bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Proposed Cancelable Biometrical Recognition System (CBRS) Based on Developed Hénon Chaotic-Map
Authors: El-aziem Ayman H. Abd , Abdelhafeez Ahmed , Soliman Tamer H. M.
Published: January 2024

Nowadays, human biometrics are widely used in authentication systems. In reaction to violent attacks, cancelable biometric patterns are developed from the original templates to increase the security level of biometric characteristics. This study proposes a solution for a cancelable biometrical recognition system (CBRS) based on the created Hénon chaotic-map idea, which increases key space and hence privacy. The suggested CBRS system ensures that the original biometric traits are updated and encrypted before they are saved in the database, protecting them from unwanted cyber-attacks. It makes efficient encryption of face biometric templates possible. The extraction of biometric characteristics is the first step in this design. Following that, the obtained biometric characteristics are encrypted using the suggested model, which causes pixel confusion and diffusion by developing a Henon chaotic map with variable block sizes at different modes of operation. Various face biometrics datasets were used to test the proposed approach. Various metrics, including security and statistical analyses, demonstrate the effectiveness of the approach, including histogram analysis, correlation coefficient analysis, maximum deviation factor analysis, irregular deviation factor analysis, number of pixels change rate analysis, unified average changing intensity analysis, time analysis, and key space analysis. Furthermore, the performance of the proposed approach was assessed using the receiver operating characteristic curve, which was constructed to assess the system's performance. Results of the analysis show that the suggested technique is very effective, resilient, and dependable, as evidenced by its great performance across diverse recognition databases when compared to traditional and modern algorithms, hence improving the security and reliability of biometric-based access management. The proposed method yields an average AROC of around 1, a correlation coefficient of about 0.00013, and an entropy close to one.
The influence of various chemical oxygen demands on microbial fuel cells performance using leachate as a substrate
Authors: Ishaq Aliyu , Said Mohd Ismid Mohd , Azman Shamila Binti , Houmsi Mohammed Rajab , Isah Abubakar Sadiq , Jagun Zainab Toyin , Mohammad Shamsuddeen Jumande , Bello Al−Amin Danladi , Abubakar Umar Alfa
Published: January 2024

Microbial fuel cells (MFCs), hailed as a promising technology, hold the potential to combat various wastewater pollutants while simultaneously converting their chemical energy into electricity through biocatalysts. This study explores the applicability of a dual compartment MFC (DC-MFC) under varying conditions, targeting the removal of chemical oxygen demand (COD) from landfill leachate and electricity generation. In this setup, anaerobic sludge from a wastewater treatment plant serves as the inoculum in the anode compartment of the MFC, with a Nafion117 membrane acting as the separator between MFC units. The cathode compartments are filled with distilled water and continually aerated for 24 h to enhance air supply. The study assesses the MFC’s performance across different COD concentrations, focusing on COD removal, power generation, and Coulombic efficiency. The findings reveal that COD removal efficiency is notably enhanced at higher concentrations of organic matter. Specifically, at a COD concentration of 3325.0 mg L−1, the MFC exhibited the highest COD removal efficiency (89%) and maximum power density (339.41 mWm−2), accompanied by a Coulombic efficiency of 25.5%. However, as the initial substrate concentration increased to 3825 mg L−1, the efficiency decreased to 72%, with a Coulombic efficiency of 13.56% and a power density of 262.34 mWm−2. Optical density levels increased due to bacterial growth at ambient temperature and neutral pH, reflecting the dynamic microbial response within the system.
The promotion of self-regulated learning in the classroom: a theoretical framework and an observation study
Authors: Vosniadou Stella , Bodner Erin , Stephenson Helen , Jeffries David , Lawson Michael J. , Darmawan IGusti Ngurah , Kang Sean , Graham Lorraine , Dignath Charlotte
Published: January 2024

The paper describes a theoretical framework for the study of teachers’ promotion of self-regulated learning in the classroom. The Self-Regulated Learning Teacher Promotion Framework (SRL-TPF) utilizes the ICAP theory to assess the affordances of the learning environment for the indirect promotion of SRL, proposes new variables in the investigation of the direct promotion of SRL, and examines how these two ways to promote SRL are related. The SRL-TPF was used to examine the direct and indirect promotion of SRL in filmed observations of 23 Australian classrooms. The results revealed a paucity in the design of Constructive and Interactive lesson tasks that support the indirect promotion of SRL and a preference for the direct support of SRL through implicit strategy instruction and the provision of metacognitive reflection and support. There were important teacher differences in both the direct and indirect promotion of SRL, but the teachers who were more likely to design Constructive and Interactive lesson tasks did not necessarily promote SRL directly and vice versa. The research contributes to a better understanding of the relationship between teaching what to learn (subject content) and how to learn (SRL knowledge and strategies).
Assessment of functional diversity of heterotrophic microbial communities in polluted environments through community level physiological profiles
Authors: Lukhele Thabile , Msagati Titus A. M.
Published: January 2024

The community level physiological profiles (CLPP) of bacterial communities inhabiting polluted environments (acid mine drainage water and sediments, soils contaminated with tannery waste and oil refinery effluents) were assessed using the Biolog Ecoplates™ in comparison to non-contaminated sites (water and sediments from a recreational lake and soil from anopen space). Although the polluted sites were characterized by typically high metal concentrations, CLPP fingerprints of the different bacterial communities from these sites were indicative of versatile metabolic potentials. These microbial communities could differentially utilize all the different groups of carbon substrates. However, the rates of utilization were significantly lower, and the number of utilized substrates were fewer than those of microbial communities from non-contaminated sites. This was confirmed by cluster analysis in which the dendrogram showed two clusters of microbial communities from contaminated environments and another for those from non-contaminated sites. Nonetheless, the indices of diversity calculated did not show a reduction of diversity or evenness in the microbial communities from contaminated sites. This study confirms the usefulness of the CCLP method in untangling the functional diversity of microbial diversity in contaminated environments.
Quantifying the effects of sensory stress on trophic cascades
Authors: Ng Gabriel , Baskett Marissa L. , Gaylord Brian
Published: January 2024

Predators mediate the strength of trophic cascades indirectly by decreasing the number of prey consuming a basal resource and by altering prey responses that dictate prey foraging. The strength of these indirect effects further depends on abiotic factors. For example, attributes of the environment, such as turbulent flows in aquatic habitats that disrupt spatial information available from chemical cues, can impose “sensory stresses” that impair the ability of predators or prey to detect each other. The multi-faceted impacts of sensory stress on both the predators and prey create challenges in predicting the overall effect on the trophic cascade. Here, we explore how sensory stress affects the strength of trophic cascades using a tri-trophic dynamical model that incorporates the sensory environment and anti-predatory responses. We explore two crucial parameters that govern outcomes of the model. First, we allow predation rates to either strengthen or weaken depending on whether prey or predators are more sensitive to sensory stress, respectively. Second, we explore scenarios where anti-predatory responses can either drive a strong or weak reduction in prey foraging. We find that sensory stress usually weakens trophic cascades except in scenarios where predators are relatively unaffected by sensory stress and the loss of anti-predatory responses does not affect prey foraging. The model finally suggests that “hydra effects” can manifest, whereby an increase in prey population occurs despite an increase in per capita predation. This last feature emerges due to the interaction between logistic growth of the basal resource and anti-predatory responses reducing the over-consumption of the basal resource.
When a yarmulke Stands for All Jews: Navigating Shifting Signs from Synagogue to School in Luxembourg
Authors: Badder Anastasia
Published: January 2024

In the lives of students in Luxembourg’s Liberal Jewish complementary school, flexibility and mobility are highly valued as key characteristics of modern living. Complementary school students feel they easily meet these criteria—they are multilingual, cosmopolitan, and their approach to Jewish life is flexible, and equally importantly, they look, dress, and comport themselves “like everyone else.” These factors are understood to facilitate multiple movements and belongings in the contemporary world. The students directly contrast their ways of being with those of more observant Jews whom they refer to as “religious”; the material, embodied, and visible nature of observant Jewish life is perceived to be an impediment to participation and success in the secular sphere. However, when Jewishness appears in these students’ secular school classrooms, it is most often represented by Orthodox-presenting men—often a man in a yarmulke. Further, these men and their yarmulkes are taken to represent all Jews, framed as a homogeneous group of religious adherents. For many complementary school students, these experiences can be jarring—they suddenly find themselves on the “wrong” side of the religious–secular divide and grouped together with those from whom they could not feel more distant. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork and a material approach to religion, this article argues that the yarmulke comes to point to different levels and modes of observance and identities and enable different possible belongings in the secular public sphere as it travels across contexts that include different definitions of and attitudes toward religion and Jewishness.
Seiberg–Witten differentials on the Hitchin base
Authors: Bruzzo Ugo , Dalakov Peter
Published: January 2024

In this note we describe explicitly, in terms of Lie theory and cameral data, the covariant (Gauss–Manin) derivative of the Seiberg–Witten differential defined on the weight-one variation of Hodge structures that exists on a Zariski open subset of the base of the Hitchin fibration.
Pharmacological effects of pentacyclic triterpenoids isolated from Centella asiatica
Authors: Min Dong-Hyun , Yu Young-Beom , Kim Tae-Hun , Kim Hoon , Lee Sanghyun
Published: January 2024

Centella asiatica (CA) is one of the most popular traditional herbal medicines worldwide. It has been used for centuries in many countries, especially for curing skin damage, and is now applied to treat various human diseases. There are various types of triterpenoids from Centella asiatica, with four pentacyclic triterpenoids with the main properties being shown by four pentacyclic triterpenoids: asiaticoside, madecassoside, asiatic acid, and madecassic acid. These terpenoids have similar structures, however each has a slightly different properties. Asiaticoside, madecassoside, asiatic acid, and madecassic acid are synthesized through the isoprenoid pathway known as mevalonate pathway to produce hydrophobic triterpenoid structures (aglycone) which contain hydrophilic sugar chains (glycone). Furthermore, asiaticoside and madecassoside are distinguished by a glycone, and asiatic acid and madecassic acid are distinguished by a aglycone. These pentacyclic triterpenoids have a wide spectrum of beneficial effects and have been used as anti-inflammatories, skin wound treatments, scar treatments, and cosmetics agents. This review aimed to provide a description of the four compounds, of their structure, pharmacological properties, applications in the treatment of various diseases, known mechanisms of action, and commentary on industrial applications.
Blood transfusion reactions and risk of acute kidney injury and major adverse kidney events
Authors: De La Vega-Méndez Fidra Margarita , Estrada Miguel Ibarra , Zuno-Reyes Esperanza Elizabeth , Gutierrez-Rivera Carmen Alejandra , Oliva-Martinez Ana Elisa , Díaz-Villavicencio Bladimir , Calderon-Garcia Clementina Elizabeth , González-Barajas Jose David , Arizaga-Nápoles Manuel , García-Peña Fernanda , Chávez-Alonso Gael , López-Rios Adanari , Gomez-Fregoso Juan Alberto , Rodriguez-Garcia Francisco Gonzalo , Navarro-Blackaller Guillermo , Medina-González Ramón , Alcantar-Vallin Luz , García-García Guillermo , Abundis-Mora Gabriela Jazmin , Gallardo-González Alejandro Martínez , Chavez-iñiguez Jonathan Samuel
Published: January 2024

Background

Blood transfusion reactions may have a negative impact on organ function. It is unknown whether this association holds true for acute kidney injury (AKI). Therefore, we conducted a cohort study to assess the association between transfusion reactions and the incidence of AKI and major adverse kidney events.

Methods

In this retrospective cohort study, we included patients who received transfusion of blood products during hospitalization at the Hospital Civil of Guadalajara. We analyzed them according to the development of transfusion reactions, and the aim was to assess the association between transfusion reactions and AKI during long-term follow-up.

Results

From 2017 to 2021, 81,635 patients received a blood product transfusion, and 516 were included in our study. The most common transfusion was red blood cell packaging (50.4%), fresh frozen plasma (28.7%) and platelets (20.9%); of the 516 patients, 129 (25%) had transfusion reactions. Patients who had transfusion reactions were older and had more comorbidities. The most common type of transfusion reaction was allergic reaction (70.5%), followed by febrile nonhemolytic reaction (11.6%) and anaphylactoid reaction (8.5%). Most cases were considered mild. Acute kidney injury was more prevalent among those who had transfusion reactions (14.7%) than among those who did not (7.8%), p =  < 0.01; those with AKI had a higher frequency of diabetes, vasopressors, and insulin use. Transfusion reactions were independently associated with the development of AKI (RR 2.1, p =  < 0.02). Major adverse kidney events were more common in those with transfusion reactions. The mortality rate was similar between subgroups.

Conclusion

In our retrospective cohort of patients who received blood product transfusions, 25% experienced transfusion reactions, and this event was associated with a twofold increase in the probability of developing AKI and some of the major adverse kidney events during long follow-up.

Graphical abstract
Equivalence and Insurance
Authors: van den Hurk Arthur
Published: January 2024

The concept of equivalence is present in various forms in the Solvency II framework, the EU prudential regulatory framework for insurance and reinsurance. While equivalence in Solvency II does not grant, or should not be equated to, market access for market participants that make use of the equivalence instruments within Solvency II, equivalence plays an important role in insurance, in particular in the solvency capital calculation at group level, in group supervision and for the recognition of reinsurance under Solvency II. The conclusion can be drawn that equivalence is an essential building block of the current framework. The application of equivalence in the framework and in practice is discussed in this contribution, and while the application might be complex, it is indispensable. At the same time, other mechanisms, either within the Solvency II framework or more broadly at international level, influence the current state and might affect the evolution of equivalence going forward. While, inherently, there is a political component to equivalence as well, the instruments remain firmly based in (detailed) Solvency II rules and are applied accordingly in practice.
The chemical impact of oil fluids in the morphology and thermal properties of the polyamide 11 used in flexible lines
Authors: Dias Frederico G. A. , Veiga Amanda G. , Gomes Antônio Pedro A. C. P. , Rocco Maria Luiza M. , da Costa Marysilvia F.
Published: January 2024

As the polyamide 11 (PA11) present in flexible pipes for oil prospection is used, it also reacts with the fluid components in the oil so that not only the morphology of the polymer changes but also its properties. To see the extent of these chemical modifications and how they changed the original material, different techniques were employed, such as ATR-FTIR, DSC, TGA, and Melt-flow index (MFI), while the original sample was cut in half to measure if the direct contact with the fluid had a huge chemical influence. The results indicate that the degree of chemical changes in the PA11 part that was in direct contact with the fluid was higher, translated into the appearance of different molecules in the FTIR spectra (such as ethers, carbonates, and alkenes). These changes were also consistent with higher degradation of this half, leading to a region of higher crystallinity, which impacted the overall thermal properties of the polymer.
A Pipe Dream Perspective on Totally Symmetric Self-Complementary Plane Partitions
Authors: Huang Daoji , Striker Jessica
Published: January 2024

We characterize totally symmetric self-complementary plane partitions (TSSCPP) as bounded compatible sequences satisfying a Yamanouchi-like condition. As such, they are in bijection with certain pipe dreams. Using this characterization and the recent bijection of Gao–Huang between reduced pipe dreams and reduced bumpless pipe dreams, we give a bijection between alternating sign matrices and TSSCPP in the reduced, 1432-avoiding case. We also give a different bijection in the 1432- and 2143-avoiding case that preserves natural poset structures on the associated pipe dreams and bumpless pipe dreams.
Judicial Guardians: Court-Curbing Bills, the Supreme Court, and Judicial Review
Authors: Hager Lisa , Uribe-McGuire Alicia
Published: January 2024

Previous studies show that Supreme Court justices defer to congressional preferences by striking down fewer Acts of Congress to restore the judiciary’s institutional legitimacy following the introduction of court-curbing bills. This assumes the Supreme Court acts as a guardian of the entire judiciary, but prior work has not explicitly tested this. We create a theory of “guardian” behavior and test the likelihood that the Court engages in this behavior following the introduction of court-curbing bills. We find that the Supreme Court actively corrects lower court instances of judicial review, a stronger response than previously suggested.
Musical convergence and divergence in occupied İstanbul, 1918–1923
Authors: MacArthur-Seal Daniel-Joseph
Published: January 2024

The Allied occupation of İstanbul after World War I had a transformative impact on the city’s musical entertainment sector. The arrival of large numbers of military personnel created additional demand for music halls, cabarets, cafe-chantants, and concert venues. Servicemen’s musical preferences were catered for by resident İstanbulites and others who found refuge in the city, creating opportunities for musicians and entertainment entrepreneurs to benefit from new and existing patrons. This buoyant market was further harnessed for charitable causes directed at new categories of people in need. The distinct political climate introduced with occupation also made its mark on musical performance, with nationalist and socialist groups using concerts to promote messages of salvation. The end of the occupation led to the dispersal of these musicians to new locations, such as the new Republican capital of Ankara, which attracted talents intent on staying in Turkey, and Athens and Thessaloniki, which received Greek Orthodox musicians fleeing the new Turkish nationalist regime, and still further afield. Using British, French, and Ottoman government documents, memoirs, and newspapers, the article investigates this process of musical convergence and divergence and analyses the local and global impact of the aural encounters of this overlooked period in İstanbul’s cultural history.
Protein structures unravel the signatures and patterns of deep time evolution
Authors: Harish Ajith
Published: January 2024

The formulation and testing of hypotheses using ‘big biology data’ often lie at the interface of computational biology and structural biology. The Protein Data Bank (PDB), which was established about 50 years ago, catalogs three-dimensional (3D) shapes of organic macromolecules and showcases a structural view of biology. The comparative analysis of the structures of homologs, particularly of proteins, from different species has significantly improved the in-depth analyses of molecular and cell biological questions. In addition, computational tools that were developed to analyze the ‘protein universe’ are providing the means for efficient resolution of longstanding debates in cell and molecular evolution. In celebrating the golden jubilee of the PDB, much has been written about the transformative impact of PDB on a broad range of fields of scientific inquiry and how structural biology transformed the study of the fundamental processes of life. Yet, the transforming influence of PDB on one field of inquiry of fundamental interest—the reconstruction of the distant biological past—has gone almost unnoticed. Here, I discuss the recent advances to highlight how insights and tools of structural biology are bearing on the data required for the empirical resolution of vigorously debated and apparently contradicting hypotheses in evolutionary biology. Specifically, I show that evolutionary characters defined by protein structure are superior compared to conventional sequence characters for reliable, data-driven resolution of competing hypotheses about the origins of the major clades of life and evolutionary relationship among those clades. Since the better quality data unequivocally support two primary domains of life, it is imperative that the primary classification of life be revised accordingly.
The Amazigh Republic of Letters: A Review and Close Readings
Authors: El Guabli Brahim , Boum Aomar
Published: January 2024

Amazigh literature refers to the literary tradition of Amazigh-speaking populations. Imazighen or Amazigh speakers are the Indigenous people of Tamazgha. Described as the Amazigh homeland, Tamazgha encompasses the territory extending from the Canary Islands in the Atlantic Ocean to the oasis of Siwa in southwest Egypt, including Morocco, Algeria, Niger, Mauritania, Chad, Mali, Libya, Burkina Faso, and Tunisia. The countries composing this vast territory of indigenous populations have historically spoken a variety of “awāl Amazigh” (Amazigh language). Although the current varieties of Tamazight spoken nowadays in these places may not be fully intelligible, they are descendant of a common language that was shared by the different people of Tamazgha. This linguistic kinship is what cements the different trends that compose the expansive territory of Tamazgha. Because of long historical processes beyond their control, the inhabitants of Tamazgha speak a variety of non-Indigenous languages, including Arabic, French, and Spanish. Since their advent at different historical periods, these non-Indigenous languages have shaped the cultural and social landscape in Tamazgha in ways that suppressed the indigenous language and prevented it from fully achieving its literary and intellectual potential. These non-indigenous languages have also been used to produce literature and thought, furthering complicating the very notion of Amazigh literature and its contours.
Bureaucratic Quality and Electoral Accountability
Authors: SLOUGH TARA
Published: January 2024

In many theories of electoral accountability, voters learn about an incumbent’s quality by observing public goods outcomes. But empirical findings are mixed, suggesting that increasing the visibility of these outcomes only sometimes improves accountability. I reconcile these heterogeneous findings by highlighting bureaucrats’ role in the production of public goods. In a simple model of electoral accountability involving a voter, a politician, and a bureaucrat, I show that accountability relationships yield distinct empirical implications at different levels of bureaucratic quality. To illustrate how this model rationalizes otherwise mixed or heterogeneous results, I develop a new research design—a theoretically structured meta-study—to synthesize existing findings. Meta-study evidence on the accountability of Brazilian mayors suggests that a common model of electoral accountability that allows for variation in bureaucratic quality predicts observed heterogeneity in politician and voter behavior and beliefs across multiple studies with distinct samples, treatments, and outcomes.
DIGITAL APPROACHES TO INVESTIGATING SPACE AND PLACE IN CLASSICAL STUDIES
Authors: Barker Elton , Palladino Chiara , Gordin Shai
Published: January 2024

Imagine a student reading Odysseus’ Cretan tale at Odyssey 19.172–84. When faced by a string of unfamiliar names – in addition to ‘native Cretans’, there are Achaeans, Cydonians and Dorians, as well as the individuals Minos, Deucalion, Idomeneus and the speaker, Aethon (Odysseus in disguise) –, they use their digital edition to find out more about each of these people and their places of origin. A personal name opens an online encyclopaedia entry, while clicking on a place launches an emerging world beyond the single text – an online atlas that provides information about the place's toponymy, form and exact location as well as links to other resources (textual and archaeological, ancient and modern) about this place, including those to which our student has contributed. The year? 2023 (Figure 1).1
Is trait rumination associated with affective reactivity to the menstrual cycle? A prospective analysis
Authors: Tauseef Hafsah A. , Schmalenberger Katja M. , Barone Jordan C. , Ross Jaclyn M. , Peters Jessica R. , Girdler Susan S. , Eisenlohr-Moul Tory A.
Published: January 2024

Background

A minority of naturally cycling individuals experience clinically significant affective changes across the menstrual cycle. However, few studies have examined cognitive and behavioral constructs that may maintain or worsen these changes. Several small studies link rumination with premenstrual negative affect, with authors concluding that a tendency to ruminate amplifies and perpetuates hormone-sensitive affective symptoms. Replication in larger samples is needed to confirm the validity of rumination as a treatment target.

Method

190 cycling individuals (M = 30.82 years; 61.1% Caucasian) were recruited for moderate perceived stress, a risk factor for cyclical symptoms. They completed the Rumination Response Scale at baseline, then reported daily affective and physical symptoms across 1–6 cycles. Multilevel growth models tested trait rumination as a predictor of baseline levels, luteal increases, and follicular decreases in symptoms.

Results

The degree of affective cyclicity was normally distributed across a substantial range, supporting feasibility of hypothesis tests and validating the concept of dimensional hormone sensitivity. Contrary to prediction, higher brooding did not predict levels or cyclical changes of any symptom. In a subsample selected for luteal increases in negative affect, brooding predicted higher baseline negative affect but still did not predict affective cyclicity.

Conclusions

An individual's trait-like propensity to engage in rumination may not be a valid treatment target in premenstrual mood disorders. State-like changes in rumination should still be further explored, and well-powered prospective studies should explore other cognitive and behavioral factors to inform development of targeted psychological treatments for patients with cyclical affective symptoms.
Written corrective feedback in second language writing: A synthesis of naturalistic classroom studies
Authors: Mao Zhicheng , Lee Icy , Li Shaofeng
Published: January 2024

Written corrective feedback (WCF) is a ubiquitous pedagogical activity in second language (L2) classrooms and has become a key area of inquiry in L2 writing research. While there have been several reviews on experimental WCF research, there is not yet a synthesis of naturalistic classroom studies where the type and amount of feedback provided on students' writing performance is not manipulated or controlled. This state-of-the-art article intends to fill the gap by providing a comprehensive and critical review of naturalistic WCF studies in L2 writing, with significant implications for practice and research. A systematic search generated 50 empirical studies that met our inclusion criteria for the current review, which revealed four major themes: (1) teacher WCF practices in L2 writing classrooms, (2) L2 learner responses to WCF, (3) stakeholders’ beliefs and perspectives on WCF, and (4) WCF-related motivation and emotions. Based on the reviewed evidence, we propose pedagogical implications for enhancing teacher WCF practices and student learning, as well as potential avenues for further exploration. This article contributes to a nuanced understanding of current empirical advances in naturalistic research on WCF in L2 writing, providing insights to inform WCF pedagogy and new lines of inquiry.
Assemblage of forest communities in subtropical montane forests of western Mexico
Authors: Riaño Karolina , Cuevas Ramón , Zuloaga-Aguilar Susana , Jardel Enrique , Briones Oscar , Asbjornsen Heidi
Published: January 2024

Functional diversity indices have been used to differentiate the relative contribution of stochastic and deterministic processes that modulate the assemblage of communities; however, knowledge regarding the relative contribution of assemblage mechanisms in forest communities is scarce. We analysed the assembly mechanisms driving forest assemblages along a topographic gradient at two spatial scales (1000 m2 and 3000 m2) for three different forest types from subtropical mountain forests (pine-oak, mixed pine-broadleaf and broadleaf forest) in western Mexico, using null models of multi-trait indices. The forest structure differed along the topographic gradient. Upper slopes were dominated by Pinus douglasiana with an importance value index (IVI) of 0.8, while 10 and 13 tree species were required in the middle and lower slopes, respectively, to reach the same IVI. The results support the idea that the subtropical montane forest of western Mexico is a mosaic of communities, when analysed at a scale of 1000 m2 the forest assembly was mainly explained by stochastic processes, while analysis at the scale of 3000 m2 showed that functional convergence of species were the main mechanisms of the assemblage of the pine-oak forest communities due to an abiotic stressful environment.
Septic pulmonary embolism complicates postoperative tetralogy of fallot: unveiling pulmonary artery pseudoaneurysms
Authors: Xu Juan , Huang Di , Cai Renhui
Published: January 2024

A 12-year-old female with pulmonary artery stenosis developed pseudoaneurysms due to septic embolism, requiring close follow-up.
The Resilient Youth Program: a promising skills-based online program for resiliency and stress management
Authors: Noyola Néstor , Ver Pault Mikayla , Hirshfeld-Becker Dina R. , Chudnofsky Rana , Meek Jocelyn , Wells Linda N. , Wilens Timothy E. , Henin Aude
Published: January 2024

Background:

Prevention programs that target resilience may help youth address mental health difficulties and promote well-being during public health crises.

Aims:

To examine the preliminary efficacy of the Resilient Youth Program (RYP).

Method:

The RYP was delivered remotely from a US academic medical centre to youth in the community via a naturalistic pilot study. Data from 66 youth (ages 6–18, Mage = 11.65, SD = 3.02) and their parents were collected via quality assurance procedures (May 2020 to March 2021). Pre/post-intervention child/parent-reported psychological and stress symptoms as well as well-being measures were compared via Wilcoxon signed rank tests. Child/parent-reported skills use data were collected.

Results:

Among child-reported outcomes, there were significant decreases in physical stress (p = .03), anxiety (p = .004), depressive symptoms (p < .001) and anger (p = .002), as well as increased life satisfaction (p = .02). There were no significant differences in child-reported psychological stress (p = .06) or positive affect (p = .09). Among parent-reported child outcomes, there were significant decreases in psychological (p < .001) and physical stress (p = .03), anxiety (p < .001), depressive symptoms (p < .001), and anger (p < .002) as well as increased positive affect (p < .001) and life satisfaction (p < .001). Effect sizes ranged from small to medium; 77% of youth (73% of parents) reported using RYP skills. Age and gender were not associated with outcome change.

Conclusions:

The RYP may help reduce psychological/stress symptoms and increase well-being among youth; further research is needed.
Taxonomic resolution of fleabane species (Conyza spp.) based on morphological and molecular markers and their dispersion across soybean-cropping macroregions and seasons in Brazil
Authors: Kalsing Augusto , Nunes Felipe A. , Gotardi Guilherme A. , Campos Jaqueline B. , Schneider Angelo A. , Tropaldi Leandro , Velini Edivaldo D. , Merotto Aldo , Carbonari Caio A.
Published: January 2024

The Conyza genus includes nearly 150 species, comprising closely related weedy species. Proper identification of Conyza spp. is essential to develop effective strategies for their management. The overlap of traits, species varieties, and the putative occurrence of hybridization hampers the identification of Conyza spp. and its management in agricultural and natural environments. Herein, we assessed five DNA barcodes and 32 morphological traits to classify Conyza spp. and survey their dispersion in soybean fields [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] in Brazil in 2019, 2020, and 2021. The Conyza accessions included two species, hairy fleabane [Conyza bonariensis (L.) Cronquist) and Sumatran fleabane [Conyza sumatrensis (Retz.) E. Walker], and each species comprised two varieties. The ITS and rps16-trnQ gene regions showed the ability to distinguish between the two Conyza species, while the matK, rbcL, and trnF-trnF gene regions were not polymorphic. Out of 32 morphological traits, phyllary color, involucre shape, capitulescence type, and inflorescence type were the most polymorphic and even reliable for taxonomic purposes. The combination of ITS or ITS+rps16-trnQ regions and the four morphological markers was able to discriminate 91% of the plants, except those of C. bonariensis var. angustifolia. These results support the taxonomic resolution between C. bonariensis and C. sumatrensis and are useful for other Conyza spp. and other closely related weedy species worldwide. Conyza sumatrensis was detected in 94% of soybean fields across macroregions and seasons in Brazil, while C. bonariensis was sparsely dispersed, mainly in the southern macroregion (MRS 1).
“Seeing” Beneath the Clouds—Machine‐Learning‐Based Reconstruction of North African Dust Plumes
Authors: Kanngießer Franz , Fiedler Stephanie
Published: January 2024

Mineral dust is one of the most abundant atmospheric aerosol species and has various far‐reaching effects on the climate system and adverse impacts on air quality. Satellite observations can provide spatio‐temporal information on dust emission and transport pathways. However, satellite observations of dust plumes are frequently obscured by clouds. We use a method based on established, machine‐learning‐based image in‐painting techniques to restore the spatial extent of dust plumes for the first time. We train an artificial neural net (ANN) on modern reanalysis data paired with satellite‐derived cloud masks. The trained ANN is applied to cloud‐masked, gray‐scaled images, which were derived from false color images indicating elevated dust plumes in bright magenta. The images were obtained from the Spinning Enhanced Visible and Infrared Imager instrument onboard the Meteosat Second Generation satellite. We find up to 15% of summertime observations in West Africa and 10% of summertime observations in Nubia by satellite images miss dust plumes due to cloud cover. We use the new dust‐plume data to demonstrate a novel approach for validating spatial patterns of the operational forecasts provided by the World Meteorological Organization Dust Regional Center in Barcelona. The comparison elucidates often similar dust plume patterns in the forecasts and the satellite‐based reconstruction, but once trained, the reconstruction is computationally inexpensive. Our proposed reconstruction provides a new opportunity for validating dust aerosol transport in numerical weather models and Earth system models. It can be adapted to other aerosol species and trace gases.
Climate Change in the Thermosphere and Ionosphere From the Early Twentieth Century to Early Twenty‐First Century Simulated by the Whole Atmosphere Community Climate Model—eXtended
Authors: McInerney Joseph M. , Qian Liying , Liu Han‐Li , Solomon Stanley C. , Nossal Susan M.
Published: January 2024

Motivated by numerous lower atmosphere climate model hindcast simulations, we performed simulations of the Earth's atmosphere from the surface up through the thermosphere‐ionosphere to reveal for the first time the century scale changes in the upper atmosphere from the 1920s through the 2010s using the Whole Atmosphere Community Climate Model—eXtended (WACCM‐X v. 2.1). We impose solar minimum conditions to get a clear indication of the effects of the long‐term forcing from greenhouse gas increases and changes of the Earth's magnetic field and to avoid the requirement for careful removal of the 11‐year solar cycle as in some previous studies using observations and models. These previous studies have shown greenhouse gas effects in the upper atmosphere but what has been missing is the time evolution with actual greenhouse gas increases throughout the last century, including the period of less than 5% increase prior to the space age and the transition to the over 25% increase in the latter half of the 20th century. Neutral temperature, density, and ionosphere changes are close to those reported in previous studies. Also, we find high correlation between the continuous carbon dioxide rate of change over this past century and that of temperature in the thermosphere and the ionosphere, attributed to the shorter adjustment time of the upper atmosphere to greenhouse gas changes relative to the longer time in the lower atmosphere. Consequently, WACCM‐X future scenario projections can provide valuable insight in the entire atmosphere of future greenhouse gas effects and mitigation efforts.
Steady Flow Over a Finite Patch of Submerged Flexible Vegetation
Authors: Kim Hyun Dong , Yu Xiao , Kaplan David
Published: January 2024

An immersed boundary‐finite element with soft‐body dynamics has been implemented to study steady flow over a finite patch of submerged flexible aquatic vegetation. The flow structure interaction model can resolve the flow interactions with flexible vegetation, and hence the reconfiguration of vegetation blades to ambient flow. Flow dynamics strongly depend on two dimensionless parameters, namely vegetation density and Cauchy number (defined as the ratio of the fluid drag force to the elastic force). Five different flow patterns have been identified based on vegetation density and Cauchy number, including the limited reach, swaying, “monami” A, “monami” B with slow moving interfacial wave, and prone. The “monami” B pattern occurred at high vegetation density and is different from “monami” A, in which the passage of Kelvin‐Helmholtz billows strongly affects the vegetation interface. With soft‐body dynamics, blade‐to‐blade interactions can also be resolved. At high vegetation density, the hydrodynamic interactions play an important role in blade‐to‐blade interactions, where adjacent vegetation blades interact via the interstitial fluid pressure. At low vegetation density, direct contacts among vegetation blades play important roles in preventing unphysical penetration of vegetation blades.
AURKA inhibition induces Ewing’s sarcoma apoptosis and ferroptosis through NPM1/YAP1 axis
Authors: Chen Huimou , Hu Jing , Xiong Xilin , Chen Hongling , Lin Biaojun , Chen Yusong , Li Yang , Cheng Di , Li Zhihua
Published: January 2024

Ewing’s sarcoma (ES) is a rare and highly aggressive malignant tumor arising from bone and soft tissue. Suffering from intractable or recurrent diseases, the patients’ therapy options are very limited. It is extremely urgent to identify novel potential therapeutic targets for ES and put them into use in clinical settings. In the present study, high-throughput screening of a small molecular pharmacy library was performed. The killing effect of the Aurora kinase A (AURKA) inhibitor TCS7010 in ES cells was identified, and AURKA was selected as the research object for further study. Disparate suppressants were adopted to study the cell death manner of TCS7010. TCS7010 and RNA silencing were used to evaluate the functions of AURKA in the apoptosis and ferroptosis of ES cells. Co-immunoprecipitation assay was used to investigate the correlation of AURKA and nucleophosmin1 (NPM1) in ES. Nude-mice transplanted tumor model was used for investigating the role of AURKA in ES in vivo. Investigations into the protein activities of AURKA were conducted using ES cell lines and xenograft models. AURKA was found to be prominently upregulated in ES. The AURKA expression level was remarkably connected to ES patients’ shorter overall survival (OS) and event-free survival (EFS). Furthermore, AURKA inhibition markedly induced the apoptosis and ferroptosis of ES cells and attenuated tumorigenesis in vivo. On the part of potential mechanisms, it was found that AURKA inhibition triggered the apoptosis and ferroptosis of ES cells through the NPM1/Yes1 associated transcriptional regulator (YAP1) axis, which provides new insights into the tumorigenesis of ES. AURKA may be a prospective target for clinical intervention in ES patients.
Adaptive tactile interaction transfer via digitally embroidered smart gloves
Authors: Luo Yiyue , Liu Chao , Lee Young Joong , DelPreto Joseph , Wu Kui , Foshey Michael , Rus Daniela , Palacios Tomás , Li Yunzhu , Torralba Antonio , Matusik Wojciech
Published: January 2024

Human-machine interfaces for capturing, conveying, and sharing tactile information across time and space hold immense potential for healthcare, augmented and virtual reality, human-robot collaboration, and skill development. To realize this potential, such interfaces should be wearable, unobtrusive, and scalable regarding both resolution and body coverage. Taking a step towards this vision, we present a textile-based wearable human-machine interface with integrated tactile sensors and vibrotactile haptic actuators that are digitally designed and rapidly fabricated. We leverage a digital embroidery machine to seamlessly embed piezoresistive force sensors and arrays of vibrotactile actuators into textiles in a customizable, scalable, and modular manner. We use this process to create gloves that can record, reproduce, and transfer tactile interactions. User studies investigate how people perceive the sensations reproduced by our gloves with integrated vibrotactile haptic actuators. To improve the effectiveness of tactile interaction transfer, we develop a machine-learning pipeline that adaptively models how each individual user reacts to haptic sensations and then optimizes haptic feedback parameters. Our interface showcases adaptive tactile interaction transfer through the implementation of three end-to-end systems: alleviating tactile occlusion, guiding people to perform physical skills, and enabling responsive robot teleoperation.
Location-agnostic site-specific protein bioconjugation via Baylis Hillman adducts
Authors: Mir Mudassir H. , Parmar Sangeeta , Singh Chhaya , Kalia Dimpy
Published: January 2024

Proteins labelled site-specifically with small molecules are valuable assets for chemical biology and drug development. The unique reactivity profile of the 1,2-aminothiol moiety of N-terminal cysteines (N-Cys) of proteins renders it highly attractive for regioselective protein labelling. Herein, we report an ultrafast Z-selective reaction between isatin-derived Baylis Hillman adducts and 1,2-aminothiols to form a bis-heterocyclic scaffold, and employ it for stable protein bioconjugation under both in vitro and live-cell conditions. We refer to our protein bioconjugation technology as Baylis Hillman orchestrated protein aminothiol labelling (BHoPAL). Furthermore, we report a lipoic acid ligase-based technology for introducing the 1,2-aminothiol moiety at any desired site within proteins, rendering BHoPAL location-agnostic (not limited to N-Cys). By using this approach in tandem with BHoPAL, we generate dually labelled protein bioconjugates appended with different labels at two distinct specific sites on a single protein molecule. Taken together, the protein bioconjugation toolkit that we disclose herein will contribute towards the generation of both mono and multi-labelled protein-small molecule bioconjugates for applications as diverse as biophysical assays, cellular imaging, and the production of therapeutic protein–drug conjugates. In addition to protein bioconjugation, the bis-heterocyclic scaffold we report herein will find applications in synthetic and medicinal chemistry.
Two way workable microchanneled hydrogel suture to diagnose, treat and monitor the infarcted heart
Authors: Xue Fangchao , Zhao Shanlan , Tian Hao , Qin Haoxiang , Li Xiaochen , Jian Zhao , Du Jiahui , Li Yanzhao , Wang Yanhong , Lin Lin , Liu Chen , Shang Yongning , He Lang , Xing Malcolm , Zeng Wen
Published: January 2024

During myocardial infarction, microcirculation disturbance in the ischemic area can cause necrosis and formation of fibrotic tissue, potentially leading to malignant arrhythmia and myocardial remodeling. Here, we report a microchanneled hydrogel suture for two-way signal communication, pumping drugs on demand, and cardiac repair. After myocardial infarction, our hydrogel suture monitors abnormal electrocardiogram through the mobile device and triggers nitric oxide on demand via the hydrogel sutures’ microchannels, thereby inhibiting inflammation, promoting microvascular remodeling, and improving the left ventricular ejection fraction in rats and minipigs by more than 60% and 50%, respectively. This work proposes a suture for bidirectional communication that acts as a cardio-patch to repair myocardial infarction, that remotely monitors the heart, and can deliver drugs on demand.