bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Interactive content-based image retrieval with deep learning for CT abdominal organ recognition
Authors: Lo Chung-Ming , Wang Chi-Cheng , Hung Peng-Hsiang
Published: January 2024

Objective. Recognizing the most relevant seven organs in an abdominal computed tomography (CT) slice requires sophisticated knowledge. This study proposed automatically extracting relevant features and applying them in a content-based image retrieval (CBIR) system to provide similar evidence for clinical use. Approach. A total of 2827 abdominal CT slices, including 638 liver, 450 stomach, 229 pancreas, 442 spleen, 362 right kidney, 424 left kidney and 282 gallbladder tissues, were collected to evaluate the proposed CBIR in the present study. Upon fine-tuning, high-level features used to automatically interpret the differences among the seven organs were extracted via deep learning architectures, including DenseNet, Vision Transformer (ViT), and Swin Transformer v2 (SwinViT). Three images with different annotations were employed in the classification and query. Main results. The resulting performances included the classification accuracy (94%–99%) and retrieval result (0.98–0.99). Considering global features and multiple resolutions, SwinViT performed better than ViT. ViT also benefited from a better receptive field to outperform DenseNet. Additionally, the use of hole images can obtain almost perfect results regardless of which deep learning architectures are used. Significance. The experiment showed that using pretrained deep learning architectures and fine-tuning with enough data can achieve successful recognition of seven abdominal organs. The CBIR system can provide more convincing evidence for recognizing abdominal organs via similarity measurements, which could lead to additional possibilities in clinical practice.
Alternative analytical models for HTS tapes considering their AC hysteretic and resistive losses
Authors: Fernandes João F P , Bucho Luís F D , Ferreira da Silva F , Peixoto Inês S P , Vaschetto Silvio , Costa Branco P J
Published: January 2024

This work proposes two alternative analytical models to evaluate the ac losses of high-temperature superconducting (HTS) tapes during their hysteretic and resistive modes. These models intend to extend the application range of state-of-the-art analytical models for current values higher than the critical one, i.e. for the resistive state, and to correctly predict the ac losses during the transition between the hysteretic and resistive modes. Two analytical models are proposed, one considering an extension of the Norris model for the HTS tape’s resistive mode and the other based on a sigmoid function to characterize the hysteretic losses and their smooth transition to the resistive mode. Analytical models capable of estimating ac losses of superconducting (SC) tapes are an important tool for the design of complex SC systems, such as SC fault current limiters, SC electrical machines and SC cables. The proposed models are validated experimentally, for a 1st generation BSCCO tape and a 2nd generation REBCO tape. Finite element simulation is also carried out to verify the accuracy of the proposed models. Results show that the proposed extended-Norris model presents some deviation at the transition between the hysteretic and resistive modes, while the sigmoid model presents very accurate results for the whole spectrum of applied current. Also, the parameters of the sigmoid models are independent of the tape geometry.
Resistance at 77 K of two Bi-2223 coils with superconducting joints prepared by incongruent melting
Authors: Kanazawa Shintetsu , Sekine Chihiro
Published: January 2024

A superconducting joint for multi-filamentary Bi2Sr2Ca2Cu3O10+δ
(Bi2223) tape, which has applications in nuclear magnetic resonance and magnetic resonance imaging, has been developed based on incongruent melting and multi-junction methods. In this study, the critical current limit, optimal oxygen annealing conditions, and reproducibility of this joint are experimentally evaluated. The results indicate that the critical current limit of the joint at 77 K is determined by that of the tape. The critical current limit was estimated to be about 40 A. Additional oxygen annealing after heat treatment below 1143 K. appears to have no effect on the critical current, and that above 1153 K slightly increases the critical current. It is found that the multi-junction method effectively increases the reproducibility of obtaining a high critical current. To obtain a high critical current at 77 K, the highest temperature in the joint creation process should be lowered to near the incongruent melting temperature of Bi2223 (about 1133 K in air). Two Bi2223 coils, each with one joint (four junctions), were prepared and their persistent current at 77 K was tested. A persistent current of above 20 A was measured with a resistance of about 10 pΩ.
Superconductivity of amorphous and crystalline Re–Lu films
Authors: Teknowijoyo Serafim , Gulian Armen
Published: January 2024

We report on superconducting properties of a novel material: rhenium-lutetium films. Different compositions of RexLu binary are explored fromx ≈ 3.8 to close to pure Re stoichiometry. The highest critical temperature, up toTc≈7 K, is obtained forx ≈ 10.5 in accordance with electron dispersive spectroscopy results. Depending on the deposition conditions, polycrystalline or amorphous films are obtainable, both of which are interesting for practical use. Crystalline structure of polycrystalline phase is identified as a non-centrosymmetric superconductor using grazing incidence x-ray diffractometry. Superconducting properties were characterized both resistively and magnetically. Magnetoresistivity and AC/DC susceptibility measurements allowed us to determineHc1andHc2of these films, as well as estimate coherence lengthξ(0)and magnetic penetration depthλL(0). We also provide information on surface morphology of these films. Demonstration of superconductivity in this material justifies the point of view that Lu plays a role of group 3 transition metal in period 6 of the Periodic table of elements. Then, in analogy with Re–Nb, Re–Ti, Re–Hf and Re–Zr, one can expect that crystalline Re–Lu also breaks time-reversal symmetry. If that is proven by future experiments, in combination with noncentrosymmetric feature, these films could be used for forming nonreciprocal current devices, such as superconducting diodes, without involvement of external magnetic fields.
Localized wave solutions and interactions of the (2+1)-dimensional Hirota–Satsuma–Ito equation
Authors: Gong 巩 Qiankun 乾坤 , Wang 王 Hui 惠 , Wang 王 Yunhu 云虎
Published: January 2024

This paper studies the (2+1)-dimensional Hirota–Satsuma–Ito equation. Based on an associated Hirota bilinear form, lump-type solution, two types of interaction solutions, and breather wave solution of the (2+1)-dimensional Hirota–Satsuma–Ito equation are obtained, which are all related to the seed solution of the equation. It is interesting that the rogue wave is aroused by the interaction between one-lump soliton and a pair of resonance stripe solitons, and the fusion and fission phenomena are also found in the interaction between lump solitons and one-stripe soliton. Furthermore, the breather wave solution is also obtained by reducing the two-soliton solutions. The trajectory and period of the one-order breather wave are analyzed. The corresponding dynamical characteristics are demonstrated by the graphs.
Plasma elongation effects on energetic particle-induced geodesic acoustic modes in tokamaks
Authors: Chen Zhe , Ren Haijun , M Roach Colin
Published: January 2024

Plasma elongation effects on energetic particle-induced geodesic acoustic modes (EGAMs) are theoretically investigated by using gyro-kinetic equations and the Miller local equilibrium model. Including an arbitrary elongation κ and a finite radial derivative

s
κ

=
r

∂
r

κ

/

κ

, a general EGAM dispersion relation is obtained for an arbitrary energetic particle (EP) distribution. In particular, we obtain analytical EGAM dispersion relations for both the double-shifted Maxwellian distribution and the standard slowing-down distribution of EPs. In both cases, the frequency of the unstable EGAM branch decreases slowly with increasing elongation, while its growth rate decreases rapidly with κ when the ratio of the EP to the bulk ion density,

n

h

/

n

i

⩾
0.1

. These trends agree well with previous GENE and ORB5 simulations (Di Siena et al 2018 Nucl. Fusion
58 106014), but differ significantly from the elongation effects on geodesic acoustic modes (GAMs) (Gao et al 2009 Nucl. Fusion
49 045014). The portion of the EGAM dispersion relation accounting for the first-order finite-orbit-width shows greater sensitivity to frequency compared to that of GAM, which explains the smaller variations in the frequency of EGAM as κ changes. When the EP number is small (typically,

n

h

/

n

i

≈
5
%

) in the double-shifted Maxwellian case, the growth rate of EGAMs first increases with the increasing elongation and then decreases, while it monotonically increases with κ in the slowing-down case. Furthermore, the effects of s

κ
on EGAMs are similar to the elongation κ effects but weaker.
Diagnostic weight functions in constants-of-motion phase-space
Authors: Rud M. , Moseev D. , Jaulmes F. , Bogar K. , Eriksson J. , Järleblad H. , Nocente M. , Prechel G. , Reman B.C.G. , Schmidt B.S. , Snicker A. , Stagner L. , Valentini A. , Salewski M.
Published: January 2024

The fast-ion phase-space distribution function in axisymmetric tokamak plasmas is completely described by the three constants of motion: energy, magnetic moment and toroidal canonical angular momentum. In this work, the observable regions of constants-of-motion phase-space, given a diagnostic setup, are identified and explained using projected velocities of the fast ions along the diagnostic lines-of-sight as a proxy for several fast-ion diagnostics, such as fast-ion

D

α

spectroscopy, collective Thomson scattering, neutron emission spectroscopy and gamma-ray spectroscopy. The observable region in constants-of-motion space is given by a position condition and a velocity condition, and the diagnostic sensitivity is given by a gyro-orbit and a drift-orbit weighting. As a practical example, 3D orbit weight functions quantifying the diagnostic sensitivity to each point in phase-space are computed and investigated for the future COMPASS-Upgrade and MAST-Upgrade tokamaks.
Plasma-based particle sources
Authors: Fuchs M. , Andonian G. , Apsimon O. , Büscher M. , Downer M.C. , Filippetto D. , Lehrach A. , Schroeder C.B. , Shadwick B.A. , Thomas A.G.R. , Vafaei-Najafabadi N. , Xia G.
Published: January 2024

High-brightness particle beams generated by advanced
accelerator concepts have the potential to become an essential part
of future accelerator technology. In particular, high-gradient
accelerators can generate and rapidly accelerate particle beams to
relativistic energies. The rapid acceleration and strong confining
fields can minimize irreversible detrimental effects to the beam
brightness that occur at low beam energies, such as emittance growth
or pulse elongation caused by space charge forces. Due to the high
accelerating gradients, these novel accelerators are also
significantly more compact than conventional technology. Advanced
accelerators can be extremely variable and are capable of generating
particle beams with vastly different properties using the same
driver and setup with only modest changes to the interaction
parameters. So far, efforts have mainly been focused on the
generation of electron beams, but there are concepts to extend the
sources to generate spin-polarized electron beams or positron beams.

The beam parameters of these particle sources are largely determined
by the injection and subsequent acceleration processes. Although,
over the last decade there has been significant progress, the
sources are still lacking a sufficiently high 6-dimensional (D)
phase-space density that includes small transverse emittance, small
energy spread and high charge, and operation at high repetition
rate. This is required for future particle colliders with a
sufficiently high luminosity or for more near-term applications,
such as enabling the operation of free-electron lasers (FELs) in the
X-ray regime. Major research and development efforts are required
to address these limitations in order to realize these approaches
for a front-end injector for a future collider or next-generation
light sources. In particular, this includes methods to control and
manipulate the phase-space and spin degrees-of-freedom of ultrashort
plasma-based electron bunches with high accuracy, and methods that
increase efficiency and repetition rate. These efforts also include
the development of high-resolution diagnostics, such as full 6D
phase-space measurements, beam polarimetry and high-fidelity
simulation tools.

A further increase in beam luminosity can be achieve through
emittance damping. Emittance cooling via the emission of synchrotron
radiation using current technology requires kilometer-scale damping
rings. For future colliders, the damping rings might be replaced by
a substantially more compact plasma-based approach. Here, plasma
wigglers with significantly stronger magnetic fields are used
instead of permanent-magnet based wigglers to achieve similar
damping performance but over a two orders of magnitude reduced
length.
In vivo soft tissue regenerative potential of flax seed mucilage self-assembled collagen aerogels
Authors: Kumari Punam , Ahina Kannoth Madappurakkal , Kannan Kiruba , Sreekumar Sreelekshmi , Lakra Rachita , Sivagnanam Uma Tiruchirapalli , Kiran Manikantan Syamala
Published: January 2024

The present study demonstrates the in vivo soft tissue regenerative potential of flax seed mucilage (FSM) reinforced collagen aerogels in Wistar rats. The physiochemical, mechanical, and thermal properties were significantly improved upon the incorporation of flax mucilage into collagen when compared to the native collagen scaffold. In addition, the functional group of flax mucilage notably contributed to a better anti-oxidative potential than the control collagen. The flax mucilage-reinforced collagen at 4 mg ml−1 concentration showed a 2-fold increase in porosity compared to native collagen. The tensile strength of native collagen, 2 mg ml−1, and 4 mg ml−1 FSM reinforced collagen was 5.22 MPa, 9.76 MPa, and 11.16 MPa, respectively, which indicated that 2 mg ml−1 and 4 mg ml−1 FSM showed an 87% and 113% percentage increase respectively in tensile strength compared to the native collagen control. FSM-reinforced biomatrix showed 97% wound closure on day 15 post-wounding, indicating faster healing than controls, where complete healing occurred only on day 21. The mechanical properties of skin treated with FSM-reinforced collagen scaffold post-healing were considerably better than native collagen. The histological and immunohistochemistry analysis also showed complete restoration of wounded tissue like intact normal skin. The findings paved the way for the development of collagen-polysaccharide mucilage wound dressing materials and their further application in skin tissue engineering.
Environmental Performance Indicators as a Tool to Evaluate Urban Development Priorities in Fayoum Governorate.
Authors: Hesham Yomna , Yousry Ahmed , Qutb Seham Mostafa , Saleh Nada
Published: January 2024

Environmental performance assessment, especially EPI (Environmental Performance Indicators), is a quantifiable environmental management tool that provides guidance to improve the efficiency of development processes from an environmental perspective. It relies on two main policies: environmental health and ecosystem vitality. The study aims to evaluate the environmental performance indicators of the Fayoum governorate according to the specificity of its condition. The goal is to achieve a balance between urban development processes and the vitality of its ecosystem. The problem of research is the absence of tools and indicators of environmental performance suitable for the specificity of each region and system separately. This can be addressed by selecting environmental performance indicators appropriate for the study area based on the methodology of internationally recognized Environmental Performance Indicators (EPI). These selected indicators are then applied in the governorate to develop a set of policies and strategies that are appropriate to the issues they face from an environmental performance perspective.
Degradation mechanisms and modification strategies of nickel-rich NCM cathode in lithium-ion batteries
Authors: Li Dongyang , Liu Wenbo , Liang Wenyu , Xu Rui
Published: January 2024

Ni-rich Lithium Nickel Cobalt Manganese Oxide (NCM) cathode materials have garnered attention for their high specific capacity, but they grapple with issues of cycling stability, thermal performance, and safety. This concise yet comprehensive review embarks on an exploration, commencing with an examination of fundamental characteristics, including crystallographic structures and electrochemical properties. It delves into the intricate failure mechanisms contributing to capacity degradation and thermal instability. The review places emphasis on major material-focused modification techniques, encompassing surface coatings and multifunctional additives, all scrutinized for their potential to enhance both performance and safety. Furthermore, it spotlights pivotal research domains, notably novel synthesis methods, positioned to reshape the landscape of Ni-rich NCM technology. The review also emphasizes future development directions, aiming for simplified and cost-effective methodologies to tackle the complexities of nickel-rich cathodes. Ultimately, this review offers a forward-looking analysis, envisioning a future marked by safer, higher-capacity lithium-ion batteries, underscoring an enduring commitment to scientific and technological progress.
Sputter-deposition of ultra-thin film stacks from EUROFER97 and tungsten: characterisation and interaction with low-energy D and He ions
Authors: Shams-Latifi Jila , Pitthan Eduardo , Tran Tuan Thien , Kaur Rajdeep , Primetzhofer Daniel
Published: January 2024

We have sputter-deposited stacks of ultrathin layers from EUROFER97 and tungsten on silicon substrates. Ion beam analysis techniques are used for composition characterisation and microscopy methods are employed for structural examination. The films are subsequently studied by time-of-flight low-energy ion scattering (ToF-LEIS) for primary 10 keV He+ and 8 keV D+ ions to demonstrate an approach of providing accurate and precise experimental reference electronic stopping cross-sections for fusion-relevant steels. The energy-converted ToF-LEIS spectra are compared to Monte-Carlo simulations for quantitative analysis explicitly considering the influence of plural and multiple scattering. We discuss the deduced stopping cross-sections of EUROFER97 in comparison to predictions by SRIM using Bragg’s rule of stopping power additivity.
Deep insight into structural and optoelectronic properties of mixed anion perovskites
Authors: Wanniarachchi W A Chapa Pamodani , Eidsvåg Håkon , Arunasalam Thevakaran , Ravirajan Punniamoorthy , Velauthapillai Dhayalan , Vajeeston Ponniah
Published: January 2024

Here we present the optoelectronic properties of pure inorganic lead-free halide perovskites in the form of Cs2AgBiX
6 (X = Br, Cl, F, I) using the density functional theory calculations on cubic phase (Fm

3

̅

m) and tetragonal phase (I4/m). First, all the structures of the two phases were optimized at the PBE level. Structural, electronic, optical properties, phonon, and thermal properties of Cs2AgBiX
6 in cubic (Fm

3

̅

m) and tetragonal phases (I4/m) were obtained using the VASP code. Tetragonal phases of all compounds of the form Cs2AgBiX
6, except Cs2AgBiBr6, are reported here for the very first time. Among all the Cs2AgBiX
6 (X = F, Cl, Br, I) structures, the cubic phase of Cs2AgBiBr6 was seen to have the highest absorption coefficient along with prominent electronic features that are favorable for optoelectronic applications. Thus, the cubic phase of Cs2AgBiBr6 was selected as the host lattice and bromine atoms were partly replaced with chlorine and iodine atoms. Electronic and optical properties of these mixed halide compounds of Cs2AgBiBr6−xFx, Cs2AgBiBr6−xClx, and Cs2AgBiBr6−xIx where x = 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 are investigated with hybrid functional HSE06 level. The electronic structure revealed that these mixed compounds exhibited indirect band gap nature regardless of the halide substitution (different x concentration) and the band gap of Cs2AgBiBr6 could be varied with the substitutions of fluorine, chlorine, and iodine atoms. Our in-depth analysis shows that Cs2AgBiBr6 and their mixed halides have the potential to become active double perovskite materials for photovoltaic applications and as photocatalysts for water splitting.
Hodge-Riemann property of Griffiths positive matrices with (1,1)-form entries
Authors: Chen Zhangchi
Published: January 2024

The classical Hard Lefschetz theorem (HLT), Hodge-Riemann bilinear relation theorem (HRR) and Lefschetz decomposition theorem (LD) are stated for a power of a Kähler class on a compact Kähler manifold. These theorems are not true for an arbitrary class, even if it contains a smooth strictly positive representative.

Dinh-Nguyên proved the mixed HLT, HRR and LD for a product of arbitrary Kähler classes. Instead of products, they asked whether determinants of Griffiths positive

k
×
k

k\times k

matrices with

(
1
,
1
)

(1,1)

-form entries in

C

n

\mathbb {C}^n

satisfy these theorems in the linear case.

This paper answered their question positively when

k
=
2

k=2

and

n
=
2
,
3

n=2,3

. Moreover, assume that the matrix only has diagonalized entries, for

k
=
2

k=2

and

n
⩾
4

n\geqslant 4

, the determinant satisfies HLT for bidegrees

(
n
−
2
,
0
)

(n-2,0)

,

(
n
−
3
,
1
)

(n-3,1)

,

(
1
,
n
−
3
)

(1,n-3)

and

(
0
,
n
−
2
)

(0,n-2)

. In particular, for

k
=
2

k=2

and

n
=
4
,
5

n=4,5

with this extra assumption, the determinant satisfies HRR, HLT and LD.

Two applications: First, a Griffiths positive

2
×
2

2\times 2

matrix with

(
1
,
1
)

(1,1)

-form entries, if all entries are

C

\mathbb {C}

-linear combinations of the diagonal entries, then its determinant also satisfies these theorems. Second, on a complex torus of dimension

⩽
5

\leqslant 5

, the determinant of a Griffiths positive

2
×
2

2\times 2

matrix with diagonalized entries satisfies these theorems.
England and the Isovist
Authors: Carlsson Moa
Published: January 2024

During the late 1950s and 60s, when the harsh encroachment of industrialisation in rural areas reached a new peak, landscape architecture, design and urban planning were sought out by industrialists as means to improve deteriorating public relations. Facing the contentious task of integrating large industrial structures—coal and nuclear power stations, pylons and power lines, coal mines, spoil heaps, motorways and oil terminals—the hired practitioners were asked to put their design skills and sensibilities to use in new ways. This chapter tells of how methods of perceiving, recording and describing scenery rationally and geometrically came to the fore in the siting of industrial projects, and in landscape planning more broadly. Geometry and abstraction offered landscape architects and planners, first, a new way of understanding the changing landscape, which corresponds with a broader turn to systematic and science-based planning during the post-war period. It also offered the practitioners a new way of capturing landscape change geometrically in charts and diagrams. The chapter traces how this new way of assessing scenery abstractly with properties and relations between points and lines, manifested in new ways of graphically simulating, predicting and ultimately controlling rural landscape change during the 1960s and 70s.
Landscapes of Military Modernity: From ‘Eyesores’ to National Heritage?
Authors: Readman Paul
Published: January 2024

Throughout much of the twentieth century, there has been a sense that England’s green and pleasant land was affronted, desecrated even, by the appurtenances of modern war. Unlike their ancient and medieval equivalents, pillboxes, airfields, bunkers, nuclear weapons testing facilities and other twentieth-century military installations seemed incompatible with the natural environment—and with the integrity of the longer continuities of history embodied in the English landscape. Amenity bodies were among those most hostile to the militarisation of the national domain. Paying special attention to the National Trust, this essay argues that public recognition of the heritage value in modern-day military landscapes was slow, halting and contested. The ruination of these sites was perceived as disturbingly abrupt, the sometimes almost futuristic modernity of their structures suggestive as much of vicissitudes to come as of those now happily overborne. This perspective informed efforts to remove such ‘eyesores’ once abandoned by the armed services. For all that twentieth-century Britain may have been a ‘warfare’ as much as a ‘welfare’ state, the landscapes of Britain’s modern-day military experience were—and remain—incompletely integrated into mainstream understandings of national heritage.
A Linguistic Approach to Vocabulary Instruction: Using Etymology and Morphology to Learn Vocabulary, Improve Writing, and Read the World
Authors: Plackowski Amy
Published: January 2024

The language strand of the Common Core State Standards in the United States (2010) dictates that students finishing their secondary education should be able to ‘demonstrate independence in gathering vocabulary knowledge when considering a word or phrase important to comprehension or expression’. Although the standards mention examining etymology and morphology to help teach vocabulary, these strategies are infrequently taught directly in favor of teaching students to use dictionaries and/or context clues. While valuable, these strategies by themselves do not give students the tools to decode an unfamiliar word or to understand the nature of language more broadly. This narrative details the process, successes, and challenges of integrating Historical Linguistics and morphology into vocabulary study over the course of one school year. It addresses the conception, planning, and implementation of this approach in two high school courses and levels. The learning goals of taking this approach are for students to be able to decode unfamiliar words when they encounter them outside of class, analyze the role of word choice in achieving a writer’s purpose, and appreciate linguistic variety by understanding language change. Vocabulary instruction is used within an antiracist pedagogy to examine linguistic privilege and prejudice, prescriptivism, and the relationship between language and power.
Oaxacan Languages and Linguistics in Mexican and US Elementary and Middle Schools
Authors: Mantenuto Iara*
Published: January 2024

Linguistics can enhance and enrich the learning experiences of students at all levels of education by providing a powerful framework for understanding language and culture. In my research-led teaching practice (León Vázquez & Mantenuto 2019; Mantenuto 2019a, 2019b), I have presented about linguistics in elementary and middle schools in the US and Mexico, as a guest instructor for one-time classes. Although linguistics is not a regularly taught subject at the pre-university level in either the US or Mexico, these case studies show how linguistic work on Indigenous languages of Mexico can be introduced at any stage of education and have a positive impact on child/young adult education. The studies also speak more widely to the importance of an inclusive approach to bridging theory and practice through linguistics in non-university education, including the incorporation of languages historically excluded from the classroom, and the role of linguistics in building towards equity in education (Stollznow 2018).
Epilogue: Moving Forward with Linguistics in Schools
Authors: Corr Alice , Pineda Anna
Published: January 2024

This epilogue proposes to look ahead to the future of Theoretical Linguistics in Schools (TLiS). It offers concluding remarks and brief reflection on the prospects, challenges and opportunities facing the (T)LiS movement going forward. At the end, a targeted bibliography is provided.
Preliminary Comparison and Chronology of the Lithic Blade and Bladelet Assemblages at the Onset of the Upper Palaeolithic from Bacho Kiro, Temnata and Kozarnika Caves in the Eastern Balkans (Bulgaria)
Authors: Tsanova Tsenka
Published: January 2024

This chapter presents a renewed assessment of three landmark Palaeolithic sites in the Eastern Balkans (Bacho Kiro, Temnata and Kozarnika caves) from the transitional Middle to Upper Palaeolithic period (about 50 to 39 thousand years ago). The ongoing investigations at Bacho Kiro Cave allow for data attribution of the regional blade assemblages to the Eurasian Initial Upper Palaeolithic (IUP). Comparison of contextual information, chronological markers lithic technologies, fauna and worked bone assemblages are undertaken to discuss the establishment and duration of the IUP in the Eastern Balkans, and its connection with the preceding Levallois-Mousterian and subsequent Early Upper Palaeolithic (EUP) bladelet industry from Kozarnika Cave. The Eastern Balkans, a major migration corridor, represent a physical link between the IUP sites in Southwest Asia and Central Europe, and between the EUP sites in the Levant (Ahmarian) and Western Europe (Protoaurignacian). The preliminary comparison suggests that there are two distinct technological traditions at the onset of the UP, corresponding to at least two consecutive H. sapiens dispersal waves (IUP and EUP). It is still unclear if the Levallois-Mousterian assemblages represent an interaction between Neanderthals and Homo sapiens, or if they resulted from a previous IUP dispersal.
Lunar synchrony, geography, and individual clocks shape autumn migration timing in an avian migrant
Authors: Korpach Alicia M , Davy Christina M , Mills Alex M , Fraser Kevin C
Published: January 2024

Timing programs in animal migrants have been selected to synchronize movements that coincide with predictable resources on the breeding and nonbreeding grounds. Migrants face potential temporal conflicts if their migration schedules benefit from synchrony to conflicting rhythms associated with annual biogeographical (circannual) cues, lunar (circalunar) cues, or individually repeatable internal clocks. We repeat-tracked individuals of an avian lunaphilic species, Eastern Whip-poor-will (Antrostomus vociferus), for two to three successive autumn migrations to determine the influence of the lunar cycle, breeding location, and individual repeatability on migration timing. Almost all birds avoided departing for migration during a full moon, likely to take advantage of the bright moonlight to facilitate visual foraging and enhance pre-migration fattening. However, groups from two latitudinally distant sampling areas adjusted their autumn departure timing differently relative to the timing of the September full moon, presumably due to differences in seasonal prey availability. Individual repeatability increased throughout autumn migration, suggesting that the factors responsible for shaping migration timing may differ for different migration stages. Our results, that lunar synchrony, local climate, and individual internal clocks appeared to account for much of the variation in migration timing in whip-poor-wills, underscore the value of measuring potentially interacting factors that shape migratory behavior at species, group, and individual levels. It remains unclear if, or how, maintaining individually repeatable annual migration schedules provides an adaptive benefit for whip-poor-wills or other lunaphilic migrants. Further clarifying the reasons for phenotypic variation in whip-poor-will migration timing will improve predictions of their abilities to adjust migratory movements under changing environmental conditions.
Unsupervised and supervised AI on molecular dynamics simulations reveals complex characteristics of HLA-A2-peptide immunogenicity
Authors: Weber Jeffrey K , Morrone Joseph A , Kang Seung-gu , Zhang Leili , Lang Lijun , Chowell Diego , Krishna Chirag , Huynh Tien , Parthasarathy Prerana , Luan Binquan , Alban Tyler J , Cornell Wendy D , Chan Timothy A
Published: January 2024

Immunologic recognition of peptide antigens bound to class I major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecules is essential to both novel immunotherapeutic development and human health at large. Current methods for predicting antigen peptide immunogenicity rely primarily on simple sequence representations, which allow for some understanding of immunogenic features but provide inadequate consideration of the full scale of molecular mechanisms tied to peptide recognition. We here characterize contributions that unsupervised and supervised artificial intelligence (AI) methods can make toward understanding and predicting MHC(HLA-A2)-peptide complex immunogenicity when applied to large ensembles of molecular dynamics simulations. We first show that an unsupervised AI method allows us to identify subtle features that drive immunogenicity differences between a cancer neoantigen and its wild-type peptide counterpart. Next, we demonstrate that a supervised AI method for class I MHC(HLA-A2)-peptide complex classification significantly outperforms a sequence model on small datasets corrected for trivial sequence correlations. Furthermore, we show that both unsupervised and supervised approaches reveal determinants of immunogenicity based on time-dependent molecular fluctuations and anchor position dynamics outside the MHC binding groove. We discuss implications of these structural and dynamic immunogenicity correlates for the induction of T cell responses and therapeutic T cell receptor design.
A novel control strategy of a variable-speed doubly-fed-induction-generator-based wind energy conversion system
Authors: Mohapatra Shibani Prasad , Dash Pradipta Kishore
Published: January 2024

This paper aims to address the issue of control of a variable-speed wind turbine based on doubly-fed induction generators. In this work, an effort is made to extract the maximum efficiency from a doubly-fed induction generator-based variable-speed wind turbine by controlling the rotor current. In the first step, a maximum power point tracking technique is used to extract the maximum power from the turbine. Then a stator-flux-oriented vector control strategy is employed to control the rotor-side current. Subsequently, a grid voltage vector-oriented control strategy is used to control the grid-side system of the grid-connected generator. Considering the nonlinearity and parameter uncertainty of the system, an active disturbance rejection controller with a sliding-mode-based extended-state observer is developed for the above-mentioned control strategies. Furthermore, the stability of the controller is tested and the performance of the controller is compared with the classical proportional–integral controller based on disturbance rejection, robustness and tracking capability in a highly non-linear wind speed variation scenario. Modelling, control and comparison are conducted in the MATLAB®/Simulink® environment. Finally, a real-time hardware set-up is presented using the dSPACE ds-1104 R&D processing board to validate the control scheme. From the result of the experiments, it is seen that the proposed controller takes 10–15 control cycles to settle to its steady-state values, depending on the control loop, whereas the conventional proportional–integral controller takes 60–75 control cycles. As a result, the settling time for the proposed control scheme is shorter than that of the proportional–integral controller.
Successful treatment of cutaneous-onset Erdheim–Chester disease with cobimetinib and anakinra
Authors: Aromolo Italo Francesco , Moltrasio Chiara , Maronese Carlo Alberto , Campochiaro Corrado , Bonometti Arturo , Berti Emilio , Passoni Emanuela , Marzano Angelo
Published: January 2024

Erdheim–Chester disease is a rare multisystem non-Langerhans cell histiocytosis. We report the case of a patient with BRAF wildtype Erdheim–Chester disease presenting with facial nodular xanthomas and developing systemic involvement 10 years later. The patient was successfully treated with a combination of anakinra and cobimetinib.
CorrespondencePeriodical blue thumb syndrome
Authors: Walling Hobart
Published: January 2024

Periodical blue thumb syndrome is a heretofore unreported occupational dermatosis specific to dermatologists. The mysterious monthly eruption was ultimately attributed to cover ink from a dermatology periodical.
Atmospheric resonant oscillations by the 2022 January 15 eruption of the Hunga Tonga–Hunga Ha'apai volcano from GNSS-TEC observations
Authors: Heki Kosuke
Published: January 2024

Continuous Plinian eruptions often excite atmospheric modes of ∼3.7 and ∼4.4 mHz, which are observed as harmonic oscillations of ionospheric total electron content (TEC) by global navigation satellite system (GNSS) receivers. Such TEC oscillations started shortly after the great eruption of the Hunga Tonga–Hunga Ha'apai (HTHH) submarine volcano at ∼4:14 UT, on 2022 January 15. Here I analyse GNSS data at stations within ∼4000 km from the volcano to study temporal and spatial distribution of such atmospheric modes. Strong ∼3.7 mHz TEC oscillations in near fields started shortly after the eruption onset and propagated outward with the sound speed from HTHH. Later such TEC oscillations became strong again with the amplitude peak at the distance ∼1400 km from HTHH. Such far field oscillations occurred also above New Zealand and the Solomon Islands, ∼3000 km from HTHH. Their amplitudes seem correlated with those of the 0S29 solid earth mode, suggesting that vertical surface vibrations underneath may play a role in maintaining the atmospheric mode. Onset of the far field TEC oscillations are synchronized with the local sunrise, possibly controlled by diurnal changes in the ionospheric electron density.
BL-Hi-C reveals the 3D genome structure of Brassica crops with high sensitivity
Authors: Zhang Lupeng , Zhao Ranze , Liang Jianli , Cai Xu , Zhang Lei , Guo Huiling , Zhang Zhicheng , Wu Jian , Wang Xiaowu
Published: January 2024

High-throughput Chromatin Conformation Capture (Hi-C) technologies can be used to investigate the three-dimensional genomic structure of plants. However, the practical utility of these technologies is impeded by significant background noise, hindering their capability in detecting fine 3D genomic structures. In this study, we optimized the Bridge Linker Hi-C technology (BL-Hi-C) to comprehensively investigate the 3D chromatin landscape of Brassica rapa and Brassica oleracea. The Bouquet configuration of both B. rapa and B. oleracea was elucidated through the construction of a 3D genome simulation. The optimized BL-Hi-C exhibited lower background noise compared to conventional Hi-C methods. Taking this advantage, we used BL-Hi-C to identify FLC gene loops in Arabidopsis, B. rapa, and B. oleracea. We observed that gene loops of FLC2 exhibited conservation across Arabidopsis, B. rapa, and B. oleracea. While gene loops of syntenic FLCs exhibited conservation across B. rapa and B. oleracea, variations in gene loops were evident among multiple paralogs FLCs within the same species. Collectively, our findings highlight the high sensitivity of optimized BL-Hi-C as a powerful tool for investigating the fine 3D genomic organization.
Insights into the functional role of tomato TM6 as a transcriptional regulator of flower development
Authors: Fonseca Rocío , Capel Carmen , Lebrón Ricardo , Ortiz-Atienza Ana , Yuste-Lisbona Fernando J , Angosto Trinidad , Capel Juan , Lozano Rafael
Published: January 2024

Flower development is a crucial step towards the completion of the plant life cycle. Physiological processes and gene regulatory mechanisms underlying flower formation have been extensively characterized, and the implication of MADS-box transcription factors as primary regulators of flower morphology has been widely described, mainly due to the analysis of loss-of-function mutants in model species. Nevertheless, detailed characterization of allele variation in several MADS-box homologous genes from crop species remains undescribed. Here, we have characterized a tomato mutant with aberrant flower development. Mutant plants exhibit changes in petal cell identity, as well as homeotic transformations of stamens into carpelloid structures, which in most cases result in succulent organs. Molecular analysis proved that a loss-of-function mutation in the TOMATO MADS-BOX 6 (TM6) gene is responsible for this mutant phenotype. Furthermore, as a result of the loss of function of TM6, misregulation of the transcription and mRNA processing of other MADS-box genes involved in reproductive development has been detected. Our findings demonstrate that TM6 is a key player in the complex regulatory network of MADS-box genes controlling flower development and also provide a novel mutant that may be useful for generating male sterile lines in tomatoes.
A fast and reliable larval sampling method for improving the monitoring of fruit flies in soft and stone fruits
Authors: Zriki Ghais , Belois Rémy , Fournier Christine , Tergoat-Bertrand Léa , Poupart Pierre-Yves , Bardel Amélie , Gard Benjamin , Rode Nicolas O
Published: January 2024

The spotted-wing drosophila, Drosophila suzukii (Matsumura) (Diptera: Drosophilidae), threatens both the soft-skinned and stone fruit industry in Asia, Europe, and America. Integrated pest management requires monitoring for infestation rates in real time. Although baited traps for adult D. suzukii are widely used for field monitoring, trap captures are weakly correlated to larval infestation rates. Thus, monitoring for larvae instead of adult flies represents the most reliable monitoring technique. Current methods for larval monitoring (e.g., sugar or salt floatation) are time-consuming and labor-intensive. In this study, we develop a new “sleeve method” for detecting larvae in strawberries through the inspection of individual fruits crushed within transparent plastic sleeves. Samples can be optionally frozen until further processing. Based on count data from non-expert observers, the estimation of larval infestation with the sleeve method is fast, precise, and highly repeatable within and among observers. Mean processing time is half the time compared to previous methods (33–80 s per sample depending on infestation levels). As the accuracy of the sleeve method decreases with infestation levels, we suggest ways to improve its accuracy by incubating fruits for 48 h and calibrating data using fruits with a known number of larvae. The method could also be used in other fruits, as it is easier to use, faster, and requires less equipment than previous monitoring methods. Finally, the method represents a promising tool for growers or researchers to effectively monitor and manage D. suzukii and other insect pests of soft and stone fruits.
The finite sequences and the partitions whose members are finite of a set
Authors: Phansamdaeng Palagorn , Vejjajiva Pimpen
Published: January 2024

In this paper, we investigate relationships between $|\text{{seq}}(A)|$ and $|\text{{Part}}_{\text{{fin}}}(A)|$ in the absence of the Axiom of Choice, where $\text{{seq}}(A)$ is the set of finite sequences of elements in a set $A$ and $\text{{Part}}_{\text{{fin}}}(A)$ is the set of partitions of $A$ whose members are finite. We show that $|\text{{seq}}(A)|<|\text{{Part}}_{\text{{fin}}}(A)|$ if $A$ is Dedekind-infinite and the condition cannot be removed. Moreover, this relationship holds for an arbitrary infinite set $A$ if we restrict $\text{{seq}}(A)$ to the set of finite sequences with a bounded length.
The politics of presidential removals
Authors: Gailmard Lindsey
Published: January 2024

Much scholarship and legal reasoning assume that the ability to remove and replace political appointees furthers presidential control. However, I argue that the possibility of removal changes the agency problem between the president and her appointees in a subtle but important way that affects the president’s appointment problem. I demonstrate that the president may have incentives to make nonally appointments to encourage reliance on bureaucratic expertise. To show this, I develop a formal model that introduces career concerns for appointees that lead them to distort their use of bureaucratic expertise to appear more expert. The president is uncertain of an appointee’s expertise but infers it from the appointee’s involvement in policymaking. In equilibrium, nonexpert appointees more aligned with the president face greater incentives to determine policy themselves to improve their reputation. By selecting nonally appointees, the president commits to sometimes dismiss even experts which improves her control over policymaking (JEL C72, D73).
Spectroscopic identification of rapidly rotating red giant stars in APOKASC-3 and APOGEE DR16
Authors: Patton Rachel A , Pinsonneault Marc H , Cao Lyra , Vrard Mathieu , Mathur Savita , García Rafael A , Tayar Jamie , Daher Christine Mazzola , Beck Paul G
Published: January 2024

Rotationally enhanced red giant stars are astrophysically interesting but rare. In this paper, we present a catalogue of 3217 active red giant candidates in the APOGEE DR16 (Apache Point Observatory Galactic Evolution Experiment – Data Release 16) survey. We use a control sample in the well-studied Kepler fields to demonstrate a strong relationship between rotation and anomalies in the spectroscopic solution relative to typical giants. Stars in the full survey with similar solutions are identified as candidates. We use vsini measurements to confirm that 50 ± 1.2 per cent of our DR16 candidates are rotationally enhanced (vsini > 5 km s−1), compared to 4.9 ± 0.2 per cent in the Kepler control sample. In both, the Kepler control sample and a control sample from DR16, we find that there are 3–4 times as many giants rotating with intermediate velocities of 5 < vsini < 10 km s−1 compared to velocities of vsini > 10 km s−1, the traditional threshold for rapid rotation for red giants. The vast majority of intermediate rotators are not spectroscopically anomalous. We use binary diagnostics from APOGEE and Gaia to infer a binary fraction of 73 ± 2.4 per cent among the confirmed rotationally enhanced giants in DR16. We identify a significant bias in the reported metallicity for DR16 candidates with complete spectroscopic solutions, with a median offset of −0.37 dex in [M/H] from a control sample. As such, up to 10 per cent of stars with reported [M/H]<−1 are not truly metal poor. Finally, we use Gaia data to identify a subpopulation of main-sequence photometric binaries erroneously classified as giants.
Nuclear rings are the inner edge of a gap around the Lindblad Resonance
Authors: Sormani Mattia C , Sobacchi Emanuele , Sanders Jason L
Published: January 2024

Gaseous nuclear rings are large-scale coherent structures commonly found at the centres of barred galaxies. We propose that they are an accumulation of gas at the inner edge of an extensive gap that forms around the Inner Lindblad Resonance (ILR). The gap initially opens because the bar potential excites strong trailing waves near the ILR, which remove angular momentum from the gas disc and transport the gas inwards. The gap then widens because the bar potential continuously excites trailing waves at the inner edge of the gap, which remove further angular momentum, moving the edge further inwards until it stops at a distance of several wavelengths from the ILR. The gas accumulating at the inner edge of the gap forms the nuclear ring. The speed at which the gap edge moves and its final distance from the ILR strongly depend on the sound speed, explaining the puzzling dependence of the nuclear ring radius on the sound speed in simulations.