studies 1 and 2) or supervisor-directed deviance (Study 1), but not in response to coworker-directed deviance (Studies 1 and 2). Leaders’ injury initiation motives could in part explain this effect. We discuss findings in light of the NARC and devaluation of others and derive implications for theory and practice.
Hydrogenation of Cinnamaldehyde Using Carbon Dots Reduced Palladium Nanoparticles
Authors: Magubane Alice , Gangatharan Prakash M. , Mente Pumza , Phaahlamohlaka Tumelo N. , Maubane-Nkadimeng Manoko S. , Lee Michael , O’Connell Jacques , Coville Neil J.
Published: January 2024

Carbon dots (CDs) with a size range of 0.2 to 2 nm were prepared using a hydrothermal treatment of sucrose and oleic acid. The as-synthesized CDs were used to reduce H2PdCl4 to metallic Pd nanoparticles with dPd = 9.3 ± 3.7 nm, as confirmed by PXRD and HRTEM data. Pd particles were made to be larger than the CDs, to observe any inverse support effects, however, TEM data revealed that the CDs were transformed to carbon sheets in the reduction reaction at 100 °C. The synthesized Pd-CDs catalysts (0.81 wt. % loading) and CDs were both tested for the liquid phase hydrogenation of cinnamaldehyde. The influence of mass, temperature, and hydrogen flow rate on the activity and selectivity of the CDs and Pd-CDs catalyst on the hydrogenation of cinnamaldehyde was investigated. The CDs gave a cinnamaldehyde conversion (40%, 4 h) with selectivity towards the reduction of the C = O bond (cinnamyl alcohol) while the Pd-carbon catalyst was only selective to the reduction of the C = C bond (conversion 78%) indicating the dominance of Pd in the reaction. Post analysis of the deactivated catalysts indicated formation of carbon sheets and sintering of the Pd nanoparticles. It is thus shown that the presence of Pd induces the CDs to carbon sheet formation and thus indicates the limited use of CDs as a support for the olefin hydrogenation reaction with the CDs produced carbon support. This finding has implications for other studies using CDs as supports.

Graphical abstract
Early childhood pre-service teachers’ attitudes towards digital technologies and their relation to digital competence
Authors: Merjovaara Olli , Eklund Kenneth , Nousiainen Tuula , Karjalainen Satu , Koivula Merja , Mykkänen Arttu , Hämäläinen Raija
Published: January 2024

This study examines early childhood pre-service teachers’ attitudes towards digital technologies and their relations to their self-perceived digital competence. Attitudes towards digital technologies were divided into core attitudes: general attitudes towards digital technologies; attitudes towards educational use of digital technologies; and perceived ease of digital technology use. Technological knowledge [TK] and technological content knowledge [TCK] dimensions of the TPACK framework were used to assess pre-service teachers’ self-perceived digital competence. Two structural equation models, a correlated-traits model and a second-order factor model, were used to analyse the relations between attitudes and digital competence. Based on the results, the early childhood pre-service teachers held positive attitudes towards digital technologies. Both models fit the data well, but the correlated-traits model explained a larger portion of variance in competence measures. Moreover, this model provided a more fine-grained picture of the associations between attitudes and competence. The general attitudes towards digital technologies and perceived ease of digital technology use were related to both TK and TCK, whereas attitudes towards educational use of digital technologies were not. Therefore, the correlated-traits model was viewed as better at describing the relations between attitudes towards digital technologies and digital competence. The study contributes to the development of teacher education. Instead of considering the current generation of pre-service teachers as a homogeneous group, this study aims to understand how they differ in their attitudes and how they perceive their own competence to use digital technologies.
Nrat: towards adversarial training with inherent label noise
Authors: Chen Zhen , Wang Fu , Mu Ronghui , Xu Peipei , Huang Xiaowei , Ruan Wenjie
Published: January 2024

Adversarial training (AT) has been widely recognized as the most effective defense approach against adversarial attacks on deep neural networks and it is formulated as a min-max optimization. Most AT algorithms are geared towards research-oriented datasets such as MNIST, CIFAR10, etc., where the labels are generally correct. However, noisy labels, e.g., mislabelling, are inevitable in real-world datasets. In this paper, we investigate AT with inherent label noise, where the training dataset itself contains mislabeled samples. We first empirically show that the performance of AT typically degrades as the label noise rate increases. Then, we propose a Noisy-Robust Adversarial Training (NRAT) algorithm, which leverages the recent advancements in learning with noisy labels to enhance the performance of AT in the presence of label noise. For experimental comparison, we consider two essential metrics in AT: (i) trade-off between natural and robust accuracy; (ii) robust overfitting. Our experiments show that NRAT’s performance is on par with, or better than, the state-of-the-art AT methods on both evaluation metrics. Our code is publicly available at: https://github.com/TrustAI/NRAT.
Prenatal Exposure to COVID-19 mRNA Vaccine BNT162b2 Induces Autism-Like Behaviors in Male Neonatal Rats: Insights into WNT and BDNF Signaling Perturbations
Authors: Erdogan Mumin Alper , Gurbuz Orkun , Bozkurt Mehmet Fatih , Erbas Oytun
Published: January 2024

The COVID-19 pandemic catalyzed the swift development and distribution of mRNA vaccines, including BNT162b2, to address the disease. Concerns have arisen about the potential neurodevelopmental implications of these vaccines, especially in susceptible groups such as pregnant women and their offspring. This study aimed to investigate the gene expression of WNT, brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels, specific cytokines, m-TOR expression, neuropathology, and autism-related neurobehavioral outcomes in a rat model. Pregnant rats received the COVID-19 mRNA BNT162b2 vaccine during gestation. Subsequent evaluations on male and female offspring included autism-like behaviors, neuronal counts, and motor performance. Molecular techniques were applied to quantify WNT and m-TOR gene expressions, BDNF levels, and specific cytokines in brain tissue samples. The findings were then contextualized within the extant literature to identify potential mechanisms. Our findings reveal that the mRNA BNT162b2 vaccine significantly alters WNT gene expression and BDNF levels in both male and female rats, suggesting a profound impact on key neurodevelopmental pathways. Notably, male rats exhibited pronounced autism-like behaviors, characterized by a marked reduction in social interaction and repetitive patterns of behavior. Furthermore, there was a substantial decrease in neuronal counts in critical brain regions, indicating potential neurodegeneration or altered neurodevelopment. Male rats also demonstrated impaired motor performance, evidenced by reduced coordination and agility. Our research provides insights into the effects of the COVID-19 mRNA BNT162b2 vaccine on WNT gene expression, BDNF levels, and certain neurodevelopmental markers in a rat model. More extensive studies are needed to confirm these observations in humans and to explore the exact mechanisms. A comprehensive understanding of the risks and rewards of COVID-19 vaccination, especially during pregnancy, remains essential.
Country names in journal titles: shaping researchers’ perception of journals quality
Authors: Jamali Hamid R.
Published: January 2024

Numerous academic journals incorporate geographic names, including countries and regions, in their titles. This practice is not uniform, as some journals opt to internationalise by omitting these affiliations. To gauge the impact of country names in journal titles on researchers' perceptions of journal quality, 408 researchers in sociology, psychology, environmental sciences, and physical chemistry in Brazil, Canada, Germany, Malaysia, Nigeria, and the USA were surveyed. The study reveals that most researchers believe that a journal's association with a specific country influences their perception of its quality (74.6%) and international readership (76.8%). Consequently, researchers tend to avoid journals with country-specific titles, suspecting limited readership or a predominant focus on papers from that country. However, exceptions exist, primarily in terms of perception, especially for American journals, which are often perceived as indistinguishable from mainstream international journals. Disciplinary variations emerge, with subject matter influencing perceptions. Subjects such as sociology, closely tied to local and national issues, exhibit a more (compared to e.g., chemistry) significant tendency toward recognising national journals. The inclusion of the term "international" in journal titles elicits mixed opinions, with some associating it with low quality or predatory journals, a perception that stems from the proliferation of predatory journals in some Asian and African countries. This study offers insight into researchers’ preferences and underscores the important role of journal titles in shaping researchers' perceptions of journals’ scope, quality and readership. In a challenging metric-driven research and publishing landscape, it is important to strike a balance between internationalisation and fostering diversity in scholarly journal publishing.
Maximum likelihood estimation for discrete latent variable models via evolutionary algorithms
Authors: Brusa Luca , Pennoni Fulvia , Bartolucci Francesco
Published: January 2024

We propose an evolutionary optimization method for maximum likelihood and approximate maximum likelihood estimation of discrete latent variable models. The proposal is based on modified versions of the expectation–maximization (EM) and variational EM (VEM) algorithms, which are based on the genetic approach and allow us to accurately explore the parameter space, reducing the chance to be trapped into one of the multiple local maxima of the log-likelihood function. Their performance is examined through an extensive Monte Carlo simulation study where they are employed to estimate latent class, hidden Markov, and stochastic block models and compared with the standard EM and VEM algorithms. We observe a significant increase in the chance to reach global maximum of the target function and a high accuracy of the estimated parameters for each model. Applications focused on the analysis of cross-sectional, longitudinal, and network data are proposed to illustrate and compare the algorithms.
The hybrid account of activities
Authors: Kalewold Kalewold Hailu
Published: January 2024

According to an influential account of the new mechanistic philosophy of science, entities and activities compose mechanisms. However, the new mechanists have paid too little attention to activities. Critics have charged that accounts of activities in the new mechanism literature are philosophically uninformative and opaque. This paper defends a novel account of causally productive activities, which I call the Hybrid Account, that marries the two dominant philosophical approaches to causation: production and difference-making. The Hybrid Account of Activities (HAA) identifies causally productive activities as robust difference-makers to the next stage of a mechanism. The Hybrid Account provides attractive solutions to causal identification and causal selection problems faced by earlier activities views.
Inborn errors of immunity with kidney and urinary tract disorders: a review
Authors: Shajari Ahmad , Zare Ahmadabadi Atefe , Ashrafi Mohammad Moein , Mahdavi Tolue , Mirzaee Mahbubeh , Mohkam Masoumeh , Sharafian Samin , Tamiji Mehrdad , Jamee Mahnaz
Published: January 2024

Human inborn errors of immunity (IEIs), previously referred to as primary immunodeficiency disorders (PIDs), are a heterogeneous spectrum of inherited abnormalities of the immune system with different organ involvement. The number of identified IEIs is rapidly increasing, highlighting the non-negligible role of an interdisciplinary approach in clinical diagnosis. Kidney disorders are one of the important comorbidities in some of the affected patients and play a significant role in the diagnosis and course of disease. According to recent studies, 22 types of human IEI with renal manifestations have been identified so far, including immunodeficiency with congenital thrombocytopenia, thymic defects with additional congenital anomalies, complement deficiencies, type 1 interferonopathies, immunity related to non-hematopoietic tissues, congenital neutropenia’s, common variable immunodeficiency disorder (CVID) phenotype and immuno-osseous dysplasia. Based on this classification, we herein review IEIs with renal features and explain the genetic defect, inheritance, and type of renal manifestations.
Maternal PM2.5 exposure is associated with preterm birth and gestational diabetes mellitus, and mitochondrial OXPHOS dysfunction in cord blood
Authors: You Young-Ah , Park Sunwha , Kwon Eunjin , Kim Ye-Ah , Hur Young Min , Lee Ga In , Kim Soo Min , Song Jeong Min , Kim Man S. , Kim Young Ju ,   The APPO study group, Kim Young-Han , Na Sung Hun , Park Mi Hye , Bae Jin-Gon , Cho Geum Joon , Lee Soo-Jeong
Published: January 2024

Maternal exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) is associated with adverse pregnancy and neonatal health outcomes. To explore the mechanism, we performed mRNA sequencing of neonatal cord blood. From an ongoing prospective cohort, Air Pollution on Pregnancy Outcome (APPO) study, 454 pregnant women from six centers between January 2021 and June 2022 were recruited. Individual PM2.5 exposure was calculated using a time-weighted average model. In the APPO study, age-matched cord blood samples from the High PM2.5 (˃15 ug/m3; n = 10) and Low PM2.5 (≤ 15 ug/m3; n = 30) groups were randomly selected for mRNA sequencing. After selecting genes with differential expression in the two groups (p-value < 0.05 and log2 fold change > 1.5), pathway enrichment analysis was performed, and the mitochondrial pathway was analyzed using MitoCarta3.0. The risk of preterm birth (PTB) increased with every 5 µg/m3 increase of PM2.5 in the second trimester (odds ratio 1.391, p = 0.019) after adjusting for confounding variables. The risk of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) increased in the second (odds ratio 1.238, p = 0.041) and third trimester (odds ratio 1.290, p = 0.029), and entire pregnancy (odds ratio 1.295, p = 0.029). The mRNA-sequencing of cord blood showed that genes related to mitochondrial activity (FAM210B, KRT1, FOXO4, TRIM58, and FBXO7) and PTB-related genes (ADIPOR1, YBX1, OPTN, NFkB1, HBG2) were upregulated in the High PM2.5 group. In addition, exposure to high PM2.5 affected mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) and proteins in the electron transport chain, a subunit of OXPHOS. These results suggest that exposure to high PM2.5 during pregnancy may increase the risk of PTB and GDM, and dysregulate PTB-related genes. Alterations in mitochondrial OXPHOS by high PM2.5 exposure may occur not only in preterm infants but also in normal newborns. Further studies with larger sample sizes are required.