bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Employing higher density lower reliability weather data from the Global Historical Climatology Network monitors to generate serially complete weather data for watershed modelling
Authors: Garna Roja K. , Easton Zachary M. , Faulkner Joshua W. , Collick Amy S. , Fuka Daniel R.
Published: November 2023

Hydrological models require complete and accurate weather data time series to represent watershed‐scale responses adequately. The Global Historical Climatology Network (GHCN) is the most comprehensive weather database used in hydrological modelling studies globally. Since higher‐density, lower‐reliability precipitation measurements from private citizens collected by the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail, and Snow (CoCoRaHS) network data were integrated into the GHCN, hydrological modellers in the United States have access to a much greater amount of weather data. However, the benefit of using CoCoRaHS data has not been assessed. The objectives of this work were to develop a method for generating a complete weather data time series based on the combination of data from multiple GHCN monitors and to assess several methods for the estimation of missing weather data. Weather data from GHCN monitors located within a specific radius of a watershed were obtained and interpolated using three estimation methods (Inverse Distance Weighting (IDW), Inverse Distance and Elevation Weighting (IDEW) and Closest Station), creating a seamless time series of weather observations. To evaluate the performance of the methodologies, weather data obtained from each estimation method was used to force the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) and Thornthwaite‐Mather models for 21 US Department of Agriculture‐Conservation Effects Assessment Project watersheds in different climate regions to simulate daily streamflow for 2010–2021. Except for three watersheds, all of the SWAT models had Nash‐Sutcliffe Efficiency above 0.5, the ratio of the root mean square error to the standard deviation of observations below 0.7, and percent bias from −25% to 25% with a satisfactory performance rating. IDEW and IDW performed similarly, and the Closest Station method resulted in the poorest streamflow simulation. A comparison with published SWAT model results further corroborated improved model performance using novel combined GHCN data with all Closest Station, IDW and IDEW methods.
Relationship between isotope ratios in precipitation and stream water across watersheds of the National Ecological Observation Network
Authors: Butler Zachariah , Good Stephen , Haagsma Marja , Segura Catalina , Hu Huancui
Published: November 2023

The timescales associated with precipitation moving through watersheds reveal processes that are critical to understanding many hydrologic systems. Measurements of environmental stable water isotope ratios (δ2H and δ18O) have been used as tracers to study hydrologic timescales by examining how long it takes for incoming precipitation tracers become stream discharge, yet limited measurements both spatially and temporally have bounded macroscale evaluations so far. In this observation driven study across North American biomes within the National Ecological Observation Network (NEON), we examined δ18O and δ2H stable water isotope in precipitation (δP) and stream water (δQ) at 26 co‐located sites. With an average 54 precipitation samples and 139 stream water samples per site collected over 2014–2022, assessment of local meteoric water lines and local stream water lines showed geographic variation across North America. Taking the ratio of estimated seasonal amplitudes of δP and δQ to calculate young water fractions (Fyw), showed a Fyw range from 1% to 93% with most sites having Fyw below 20%. Calculated mean transit times (MTT) based on a gamma convolution model showed a MTT range from 0.10 to 13.2 years, with half of the sites having MTT estimates lower than 2 years. Significant correlations were found between the Fyw and watershed area, longest flow length, and the longest flow length/slope. Significant correlations were found between MTT and site latitude, longitude, slope, clay fraction, temperature, precipitation magnitude, and precipitation frequency. The significant correlations between water timescale metrics and the environmental characteristics we report share some similarities with those reported in prior studies, demonstrating that these quantities are primarily driven by site or area specific factors. The analysis of isotope data presented here provides important constraints on isotope variation in North American biomes and the timescales of water movement through NEON study sites.
Spatially distributed tracer‐aided modelling to explore DOC dynamics, hot spots and hot moments in a tropical mountain catchment
Authors: Pesántez Juan , Birkel Christian , Gaona Gabriel , Arciniega‐Esparza Saúl , Murray Desneiges S. , Mosquera Giovanny M. , Célleri Rolando , Mora Enma , Crespo Patricio
Published: November 2023

Tracer‐aided rainfall‐runoff modelling is a promising tool for understanding catchment hydrology, particularly when tracers provide information about coupled hydrological‐biogeochemical processes. Such models allow for predicting the quality and quantity of water under changing climatic and anthropogenic conditions. Here, we present the Spatially‐distributed Tracer‐Aided Rainfall‐Runoff model with a coupled biogeochemical reactive tracer module (STARR‐DOC) to simulate dissolved organic carbon (DOC) dynamics and sources. The STARR‐DOC model was developed and tested for a humid high Andean ecosystem (páramo) using high‐resolution hourly DOC and hydrometeorological data to simulate hourly discharge and DOC at a fine spatial (10 × 10 m) resolution. Overall, the model was able to acceptably reproduce discharge (KGE ~ 0.45) and stream DOC (KGE ~ 0.69) dynamics. Spatially distributed DOC simulations were independently compared using point DOC measurements for different soil types across the catchment, which allowed for identifying DOC production hot spots and hot moments. Results showed higher hydrological connectivity between slopes and valleys with increasing precipitation. Wetter conditions also favoured DOC production (wet month = 82 mg L−1, dry month = 5 mg L−1) and transport to the stream network (DOC concentrations: during events ~15 mg L−1, during baseflows ~4 mg L−1). Our results also suggest that minor changes in meteorological conditions directly affect páramo soil water dynamics and biogeochemistry. Knowledge of when and where DOC production in mountain catchments is greatest is important for water managers to understand when they make decisions about water security, especially considering climate change predictions for the Andean region.
A comparative study on chromium‐induced micronuclei assessment in the peripheral blood of Hsd:ICR mice
Authors: García‐Rodríguez María del Carmen , Hernández‐Cortés Lourdes Montserrat , Montaño‐Rodríguez Ana Rosa , Pereyra‐Mejía Pedro Salvador , Kacew Sam
Published: November 2023

This study investigated the genotoxic effects of chromium (Cr) in Hsd:ICR mice, considering factors such as oxidative state, apoptosis, exposure pathway, duration, pregnancy, and transplacental exposure. Genotoxicity was assessed using the erythrocytes' micronucleus (MN) assay, while apoptosis was evaluated in nucleated blood cells. The results showed that Cr(III) (CrK(SO4)2 and CrCl3) did not induce any marked genotoxic damage. However, Cr(VI) (CrO3, K2Cr2O7, Na2Cr2O7, and K2CrO4) produced varying degrees of genotoxicity, with CrO3 being the most potent. MN frequencies increased following 24‐h exposure, with a greater effect in male mice. Administering 20 mg/kg of CrO3 via gavage did not lead to significant effects compared to intraperitoneal administration. Short‐term oral treatment with a daily dose of 8.5 mg/kg for 49 days elevated MN levels only on day 14 after treatment. Pregnant female mice exposed to CrO3 on day 15 of pregnancy exhibited reduced genotoxic effects compared to nonpregnant animals. However, significant increases in MN levels were found in their fetuses starting 48 h after exposure. In summary, data indicate the potential genotoxic effects of Cr, with Cr(VI) forms inducing higher genotoxicity than Cr(III). These findings indicate that gender, exposure route, and pregnancy status might influence genotoxic responses to Cr.
Hypokalemia and Hyponatremia in Adult Patients Receiving Voriconazole Therapeutic Drug Monitoring
Authors: Cheng Lin , Liu Zhirui , Yu Mingjie , Lin Ling , Xiong Lirong , Dai Qing
Published: November 2023

Hypokalemia and hyponatremia are common but easily ignored adverse events in treatment with voriconazole (VCZ) that can lead to serious consequences. We intend to investigate the incidence of VCZ‐induced hypokalemia and hyponatremia and their risk factors based on real‐world data. A prospective study was conducted. A total of 272 patients with 414 VCZ plasma trough concentrations (C0) and VCZ N‐oxide concentrations (CN) were included. The incidence of hypokalemia was 18.0% (48/266). A total of 81.2% (39/48) of patients developed hypokalemia within 14 days, whereas 56.2% (27/48) of patients developed hypokalemia within 1 week. The proportion of female patients in the hypokalemia group was higher than that in the nonhypokalemia group, as was the proportion of patients receiving intravenous VCZ. In the multivariate analysis, the independent risk factors for hypokalemia were sex, combined use of antibiotics, and VCZ CN/C0. The incidence of hyponatremia was 7.9% (21/266). The proportion of patients over 47 years of age in the hyponatremia group was 71.4% (15/21). The number of days of VCZ use in the hyponatremia group was greater than that in the nonhyponatremia group. A total of 47.6% (10/21) of patients in the hyponatremia group had supratherapeutic VCZ C0 (>5.0 µg/mL). In conclusion, hypokalemia is more likely to occur in females, in patients receiving intravenous VCZ, and in patients with the combined use of antibiotics. Hyponatremia is more likely to occur in patients older than 47 years who have been using VCZ for a long time and have higher VCZ C0 values.
Engineering a tunable micropattern‐array assay to sort single extracellular vesicles and particles to detect RNA and protein in situ
Authors: Zhang Jingjing , Rima Xilal Y. , Wang Xinyu , Nguyen Luong T. H. , Huntoon Kristin , Ma Yifan , Palacio Paola Loreto , Nguyen Kim Truc , Albert Karunya , Duong‐Thi Minh‐Dao , Walters Nicole , Kwak Kwang Joo , Yoon Min Jin , Li Hong , Doon‐Ralls Jacob , Hisey Colin L. , Lee Daeyong , Wang Yifan , Ha Jonghoon , Scherler Kelsey , Fallen Shannon , Lee Inyoul , Palmer Andre F. , Jiang Wen , Magaña Setty M. , Wang Kai , Kim Betty Y. S. , Lee L. James , Reátegui Eduardo
Published: November 2023

The molecular heterogeneity of extracellular vesicles (EVs) and the co‐isolation of physically similar particles, such as lipoproteins (LPs), confounds and limits the sensitivity of EV bulk biomarker characterization. Herein, we present a single‐EV and particle (siEVP) protein and RNA assay (siEVPPRA) to simultaneously detect mRNAs, miRNAs, and proteins in subpopulations of EVs and LPs. The siEVPPRA immobilizes and sorts particles via positive immunoselection onto micropatterns and focuses biomolecular signals in situ. By detecting EVPs at a single‐particle resolution, the siEVPPRA outperformed the sensitivities of bulk‐analysis benchmark assays for RNA and protein. To assess the specificity of RNA detection in complex biofluids, EVs from various glioma cell lines were processed with small RNA sequencing, whereby two mRNAs and two miRNAs associated with glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) were chosen for cross‐validation. Despite the presence of single‐EV‐LP co‐isolates in serum, the siEVPPRA detected GBM‐associated vesicular RNA profiles in GBM patient siEVPs. The siEVPPRA effectively examines intravesicular, intervesicular, and interparticle heterogeneity with diagnostic promise.
Childhood and adulthood trauma exposure: Associations with perinatal mental health and psychotherapy response
Authors: Ponting Carolyn , Bond Melissa , Rogowski Belén , Chu Ann , Lieberman Alicia F.
Published: November 2023

Trauma exposure is strongly linked to maternal posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depressive symptoms during the perinatal period; however, childhood trauma exposure is often assessed without accounting for adult exposure. This study tested the unique impacts of childhood and adulthood trauma exposure on PTSD and depressive symptoms among pregnant women (N = 107, 82.9% Latina) enrolled in a nonrandomized intervention study. Regression analyses at baseline showed positive associations between trauma exposure and PTSD symptoms irrespective of trauma timing, childhood: B = 1.62, t(91) = 2.11, p = .038; adulthood: B = 2.92, t(91) = 3.04, p = .003. However only adulthood trauma exposure, B = 1.28, t(94) = 2.94, p = .004, was positively associated with depressive symptoms. Mixed‐effects analyses of variance revealed interaction effects of time and adulthood trauma exposure, indicating that women with high degrees of adulthood trauma exposure had higher baseline levels of PTSD, F(1, 76.4) = 6.45, p = .013, and depressive symptoms, F(1, 87.2) = 4.88, p = .030, but showed a more precipitous decrease posttreatment than women with lower levels of adulthood trauma exposure. These findings support the clinical relevance of assessing both childhood and adulthood trauma exposure during the perinatal period given their impacts on baseline symptoms and psychotherapy response.
Long‐term combined subsoiling and straw mulching conserves water and improves agricultural soil properties
Authors: Yang Yonghui , Liu Hao , Wu Jicheng , Gao Cuimin , Zhang Sensen , Tang Darrell W. S.
Published: November 2023

Subsoiling and straw mulching are two techniques that conserve soil water and improve the sustainability of agricultural production. However, the benefits to soil sustainability of combining subsoiling with straw mulching under intensive rotation between wheat and maize remain uncertain. We conducted a field experiment to determine the long‐term impacts of conventional tillage with straw mulching (CS), and subsoiling with straw mulching (SS), on soil macropore characteristics (>160 μm), soil aggregate characteristics, and soil hydraulic parameters at 0–100 cm depths. Results indicate that SS increased the mean macropore number (66.9%), macroporosity (93.5%), pore circularity (3.5%), field moisture capacity (11.8%), saturated moisture content (21.4%), available soil moisture content (24.1%), and the saturated hydraulic conductivity (39.3%) in the shallowest 50 cm of soil, and total organic carbon content (34.5%) and soil labile organic carbon (20.2%) in the shallowest 30 cm of soil, compared to CS. Compared with CS, SS was more effective at increasing the proportion of aggregates larger than 0.25 mm in the top 20 cm of soil and decreasing the proportion of aggregates smaller than 0.25 mm in the top 30 cm of soil. Correlations between soil organic carbon and various soil physical properties under different practices suggest that SS has larger causative effects on soil physical properties than CS. Therefore, SS is recommended over CS.
THE POWER OF LEADERSHIP HUMILITY IN THE AI ERA
Authors: Chamorro‐Premuzic Tomas
Published: November 2023

The author, who among other things is the Chief Innovation Officer at ManpowerGroup, a professor of business psychology at University College London and at Columbia University, writes about the normalization of narcissism in an age of AI/artificial intelligence, and what this means for leadership and society as a whole. He also discusses the disinformation that can come about with generative AI, which “can be easily trained to produce anything we would normally produce, in our style, automating our opinions and thoughts.” Yet this a complicated, nuanced situation: “Humans have always displayed a deep desire for appreciation, which is not just responsible for much of the vanity and entitlement in the world, but also civilization and progress.” He continues that, “whatever you think of cathedrals, symphonies, and hundred‐year‐old corporations, they are rarely the product of pure narcissism, but rather a watered‐down version of it, diluted with hard work and competence, including leadership talent.” He notes the importance of humility, especially in “personal risk management. The less you are dishonest with yourself about your own talents, the more likely you will be to avoid unnecessary risks, mistakes, and failure. Only people who overestimate their abilities go to critical job interviews, client presentations, and academic exams ill‐prepared.”
HOW TO MEASURE, ANALYZE, AND IMPROVE DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION
Authors: Pinkett Randal
Published: November 2023

The author, an entrepreneur, innovator, and DEI expert who is the co‐founder, chairman, and CEO of BCT Partners, presents solid research and statistics to back up the importance of DEI/Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion within organizations. He also notes the current challenges (including political and legislative) aimed at DEI initiatives, and to related areas such as book banning in libraries and “anti‐wokeness.” His research is highly data‐driven. He writes: “Data‐Driven DEI™ is geared toward everyday people first and foremost and not just DEI champions and leaders. Why? Because organizations do not change. People change.” He outlines a number of points within the business case for DEI, which in his words are Winning the competition for talent, strengthening customer orientation, increasing employee trust, retention, engagement, satisfaction, and performance, Improving decision making and fostering innovation, and enhancing the organization's image to employees and consumers. The personal case for DEI covers, in his words, enhancing personal growth, expanding diversity of thought, improving health and wellness, and enriching learning and performance at school and work, mitigating biases and negative stereotypes, enlarging networks of relationships, expanding civic engagement and positive outcomes for others, and receiving more positive evaluations, earlier promotions, and higher compensation.
Wideband patch antenna using a zigzag‐shaped bridge feeding structure
Authors: Fu AnBang , Li Lei , Han JiaYing , Xiong HuiDong , Wu WanYing
Published: November 2023

A new zigzag‐shaped bridge feeding structure (ZBS) for patch antennas is proposed in this letter. The feeding structure consists of a zigzag‐shaped strip and two metal piers (left one is coaxial feed pin, the other is short post connect to ground.) The length of the strip is approximately half wavelength to the low‐frequency resonance point, while the distance between the two piers is approximately half wavelength of higher resonance point. The ZBS can excite two resonances to enhance bandwidth. This letter provides an intuitive explanation of its working principle from the perspective of electromagnetic fields. A prototype patch antenna working in the frequency range of 2.42–3.22 GHz was designed, simulated, and manufactured. The results show that the designed antenna achieved a wide working bandwidth of 28% (|S11|<−10 dB), low cross‐polarization (<23 dB), and a good average gain of 8.3 dBi.
The impacts of COVID‐19 on racial inequality in business earnings
Authors: Fairlie Robert
Published: November 2023

Many small businesses closed in the pandemic, but were economic losses disproportionately felt by businesses owned by people of color? This paper provides the first study of the impacts of COVID‐19 on racial inequality in business earnings. Pandemic‐induced losses to business earnings in 2020 were 16% to 19% for all business owners. Racial inequality increased in the pandemic: Black business owners experienced larger negative impacts on business earnings of 12% to 14% relative to White business owners. Regression estimates for Latinx and Asian business owners reveal negative point estimates but the estimates are not statistically significant. Using Blinder‐Oaxaca decompositions and a new pandemic‐focused decomposition technique, I find that the industry concentrations of Black, Latinx, and Asian business owners placed each of these groups at a higher risk of experiencing disproportionate business earnings losses in the pandemic. Higher education levels among Asian business owners helped insulate them from larger losses from COVID‐19. In the following year of economic recovery, 2021, business earnings rebounded strongly for all groups except for Asian business owners, who experienced large relative losses (which were partly due to industry concentrations). State‐level variation in policies and disease spread does not explain racial differences in business earnings losses or rebounds.
Research and prediction of creep behavior of triaxial warp‐knitted composites by time–temperature equivalent principle
Authors: You Geyi , Gao Xiaoping , Du Peijian , Wu Wei , Jiang Xin , Zhao Ke
Published: November 2023

In this paper, the creep behavior of triaxial warp‐knitted composites (TWKC) was investigated. The TWKC specimens were prepared by applying vacuum‐assisted resin infusion (VARI), and the three‐point bending creep experiments at different temperatures were carried out. The shift factor was calculated based on the activation energy method, and the creep curve at 25°C within 105s was obtained according to the time–temperature equivalence principle, the time–temperature equivalent model was established, and the model was verified by measuring the long‐term creep data with self‐made instrument. There is approximately agreement between the prediction result and experimental one, which is less than 10% within 105s. The results show that the model could be used to predict the creep behavior of TWKC. The viscoelastic properties of the specimen were analyzed based on dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), and the creep behavior of TWKC was further analyzed by acoustic emission and digital image correlation damage analysis.

Highlights

The viscoelasticity of TWKC was analyzed based on dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), and the activation energy was calculated.

Based on the activation energy method, the time–temperature equivalent model was established to predict the creep behavior of TWKC.

The creep behavior of TWKC were further analyzed by acoustic emission (AE) and digital image correlation (DIC) damage analysis.
Failure behavior and crashworthiness characteristic of repaired composites‐metal hybrid tubes by acoustic emission
Authors: Su Yi‐fan , Zhang Su‐jia , Su Ming‐ming , Ma Lian‐hua , Zhou Wei
Published: November 2023

In this study, the transverse indentation test was applied to simulate the damage caused by impact to the carbon fiber‐reinforced plastics (CFRP)/Al hybrid tube, and composites patch repair technology was used to repair the hybrid tube with different damage degrees. The effects of width and ply‐number of the patch on failure behavior and crashworthiness under axial load were investigated. It was concluded that the technology can effectively reduce stress concentration around the indentation and then improve compressive strength. Increasing the ply‐number of the patch can mitigate the failure mode of med‐length collapse of the hybrid tube and can effectively improve the crashworthiness indicators. The optimal repair strategy increased energy absorption by 54.02% and mean crushing force by 53.66%. However, the improvement of failure behavior by the ply‐number is limited by patch width. Acoustic emission and infrared thermography technologies were used to further analyze the damage characteristics and damage evolution of the hybrid tubes in pre‐crushing stage. It was found that the crushing form of the middle collapse tended to produce a more intense acoustic emission response and higher temperature change than that of the end crushing. In engineering practice, it provides a valuable reference for the reasonable repair of composite tubular structures and their hybrid structures.

Highlights

Composite repair technology is used for the repair of CFRP/Al hybrid tubes.

The effects of ply‐number and width of patch on repair quality are studied.

The technology can effectively improve residual crashworthiness of structure.

The improvement of failure behavior by ply‐number is limited by patch width.

The damage behavior of various crushing forms can be revealed by AE and IR.
A mini‐review of polymeric porous membranes with vertically penetrative pores
Authors: Yang Yong‐Biao , Chai Wenqiang , Zhang Liang , Wang Jiayao , You Jichun
Published: November 2023

Membrane separation technology plays a pivotal role in modern industry and scientific research. The key to developing and improving membrane separation processes lies in designing and fabricating customized porous membranes with specific physical parameters, including pore diameter, porosity, pore size distribution, pore length (membrane thickness), pore geometry, and pore connectivity. Polymeric porous membranes with vertically‐penetrative‐pores (PPMVs) represent a distinct category among the available membranes due to their unique characteristics such as short transport path, small trans‐membrane resistance, and simple pore geometry, as compared to other porous membranes with sponge‐like channels. In practical applications, PPMVs offer several advantages, including achieving higher flux rates, facilitating easier unidirectional transport, and enabling harmless biological extraction. Moreover, PPMVs can serve as ideal model systems for theoretical investigations on the fundamental mechanisms of separation and transport in academic research. With substantial advancements in fabrication technologies and application fields of PPMVs in recent years, it warrants a comprehensive perspective. In this mini‐review, we provide an overview of widely used fabrication methods for PPMVs, discuss their primary applications, and address the existing challenges and opportunities.
Room Temperature Ferromagnetism in Graphene/SiC(0001) System Intercalated by Fe and Co
Authors: Filnov Sergei O. , Estyunin Dmitry A. , Klimovskikh Ilya I. , Estyunina Tatiana P. , Golyashov Vladimir A. , Tarasov Anton S. , Kosyrev Nikolay N. , Komarov Vasily A. , Patrin Gennady S. , Rybkina Anna A. , Yu Vilkov Oleg , Shikin Alexander M. , Tereshchenko Oleg E. , Chumakov Ratibor G. , Lebedev Alexey M. , Rybkin Artem G.
Published: November 2023

The utilization of graphene on silicon carbide (SiC) substrates holds substantial promise for advancements in spintronics and nanoelectronics. Furthermore, incorporating magnetic metals provides an optimal framework for probing fundamental physical phenomena. The approach to developing such systems is in situ intercalation of graphene with magnetic metals. Herein, the electronic structure is analyzed and the magnetic properties of the system are synthesized by the thermal decomposition of 6H‐SiC(0001) surface and subsequent intercalation of graphene with cobalt (Co) and iron (Fe) atoms. X‐ray photoemission spectroscopy and low‐energy electron diffraction are employed to control the synthesis and metal intercalation processes. The morphological characteristics of the synthesized system are studied by means of atomic force microscopy. The findings derived from magneto‐optic Kerr effect measurements reveal a homogeneous ferromagnetic ordering at room temperature. Angle‐resolved photoemission spectroscopy is used to ascertain the impact of intercalation on graphene's electronic structure. The results of this study are essential for the development of graphene‐based spintronics and nanoelectronic devices as well as for fundamental studies in magnetic graphene systems.
Tetrandrine promotes the survival of the random skin flap via the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway
Authors: Wang Kaitao , Deng Jiapeng , Yang Jialong , Wang An , Ye Minle , Chen Qingyu , Chen Guodong , Lin Dingsheng
Published: November 2023

Flaps are mainly used for wound repair. However, postoperative ischemic necrosis of the distal flap is a major problem, which needs to be addressed urgently. We evaluated whether tetrandrine, a compound found in traditional Chinese medicine, can prolong the survival rate of random skin flaps. Thirty‐six rats were randomly divided into control, low‐dose tetrandrine (25 mg/kg/day), and high‐dose tetrandrine (60 mg/kg/day) groups. On postoperative Day 7, the flap survival and average survival area were determined. After the rats were sacrificed, the levels of angiogenesis, apoptosis, and inflammation in the flap tissue were detected with immunology and molecular biology analyses. Tetrandrine increased vascular endothelial growth factor and Bcl‐2 expression, in turn promoting angiogenesis and anti‐apoptotic processes, respectively. Additionally, tetrandrine decreased the expression of Bax, which is associated with the induction of apoptosis, and also decreased inflammation in the flap tissue. Tetrandrine improved the survival rate of random flaps by promoting angiogenesis, inhibiting apoptosis, and reducing inflammation in the flap tissue through the modulation of the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway.
Note on Schur stability of three‐dimensional interval matrices
Authors: Zaitsev Vasilii
Published: November 2023

Well‐known results on robust Hurwitz and Schur stability of interval polynomials and interval matrices are discussed. We fill in some gap in this theory. It is proved that, for , Schur stability of vertex matrices is not sufficient for robust Schur stability of the interval matrix. A certain general method for constructing examples of this kind is presented.
Distributed adaptive event‐triggered protocols for directed multi‐agent networks with a dynamic leader of nonzero input
Authors: Cheng Bin , He Bin , Li Gang , Zhu Zhongpan
Published: November 2023

This article addresses the distributed tracking control problem of multi‐agent systems with a dynamic leader of nonzero input and under a general graph having a directed spanning tree. According to general engineering request, the communication frequency and the update frequency are often restricted, and the eigenvalue information associated with the topology matrix is probably hard to obtain. Aiming at such a kind of typical control problems, this article proposes an adaptive state feedback event‐triggered protocol, including an adaptive controller based on zero‐order hold for each follower to ensure the achievement of the tracking task and a dynamic event‐triggering condition for each agent to determine when to carry out communications and execute controllers. The proposed protocol guarantees that the tracking error asymptotically converges to zero and there exists no undesirable Zeno behavior, without requiring any eigenvalue information of Laplacian matrix. For the case where local state information is inaccessible, this article designs a state observer based on the local output and further extends to design an adaptive output feedback event‐based protocol. In addition to giving strict theoretical proof of the obtain results, this article also verifies the effectiveness of the designed protocols by giving two simulation examples. Compared with the existing related works studying distributed tracking control, it is the main contribution of the current paper that the presented protocols only require a mild connectivity condition on the network topology, and need low frequency control update and information interaction.
Moss crusts mitigate the negative impacts of shrub mortality on the nutrient multifunctionality of desert soils
Authors: Zhang Qing , Yin Benfeng , Zhang Shujun , Li Yonggang , Zang Yongxin , Rong Xiaoying , Zhou Xiaobing , Tao Ye , Zhang Yuanming
Published: November 2023

The distribution of biological soil crusts (BSCs) and shrubs in temperate deserts often forms a common landscape surface feature. As climate change continues, desert shrubs experience varying rates of mortality, which can have severe negative impacts on soil structure and function. However, it remains uncertain whether moss crusts, prevalent beneath shrub canopies, can mitigate the effects of shrub mortality on soil nutrient environments. Therefore, this study focuses on the Gurbantunggut Desert, a typical temperate desert in northern China, with a primary focus on the dominant shrubs, Ephedra przewalskii, and the advanced stage of moss crust development within BSCs. We collected soil samples from bare sand and moss crusts under living shrubs and dead shrubs and analyzed them for their carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium contents. Additionally, we calculated soil nutrient multifunctionality, which measures a soil's ability to sustain multiple ecosystem services simultaneously, to provide a comprehensive assessment of the effects of shrub mortality on soil nutrient function. Our results indicate that shrub mortality led to reductions in soil moisture, pH, electrical conductivity, and levels of carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium in exposed sand compared to the sand under living shrubs. However, the presence of moss crusts significantly alleviated the adverse effects of shrub mortality on soil carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium levels. The nutrient multifunctionality index of the moss crust only decreased by 4%, while bare sand experienced a 67% reduction following shrub mortality. Standard error of the mean analysis results revealed that when shrubs and crusts coexisted, the impact of shrubs on soil nutrient multifunctionality was much stronger than that of the moss crust. Specifically, total nutrient content was the most influential factor driving changes in soil nutrient multifunctionality. In conclusion, in desert ecosystems with declining shrubs, moss crusts can mitigate the reduction in soil nutrient contents caused by shrub degradation, thereby maintaining soil stability and nutrient multifunctionality as a viable substitute.
Numerical analysis of slurry flow in pile‐end grouting of the drilling with prestressed concrete pipes
Authors: Wang Wenbo , Cui Jie , Shan Yi , Li Yadong , Hou Zhenkun
Published: November 2023

Understanding the diffusion law of cement slurry is the key to analyzing and evaluating the reinforcement effect of grouting. This study aimed to reveal the flow grouting mechanism of slurry in the reserved space between piles and soil and the penetration diffusion rule of slurry in the soil around the piles. For this purpose, the grouting slurry was regarded as a Newtonian fluid. The Navier–Stokes equations of fluid mechanics and renormalization group k–ε model were used to study the flow diffusion of slurry in the reserved space around a pile for grouting the drilling with prestressed concrete pipes. The permeability of soil slurry was determined using Darcy's law, and the flow field of slurry during grouting was numerically simulated. The results showed that the flow velocity of slurry and the reinforcement effect of grouting decrease gradually as the flow path extends. The radial flow of slurry in the grouting pipe shows a clear trend of circumferential diffusion. The slurry thickness in the reserved space for grouting decreases with an increase in the distance from the grouting outlet. Its attenuation trend becomes more obvious with increasing grouting height. The grouting thickness directly reflects the filling effect of slurry and is an important index to evaluate the grouting effect of drilling with prestressed concrete pipes.
Molecular simulation approaches to study crystal nucleation from solutions: Theoretical considerations and computational challenges
Authors: Finney Aaron R. , Salvalaglio Matteo
Published: November 2023

Nucleation is the initial step in the formation of crystalline materials from solutions. Various factors, such as environmental conditions, composition, and external fields, can influence its outcomes and rates. Indeed, controlling this rate‐determining step toward phase separation is critical, as it can significantly impact the resulting material's structure and properties. Atomistic simulations can be exploited to gain insight into nucleation mechanisms—an aspect difficult to ascertain in experiments—and estimate nucleation rates. However, the microscopic nature of simulations can influence the phase behavior of nucleating solutions when compared to macroscale counterparts. An additional challenge arises from the inadequate timescales accessible to standard molecular simulations to simulate nucleation directly; this is due to the inherent rareness of nucleation events, which may be apparent in silico at even high supersaturations. In recent decades, molecular simulation methods have emerged to circumvent length‐ and timescale limitations. However, it is not always clear which simulation method is most suitable to study crystal nucleation from solution. This review surveys recent advances in this field, shedding light on typical nucleation mechanisms and the appropriateness of various simulation techniques for their study. Our goal is to provide a deeper understanding of the complexities associated with modeling crystal nucleation from solution and identify areas for further research. This review targets researchers across various scientific domains, including materials science, chemistry, physics and engineering, and aims to foster collaborative efforts to develop new strategies to understand and control nucleation.

This article is categorized under:

Molecular and Statistical Mechanics > Molecular Dynamics and Monte‐Carlo Methods

Molecular and Statistical Mechanics > Free Energy Methods

Theoretical and Physical Chemistry > Statistical Mechanics
Spatial Link Prediction with Spatial and Semantic Embeddings
Authors: Mann Genivika , Dsouza Alishiba , Yu Ran , Demidova Elena
Published: November 2023

Semantic geospatial applications, such as geographic question answering, have benefited from knowledge graphs incorporating information regarding geographic entities and their relations. However, one of the most critical limitations of geographic knowledge graphs is the lack of semantic relations between geographic entities. The most extensive knowledge graphs specifically tailored to geographic entities are extracted from unstructured sources, with these graphs often relying on datatype properties to describe the entities, resulting in a flat representation that lacks entity relationships. Therefore, predicting links between geographic entities is essential for advancing semantic geospatial applications. Existing neural link prediction methods for knowledge graphs typically rely on pre-existing entity relations, making them unsuitable for scenarios where such information is absent. In this paper, we tackle the challenge of predicting spatial links in sparsely interlinked knowledge graphs by introducing two novel approaches: supervised spatial link prediction (SSLP) and unsupervised inductive spatial link prediction (USLP). These approaches leverage the wealth of literal values in geographic knowledge graphs through spatial and semantic embeddings. To assess the effectiveness of our proposed methods, we conduct evaluations on the WorldKG geographic knowledge graph, which incorporates geospatial data extracted from OpenStreetMap. Our results demonstrate that the SSLP and USLP approaches substantially outperform state-of-the-art link prediction methods.
Comparison of Knowledge Graph Representations for Consumer Scenarios
Authors: Iglesias-Molina Ana , Ahrabian Kian , Ilievski Filip , Pujara Jay , Corcho Oscar
Published: November 2023

Knowledge graphs have been widely adopted across organizations and research domains, fueling applications that span interactive browsing to large-scale analysis and data science. One design decision in knowledge graph deployment is choosing a representation that optimally supports the application’s consumers. Currently, however, there is no consensus on which representations best support each consumer scenario. In this work, we analyze the fitness of popular knowledge graph representations for three consumer scenarios: knowledge exploration, systematic querying, and graph completion. We compare the accessibility for knowledge exploration through a user study with dedicated browsing interfaces and query endpoints. We assess systematic querying with SPARQL in terms of time and query complexity on both synthetic and real-world datasets. We measure the impact of various representations on the popular graph completion task by training graph embedding models per representation. We experiment with four representations: Standard Reification, N-Ary Relationships, Wikidata qualifiers, and RDF-star. We find that Qualifiers and RDF-star are better suited to support use cases of knowledge exploration and systematic querying, while Standard Reification models perform most consistently for embedding model inference tasks but may become cumbersome for users. With this study, we aim to provide novel insights into the relevance of the representation choice and its impact on common knowledge graph consumption scenarios.
SemOpenAlex: The Scientific Landscape in 26 Billion RDF Triples
Authors: Färber Michael , Lamprecht David , Krause Johan , Aung Linn , Haase Peter
Published: November 2023

We presentSemOpenAlex, an extensive RDF knowledge graph that contains over 26 billion triples about scientific publications and their associated entities, such as authors, institutions, journals, and concepts. SemOpenAlex is licensed under CC0, providing free and open access to the data. We offer the data through multiple channels, including RDF dump files, a SPARQL endpoint, and as a data source in the Linked Open Data cloud, complete with resolvable URIs and links to other data sources. Moreover, we provide embeddings for knowledge graph entities using high-performance computing. SemOpenAlex enables a broad range of use-case scenarios, such as exploratory semantic search via our website, large-scale scientific impact quantification, and other forms of scholarly big data analytics within and across scientific disciplines. Additionally, it enables academic recommender systems, such as recommending collaborators, publications, and venues, including explainability capabilities. Finally, SemOpenAlex can serve for RDF query optimization benchmarks, creating scholarly knowledge-guided language models, and as a hub for semantic scientific publishing.Data and Services:

https://semopenalex.org

https://w3id.org/SemOpenAlex

Code:

https://github.com/metaphacts/semopenalex/

Data License:

Creative Commons Zero (CC0)

Code License:

MIT License
Electrocardiographic Characteristics in 438 Neonates with Atrial Septal Defects
Authors: Dehn Anna Maria , Pærregaard Maria Munk , Sellmer Anna , Dannesbo Sofie , Blixenkrone-Møller Elisabeth , Sillesen Anne-Sophie , Raja Anna Axelsson , Iversen Kasper Karmark , Bundgaard Henning , Christensen Alex Hørby , Hjortdal Vibeke
Published: November 2023

Arrhythmias and electrocardiographic (ECG) abnormalities are common among patients with atrial septal defects (ASDs). We studied a large cohort of neonates with ASDs to investigate whether ECG abnormalities are present at this early stage or develop later, secondary to hemodynamic changes. We analyzed the echocardiograms and ECGs from the Copenhagen Baby Heart Study, a population-based cohort study. We compared ECG characteristics of 438 neonates with secundum ASDs to 1314 matched controls. In subgroup analyses, we investigated whether electrocardiographic characteristics were associated with age at examination. Neonates with ASDs (median age, 11 days; males, 51%) had longer P-wave durations (58 vs. 56 ms, p < 0.001), PR intervals (100 vs. 96 ms, p < 0.001), and a more rightward-shifted QRS axis (116 vs. 114 degrees, p = 0.032) compared to controls (median age, 10 days; males, 51%). There were no differences between cases and controls in the P-wave area, amplitude, or axis. Subgroup analyses showed that the differences in P-wave duration and PR interval were present in neonates examined in the first week after birth. The difference in the QRS axis was not found in neonates examined this early but was found in neonates examined at age two to four weeks. In conclusion, ASDs are associated with ECG changes from the neonatal phase. The P-wave duration and PR interval are longer in neonates with ASDs when compared to controls as early as the first week after birth, indicating that these changes are not purely secondary, but that neonates with an ASD have altered cardiac electrical activity.

ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier NCT02753348 (April 27, 2016)
Gram negative periprosthetic hip infection: nearly 25% same pathogen infection persistence at a mean of 2 years
Authors: Karczewski Daniel , Scholz Johann , Hipfl Christian , Akgün Doruk , Gonzalez Marcos R. , Hardt Sebastian
Published: November 2023

Purpose

While gram negative (GN) periprosthetic joint infections (PJI) have previously been described as difficult to treat pathogens with high rates of reinfection, limited investigations have addressed midterm outcomes and risk of infection persistence by the same pathogen. This study analyzed (1) baseline demographics, treatment strategy, and midterm outcomes of GN PJIs, as well as (2) differences in reinfection and relapse rates compared to gram positive (GP) PJIs.

Methods

We identified 29 patients that were revised for 30 GN PJIs of total hip arthroplasties (THAs) between 2010 and 2020 using a university-based hip registry. Mean age was 77 years, 63% were females (19), and mean BMI was 27 kg/m2. Major causative pathogens included Escherichia coli (12), Klebsiella pneumoniae (5), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (5), and Enterobacter cloacae complex (5). Mean follow-up was 3.5 years. Study outcomes included (1) Kaplan–Meier survivorship analyses of all 30 GN PJIs, and (2) comparison of 18 two-stage exchanges for GN PJIs and 104 two-stage exchanges for GP PJIs, performed during the time from 2013 to 2017.

Results

(1) The 5-year survivorship free of recurrent PJI was 69%, and there were 7 recurrent PJIs at a mean of 2 years. There were 2 further suprafascial wound infections, resulting in a 61% survivorship free of any infection at 5-years. At a mean of 2 years, there were 7 patients with reinfection by the same GN pathogen (6 PJIs, one wound infection) as at index revision (23%). (2) Following two-stage exchange, the 5-year survivorship free of recurrent PJI (GN: 74%; GP: 91%; p = 0.072), any infection (GN: 61%; GP: 91%; p = 0.001), and reinfection by the same pathogen was significantly lower among GN PJIs (GN: 73%; GP: 98%; p < 0.001).

Conclusions

Patients revised for GN PJIs are at increased risk of reinfection as opposed to GP infections. Affected patients must be counseled on the exceptionally high risk of infection persistence with one in four developing relapses.

Level of evidence

Therapeutic Level III.