bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Automating Racism: Is Use of the Vaginal Birth After Cesarean Calculator Associated with Inequity in Perinatal Service Delivery?
Authors: Rubashkin Nicholas , Asiodu Ifeyinwa V. , Vedam Saraswathi , Sufrin Carolyn , Kuppermann Miriam , Adams Vincanne
Published: December 2024

Objective

The clinical application of race-adjusted algorithms may perpetuate health inequities. We assessed the impact of the vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC) calculator, which was revised in 2021 to address concerns about equity. The original algorithm factored race and ethnicity and gave lower VBAC probabilities to Black and Hispanic patients.

Methods

From 2019 to 2020, we conducted a multi-site, ethnographic study consisting of interviews and audio recordings of 14 prenatal visits. We used grounded theory to describe the social processes of racialization.

Findings.

Across 4 sites, 12 obstetricians, 5 midwives, and 31 pregnant/postpartum patients participated. Seventy-four percent (N = 23) of the pregnant/postpartum individuals identified as racially minoritized, and the remaining 24% (N = 8) identified as White. We identified four processes that facilitated the “automation” of racism: adhering to strict cutoffs; the routine adoption of calculators; obfuscating the calculator; and the reflexive categorization of race and ethnicity. When clinicians adhered to strict cutoffs, they steered low-scoring Black and Hispanic patients toward repeat cesareans. If clinicians obfuscated the calculator, Black and Hispanic patients had to work to decode the role of race and ethnicity in their probabilities in order to pursue a VBAC. By reflexively categorizing race and ethnicity, the use of the calculator forced patients to choose a singular identity, even if it obscured the truth about their multi-faceted race or ethnicity.

Conclusion

The VBAC calculator’s inclusion of race and ethnicity helped to automate racism by coding race into institutional practices and care interactions. This resulted in some clinicians discouraging or prohibiting Black and Hispanic patients from attempting a VBAC.

Significance

To date, no empiric study has examined whether the VBAC calculator produced inequities in access to VBAC services and reproduced racism in care. The VBAC calculator resulted in fewer VBAC attempts among racially minoritized patients, denying them the opportunity to undergo labor and a vaginal birthing experience.
Phase-space distribution and relaxation of fundamental plasma structures at kinetic scales
Authors: Yoon Young Dae
Published: December 2024

Although equilibrium solutions of fundamental plasma structures such as current sheets and flux ropes have been extensively studied, they form in general from initially non-equilibrium states. Here, we summarize how non-equilibrium structures relax to an equilibrium in a collisionless manner at kinetic scales. Particle orbits in the underlying electromagnetic fields can be classified into distinct classes, which in turn leave corresponding footprints in phase-space. A linear Vlasov analysis shows that the structures respond in such a way that particle orbit class transitions are induced that pinch and heat the current sheet. These transitions are directly confirmed by tracking real-time particle trajectories in kinetic simulations of pinching non-equilibrium structures. The resultant kinetic equilibria are much more likely to be the underlying structures in various plasma phenomena, instead of idealized, Maxwellian equilibria such as the Harris sheet. Further implications are discussed.
Algorithmic Rule By Law
Authors: Smuha Nathalie A.
Published: December 2024

With the promise of greater efficiency and effectiveness, public authorities have increasingly turned to algorithmic systems to regulate and govern society. In Algorithmic Rule By Law, Nathalie Smuha examines this reliance on algorithmic regulation and shows how it can erode the rule of law. Drawing on extensive research and examples, Smuha argues that outsourcing important administrative decisions to algorithmic systems undermines core principles of democracy. Smuha further demonstrates that this risk is far from hypothetical or one that can be confined to authoritarian regimes, as many of her examples are drawn from public authorities in liberal democracies that are already making use of algorithmic regulation. Focusing on the European Union, Smuha argues that the EU's digital agenda is misaligned with its aim to protect the rule of law. Novel and timely, this book should be read by anyone interested in the intersection of law, technology and government.
InSAR Observations of Construction‐Induced Coastal Subsidence on Miami's Barrier Islands, Florida
Authors: Aziz Zanjani Farzaneh , Amelung Falk , Piter Andreas , Sobhan Khaled , Tavakkoliestahbanati Amin , Eberli Gregor P. , Haghighi Mahmud Haghshenas , Motagh Mahdi , Milillo Pietro , Mirzaee Sara , Nanni Antonio , Andiroglu Esber
Published: December 2024

This study utilizes Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) to examine subsidence along the coastal strip of the Miami barrier islands from 2016 to 2023. Using Sentinel‐1 data, we document vertical displacements ranging from 2 to 8 cm, affecting a total of 35 coastal buildings and their vicinity. About half of the subsiding structures are younger than 2014 and at the majority of them subsidence decays with time. This correlation suggests that the subsidence is related to construction activities. In northern and central Sunny Isles Beach, where 23% of coastal structures were built during the last decade, nearly 70% are experiencing subsidence. The majority of the older subsiding structures show sudden onset or sudden acceleration of subsidence, suggesting that this is due to construction activities in their vicinity; we have identified subsidence at distance of 200 m, possibly up to 320 m, from construction sites. We attribute the observed subsidence to load‐induced, prolonged creep deformation of the sandy layers within the limestone, which is accelerated, if not instigated, by construction activities. Distant subsidence from a construction site could indicate extended sandy deposits. Anthropogenic and natural groundwater movements could also be driving the creep deformation. This study demonstrates that high‐rise construction on karstic barrier islands can induce creep deformation in sandy layer within the limestone succession persisting for a decade or longer. It showcases the potential of InSAR technology for monitoring both building settlement and structural stability.
System‐Wide Greenhouse Gas Emissions From Mountain Reservoirs Draining Permafrost Catchments on the Qinghai‐Tibet Plateau
Authors: Zhang Liwei , Stanley Emily H. , Rocher‐Ros Gerard , Dean Joshua F. , Li Dongfeng , Wang Qingrui , Zhang Ling , Shi Wenqing , Xie Tian , Xia Xinghui
Published: December 2024

Reservoirs influence the global climate by exchanging greenhouse gases (GHGs) of carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), and nitrous oxide (N2O) with the atmosphere. Few studies, however, quantify emissions of all three GHGs from reservoirs, particularly in permafrost‐affected mountain regions where ecosystems are highly vulnerable to climate change. This study presents three‐year direct measurements of CO2, CH4, and N2O concentrations and fluxes upstream, within, and downstream from two reservoirs draining permafrost catchments on the Qinghai‐Tibet Plateau, including periods of reservoir drawdown. Comparing GHG fluxes across space and time exhibits a general pattern of lower fluxes at the two reservoirs relative to up‐ and downstream channels. Ebullitive fluxes contributed to 36.7% and 9.4% of total CH4 and N2O fluxes, respectively. CO2 has no response to drawdown, but CH4 and N2O display synchronous drawdown‐associated increase within the reservoir, constituting 57.5% and 32.8% of the annual reservoir emissions in just 2 months, respectively. Riverine emissions from up‐ and downstream channels accounted for an outsized fraction (55.5% for CH4, 17.3% for CO2 and 16.5% for N2O) of the system‐wide GHG budget. Compared with global reservoirs, the two reservoirs have high CO2 and N2O but low CH4 fluxes in CO2 equivalents. Upscaling shows that the two reservoirs emit the same magnitude of carbon as thermokarst lakes, and four times higher N2O than Finnish lakes on an areal basis. This article shows that alpine reservoirs draining permafrost catchments are unrecognized atmospheric sources in current reservoir GHG inventories, but also emphasizes the importance of system‐wide emissions when assessing total GHG evasion from reservoir systems.
Removing Climatic Overprints in Sedimentary Cosmogenic Beryllium Records: Potentials and Limits
Authors: Savranskaia Tatiana , Egli Ramon , Simon Quentin , Valet Jean‐Pierre , Bassinot Franck , Thouveny Nicolas
Published: December 2024

Continuous reconstructions of past variations of the Earth's magnetic field are based mainly on paleomagnetic and cosmogenic 10Be records in marine sediments. In both cases, the recording mechanisms can be affected by environmental processes. Climatic overprints are only partially removed by normalization procedures, so that stacking is used to further remove site‐specific effects. Regionally or globally correlated artifacts, however, cannot be removed by stacking. Here we present a modified approach where geomagnetic records are complemented by environmental proxies representing processes that might affect the field recording mechanism. Geomagnetic and environmental records are jointly processed with principal component analysis to obtain a set of components supposed to represent true variations of the geomagnetic field and climatic overprints, respectively. After discussing the theoretical background of this new approach and its underlying assumptions, a practical example is presented, using a worst‐case scenario based on a single 10Be record from the North Atlantic with strong climatic overprints, covering the last 600 ka. The first two principal components, which represent the modulation of 10Be by global climatic variations and by the geomagnetic field, respectively, explain 66.3% of the signal variance. Comparison of the geomagnetic principal component with global relative paleointensity stacks shows that the original climatic overprint can be reduced by a factor of 2, outperforming a 10Be/9Be stack obtained from two sites with little glacial‐interglacial variability. The proposed method for removing climatic overprints can be applied to multiple sites more efficiently than conventional stacking.
A Spectral Directors Method for Modeling the Coupled Evolution of Flow and CPO in Polycrystalline Olivine
Authors: Rathmann Nicholas M. , Mosegaard Klaus , Bekkevold Ivanka M. O. , Lilien David A. , Prior David J.
Published: December 2024

The crystallographic preferred orientation (CPO) of polycrystalline olivine affects both the viscous and seismic anisotropy of Earth's upper mantle with wide geodynamical implications. In this methods paper, we present a continuous field formulation of the popular directors method for modeling the strain‐induced evolution of olivine CPOs, assuming the activation of a single preferred crystal slip system. The formulation reduces the problem of CPO evolution to a linear matrix problem that can easily be integrated alongside large‐scale geodynamical flow models, and conveniently minimizes the degrees of freedom necessary to represent CPO fields. We validate the CPO model against existing deformation experiments and naturally deformed samples, as well as the popular discrete grain model D‐Rex. A numerical model of viscoplastic thermal convection is built to illustrate how flow and CPO evolution may be two‐way coupled, suggesting that CPO‐induced viscous anisotropy does not necessarily strongly affect convection time scales, boundary (lid) stresses, and seismic anisotropy, compared to isotropic viscoplastic rheologies. As a consequence, geodynamical modeling that relies on an isotropic rheology (one‐way coupling) might suffice for predicting seismic anisotropy under some circumstances. Finally, we discuss limitations and shortcomings of our method, such as representing D‐ and E‐type fabrics or modeling flows with mixed fabric types, and potential improvements such as accounting for the effect of dynamic recrystallization.
Acceleration of Warming, Deoxygenation, and Acidification in the Arabian Gulf Driven by Weakening of Summer Winds
Authors: Lachkar Z. , Mehari M. , Paparella F. , Burt J. A.
Published: December 2024

The Arabian Gulf (AG) exports hypersaline, dense waters into the Sea of Oman (SOO), replaced by fresher inflowing surface waters from the Indian Ocean. We investigate the impact of recent AG warming on its exchange with the SOO and the implications this has on the AG biogeochemistry. Using an eddy‐resolving hindcast model simulation, we analyze the hydrography and biogeochemistry of the AG and the SOO from 1980 to 2018. Our study reveals that changes in summer surface winds have accelerated AG warming and weakened it in the SOO, reducing the density gradient and water exchange between the two seas during late summer. This has led to nutrient buildup, increased productivity, and heightened deoxygenation and acidification in the AG. These findings underscore how subtle wind changes can exacerbate the vulnerability of marginal seas to climate change and stress the need to properly represent regional winds in global climate models.
Changes in the Frequency of Observed Temperature Extremes Largely Driven by a Distribution Shift
Authors: Patel Ronak N. , Bonan David B. , Schneider Tapio
Published: December 2024

Extreme heat poses significant threats to human life and ecosystems. Quantifying the effects of anthropogenic climate change on extreme heat has remained challenging, in part due to the short observational record. Here, we isolate the most slowly varying component of the frequency at which the historical 90th and 99th percentiles were exceeded in observational records from 1955 to 2021 by using a statistical method called low‐frequency component analysis. The emerging spatiotemporal signal in the changing frequency of temperature extremes can be attributed to a shift of the temperature distribution by local warming of the annual‐mean daily maximum temperature. The shift explains over 80% of the interannual variability in the frequency at which the historical 90th percentile is exceeded in the tropics and up to 50% in higher latitudes. This work connects variability in the frequency of extreme surface temperatures to variability in mean local warming.
Comparisons of Energetic Electron Observations Between FIREBIRD‐II CubeSats and POES/MetOp Satellites From 2018 to 2020
Authors: Householder I. M. , Duderstadt K. A. , Pettit J. M. , Johnson A. T. , Huang C.‐L. , Crew A. B. , Klumpar D. M. , Raeder T. , Sample J. G. , Shumko M. , Smith S. S. , Spence H. E.
Published: December 2024

Precipitation into the atmosphere is one of the main processes by which high energy electrons trapped in Earth's inner magnetosphere are lost from the system. Precipitating electrons can affect the chemical composition of the atmosphere and provide insight into the complex dynamics of the Van Allen radiation belts. This study compares energetic electron precipitation measurements at low‐Earth‐orbit by the Focused Investigations of Relativistic Electron Burst Intensity, Range, and Dynamics (FIREBIRD‐II) CubeSats with NOAA Polar‐orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite (POES) and ESA Meteorological Operational satellite (MetOp) satellites, which are equipped with the Medium‐Energy Proton Electron Detector (MEPED). The analysis considers 51 high quality conjunction events at >300 keV during times of low to moderate geomagnetic activity. The spacecraft capture similar electron flux variability, and FIREBIRD‐II observations fall between POES/MetOp and telescopes, likely a result of FIREBIRD‐II sampling both precipitating and mirrored electrons due to uncertainties in pointing direction. Results demonstrate the value of high‐resolution differential energy observations of electron precipitation by low‐cost CubeSats such as FIREBIRD‐II, especially during periods of low flux.
Magnetic Fabric as a Marker of Thermal Maturity in Sedimentary Basins: A New Approach for Reconstructing the Tectono‐Thermal Evolution of Fold‐and‐Thrust‐Belts
Authors: Caricchi C. , Aldega L. , Sagnotti L. , Cifelli F. , Corrado S. , Mattei M.
Published: December 2024

Organic and inorganic paleothermal indicators (vitrinite reflectance‐ Ro%; illite content in mixed‐layer illite‐smectite‐ I% in I‐S) are routinely used to unravel the burial and tectonic evolution of fold‐and‐thrust belts by determining levels of thermal maturity of sedimentary successions and the amount of tectonic overburden currently eroded. However, the reliability of these reconstructions depends on the availability and quality of thermal indicators. We introduce the use of the anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS) as an additional proxy for thermal maturity estimations in weakly deformed sedimentary successions. Using original and formerly published data from the Northern Apennines, we calibrate a quantitative relationship between the degree of AMS Foliation (ranging from 1.011 to 1.087) and the respective I% in I‐S and Ro% values. For the computed I% values from the I‐S versus F correlation, we recognize that F values ranging from 1 to 1.050 define the early diagenetic zone (I% in I‐S < 60), F values between 1.050 and 1.108 mark the late diagenetic zone (60 < I% in I‐S < 95), while F values > 1.108 indicate anchizone conditions (I% in I‐S > 95). The computed Ro% versus F correlation provides boundaries for the immature and mature stage of hydrocarbon (HC) generation (0.2 < Ro% < 0.8) with F = 1.055 indicating the transition from diagenesis (immature stage of HC generation) to catagenesis (mature stage of HC generation). The proposed model might serve as a tool for reconstructing the burial and thermal evolution of sedimentary units devoid of organic matter or in siliciclastic sediments consisting of a mixture of detrital and diagenetic minerals.
Synergizing Intuitive Physics and Big Data in Deep Learning: Can We Obtain Process Insights While Maintaining State‐Of‐The‐Art Hydrological Prediction Capability?
Authors: He Leilei , Shi Liangsheng , Song Wenxiang , Shen Jiawen , Wang Lijun , Hu Xiaolong , Zha Yuanyuan
Published: December 2024

Artificial intelligence (AI) methods have created insurmountable performance in prediction tasks for geoscientific problems yet are unable to derive process insights and answer specific scientific questions. The geoscience community faces a dilemma of reconciling process comprehension with high predictive accuracy. Here we introduce a deep process learning (DPL) approach empowering neural networks to deduce intrinsic processes from observable data, wherein the intuitive physics of geosystems is directly coupled within the deep learning (DL) architecture as structural prior. We aim to incorporate as raw common concepts as possible as macroscopic guidance: on the one hand, to reduce interference with DL's data adaptability. On the other hand, to allow the information flow of the model to converge along specific paths toward the target output, thus enabling the potential to gain process insights with limited supervision. Illustrating its application to precipitation‐runoff modeling across the USA, DPL yields an ensemble median Nash‐Sutcliffe efficiency of 0.758 and Kling‐Gupta efficiency of 0.778 with robust transferability, compared to 0.762 and 0.751 for the state‐of‐the‐art DL model. The good match between internal representations of DPL and independent data sets of snow water equivalent and evapotranspiration, along with its superior capability for catchment water budget closures, demonstrates proficient process mastery. The study also highlights beneficial synergies from large‐scale data collaboration, promoting the organic unity of process understanding and predictive performance. This work shows a promising avenue for learning processes from big data and will benefit geoscientific domains that remain concerned with process clarity in the era of AI.
Study on the piezoresistivity of Cr-doped V2O3 thin film for MEMS sensor applications
Authors: Gidts Michiel , Hsu Wei-Fan , Recaman Payo Maria , Kushwaha Shaswat , Ceyssens Frederik , Reynaerts Dominiek , Locquet Jean-Pierre , Kraft Michael , Wang Chen
Published: December 2024

Cr-doped V2O3 thin film shows a huge resistivity change with controlled epitaxial strain at room temperature as a result of a gradual Mott metal-insulator phase transition with strain. This novel piezoresistive transduction principle makes Cr-doped V2O3 thin film an appealing piezoresistive material. To investigate the piezoresistivity of Cr-doped V2O3 thin film for implementation in MEMS sensor applications, the resistance change of differently orientated Cr-doped V2O3 thin film piezoresistors with external strain change was measured. With a longitudinal gauge factor of 222 and a transversal gauge factor of 217 at room temperature, isotropic piezoresistivity coefficients were discovered. This results in a significant orientation-independent resistance change with stress for Cr-doped V2O3 thin film piezoresistors, potentially useful for new sensor applications. To demonstrate the integration of this new piezoresistive material in sensor applications, a micromachined pressure sensor with Cr-doped V2O3 thin film piezoresistors was designed, fabricated and characterized. At 20 °C, a sensitivity, offset, temperature coefficient of sensitivity and temperature coefficient of offset of 21.81 mV/V/bar, -25.73 mV/V, -0.076 mV/V/bar/°C and 0.182 mV/V/°C, respectively, were measured. This work paves the way for further research on this promising piezoresistive transduction principle for use in MEMS sensor applications.
Fabrication and in vivo testing of a sub-mm duckbill valve for hydrocephalus treatment
Authors: Jung Yuna , Gulick Daniel , Blain Christen Jennifer
Published: December 2024

Hydrocephalus is characterized by the accumulation of excess cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in the cranium due to an imbalance between production and absorption of CSF. The standard treatment involves the implantation of a shunt to divert excess CSF into the peritoneal cavity, but these shunts exhibit high failure rates over time. In pursuit of improved reliability and performance, this study proposes a miniaturized valve designed to mimic the natural one-way valve function of the arachnoid granulations and thereby replace the shunts. A benchtop testing setup was employed to characterize the behavior of the fabricated valve. Additionally, an animal study was conducted to assess the valve’s in vivo performance. This involved the injection of saline into the lateral ventricle to elevate intracranial pressure (ICP), followed by the drainage of the saline through the valve inserted into the cisterna magna (CM) to reduce pressure. Our prototype features a silicone duckbill valve design combined with a silicone tube as an inlet. Through benchtop testing, the valve exhibited unidirectional flow with negligible reverse leakage, revealing that critical parameters such as the width of the fluid channel (W) and bill length (L) could be controlled to optimize valve performance. Notably, the valve configuration with W= 0.8mm and L < 0.5mm achieved the lowest cracking pressure (2.22 ± 0.07 mmHg) and outflow resistance (22.00 ± 0.70 mmHg/mL/min) within the low cracking pressure range of conventional shunts. Our observations of the in vivo test demonstrated that when untreated states, pressure differences from baseline to peak exceeded 20 mmHg due to the absence of drainage, resulting in sustained pressure elevation. Conversely, upon treating states by removing the clamp, pressure differences from baseline to peak remained below 5 mmHg, indicating effective drainage of injected saline through the valve. These promising results highlight the potential of the miniaturized duckbill valve as an alternative for ICP management in hydrocephalus, offering improved control and reliability compared to conventional shunting systems. Further research is required to evaluate the valve’s performance as a chronic implant.
Root-inspired, template-confined additive printing for fabricating high-robust conformal electronics
Authors: Liu Guifang , Li Xiangming , Qiu Yangfan , Zeng Chuanhang , Zhu Xinkai , Wang Chao , Chen Xiaoliang , Wang Chunhui , Tian Hongmiao , Shao Jinyou
Published: December 2024

Conformal electronic devices on freeform surface play a critical role in the emerging smart robotics, smart skins, and integrated sensing systems. However, their functional structures such as circuits tend to tear-off, break, or crack under mechanical or thermal influence when in service, thus limiting the application reliability of conformal electronics. Herein, inspired by the tree root system, template-confined additive (TCA) printing technology was presented for reliable fabrication of robust circuits. TCA printing technology involves the penetration of adhesive into the functional material, thereby enhancing the mechanical robustness of the circuits, allowing them to maintain their electrical performance despite the presence of external damaging factors such as scratching, abrasion, folding, and high temperatures. For example, herein, the circuits could withstand mechanical abrasion at temperatures as high as 350 °C without compromising electrical properties. Benefiting from the confines of template, the printed circuits achieved resolutions of up to 300 nm, suitable for various materials such as P(VDF-TrFE), MWCNTs, and AgNPs, which enabled the multi-material self-aligned fabrication. Furthermore, the versatility of TCA printing was presented by fabricating circuits on arbitrary substrates, and realizing various devices, such as conformal temperature/humidity sensing system and epidermal ultra-thin energy storage system. These applications present the significant potential of TCA printing in fabricating intelligent devices.
Lack of dominant-negative activity for tumor-related ZNRF3 missense mutations at endogenous levels
Authors: Li Shanshan , Niu Jiahui , Zhang Ruyi , Massaar Sanne , Neves Cabrita Madalena , van Merode Jenna , de Schipper Nicky , van de Kamp Lisa , Peppelenbosch Maikel P. , Smits Ron
Published: December 2024

ZNRF3, a negative regulator of β-catenin signaling, removes Wnt receptors from the membrane. Currently, it is unknown which tumor-associated variants can be considered driver mutations and through which mechanisms they contribute to cancer. Here we show that all truncating mutations analyzed at endogenous levels exhibit loss-of-function, with longer variants retaining partial activity. Regarding missense mutations, we show that 27/82 ZNRF3 variants in the RING and R-Spondin domain structures, lead to (partial) loss-of-function/hyperactivation. Mechanistically, defective R-Spondin domain variants appear to undergo endoplasmic-reticulum-associated degradation due to protein misfolding, leading to reduced protein levels. They fail to reach the membrane correctly, which can be partially restored for several variants by culturing cells at 27 °C. Although RING and R-Spondin domain mutations in RNF43/ZNRF3 are often considered to possess dominant-negative oncogene-like activity in cancers, our findings challenge this notion. When representative variants are heterozygously introduced into endogenous ZNRF3, their impact on β-catenin signaling mirrors that of heterozygous knockout, suggesting that the supposed dominant-negative effect is non-existent. In other words, so-called “hyperactivating” ZNRF3/RNF43 mutations behave as classical loss-of-function mutations at endogenous levels.
Use of Estonian Biobank data and participant recall to improve Wilson’s disease management
Authors: Nurm Miriam , Reigo Anu , Annilo Tarmo , Toomsoo Toomas , Nõukas Margit , Nikopensius Tiit , Pankratov Vasili , Reisberg Tuuli , Hudjashov Georgi ,   Estonian Biobank Research Team, Metspalu Andres , Milani Lili , Esko Tõnu , Mägi Reedik , Nelis Mari , Haller Toomas , Tõnisson Neeme
Published: December 2024

Population-based biobanks enable genomic screening to support initiatives that prevent disease onset or slow its progression and to estimate the prevalence of genetic diseases in the population. Wilson’s disease (WD) is a rare genetic copper-accumulation disorder for which timely intervention is crucial, as treatment is readily available. We studied WD in the Estonian Biobank population to advance patient screening, swift diagnosis, and subsequent treatment. Combined analysis of genotype and phenotype data from electronic health records (EHRs) consolidated at the Estonian biobank led to the identification of 17 individuals at high risk of developing WD, who were recalled for further examination and deep phenotyping. All recall study participants, regardless of phenotype, age, and prior WD diagnosis, had low serum ceruloplasmin and copper levels, and 87% also exhibited signs of early to late neurodegeneration. The p.His1069Gln variant in ATP7B, a prevalent pathogenic mutation, showed a striking four- to five-fold enrichment in Estonians compared with other populations. Based on our analysis of genetic and nationwide health registry data, we estimate that WD remains underdiagnosed and undertreated in Estonia. Our study demonstrates that personalized medicine, implemented with the collaboration of medical professionals, has the potential to reduce the healthcare burden by facilitating the accurate diagnosis of rare genetic diseases. To our knowledge, this report is the first to describe a large-scale national biobank–based study of WD.
1-Ethyl-3-methylimidazolium dinitramide (EMImDN): a comprehensive study of synthesis, characterization, thermal behavior and hypergolicity
Authors: Basheer Bismi , Thomas Deepthi , G. Santhosh , Suresh Cherumuttathu H. , K. P. Vijayalakshmi , George Benny K.
Published: December 2024

1-Ethyl-3-methylimidazolium dinitramide (EMImDN), an energetic ionic liquid, was synthesized and characterized by IR, 1H NMR, 13C NMR, 15N NMR, and 17O NMR techniques.
Tf2O-induced selective 1,3-transposition/cyclization of ynones in DMF
Authors: Lan Hui-Lin , Liu Wenting , Liu Wen , Peng Jiajian , Bai Ying , Shao Xinxin
Published: December 2024

A chemo- and regioselective system for activating CO and SO bonds under transition metal-free conditions is described.
Stereocontrolled desymmetrization of 2,5-cyclohexadienones via organocatalytic domino sulfa-1,6-/1,4-addition or sulfa-1,6-/1,4-/sulfa-1,4-addition reactions
Authors: Sodhi Vanisha , Sharma Deepak , Sharma Manisha , Chauhan Pankaj
Published: December 2024

A squaramide-catalyzed regio-/enantioselective sulfa-1,6-addition initiated highly enantio- and diastereoselective desymmetrization of 2,5-cyclohexadienone-tethered 3-cyano-4-styrylcoumarins has been disclosed.
Cyclizative dearomative rearrangement of pyridines with isocyanates
Authors: Li Xing-Zi , Li Fang-Zhou , Wang Zi-Qi , Wu Hua
Published: December 2024

The first example of dearomative cyclizative rearrangement of pyridines with isocyanates was disclosed. It proceeded via a formal 1,3-dipolar cyclization followed by ester, trifluoromethyl or aryl 1,2-transfers, affording diverse bicyclohydantoins.
Exosomes of different cellular origins: prospects and challenges in the treatment of acute lung injury after burns
Authors: Zhang Shuo , Zhao Xinyu , Lv Yang , Niu Jianguo , Wei Xiaolong , Luo Zhiwen , Wang Xianwen , Chen Xu-Lin
Published: December 2024

The unique properties of exosomes and their applications in ALI, particularly in the delivery of diverse drug molecules, are summarized. Additionally, the current challenges of the use of exosomes in the treatment of ALI are proposed.
YOLOv7‐PSAFP: Crop pest and disease detection based on improved YOLOv7
Authors: Du Lujia , Zhu Junlong , Liu Muhua , Wang Lin
Published: December 2024

The detection of pests and diseases in crops is currently a hot topic. The complexity of pest and disease object in the field, combined with inconsistent features across different levels, poses challenges for network detection. Additionally, the complex agricultural production environment tends to generate many interfering negative samples, which significantly complicates pest and disease differentiation. To address these two issues, the YOLOv7‐PSAFP network structure was first proposed. Based on YOLOV7, the progressive Spatial Adaptive Feature Pyramid (PSAFP) was introduced. Second, a combination of the Varifocal Loss and Loss Rank Mining loss functions was used for calculating the object loss, which reduces the interference of useless negative examples during training. On the filtered‐plant‐village‐dataset and rice‐corn pest dataset, the mAP results of YOLOv7‐PSAFP were 84.7 and 93.3, which are 2.9 and 2.1 higher than the baseline model (YOLOv7), respectively. The code for this paper is located at https://github.com/DuLJ72/PSAFP.
Uranus’ hydrogen upper atmosphere: Insights from pre- and post-equinox HST Lyman-α images
Authors: Joshi Sushen , Roth Lorenz , Gladstone Randy , Ivchenko Nickolay , Pryor Wayne , Lamy Laurent
Published: December 2024

We present the first spatially resolved images of Lyman-α (Lyα) emissions from Uranus taken by the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). The observations were carried out using HST’s Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph instrument as part of two far-ultraviolet (FUV) observing campaigns in 1998 and 2011, before and after Uranus’ equinox in 2007. The average intensities (± uncertainties) on Uranus’ disk were 860 ± 6 and 725 ± 9 R, respectively. The images reveal widely extended emissions, detectable up to ~4 Uranus radii (RU). We performed simulations of the Lyα radiative transfer in the atmosphere, considering resonant scattering by H, Rayleigh scattering by H2, and absorption by CH4. We considered only solar Lyα fluxes at Uranus as the Lyα source for simulations. The effects of hydrogen in the interplanetary medium and Earth’s exosphere on Uranus’ Lyα emissions were taken into account. We find a good agreement between on-disk brightnesses from simulations and the HST observations assuming the (H, H2, and CH4) atmosphere profile derived from Voyager 2 measurements. Only slight adjustments of the H or H2 densities were required in some of the simulation cases, in particular, for the 1998 observations. To match the off-disk HST brightnesses in both years, a substantial exosphere of gravitationally bound hot H is required, which we modelled assuming the hot H number density has a Chapman profile. We find that compared to 1998, the hot H abundance required for 2011 is lower and the inferred hot H profiles seem to be more extended. This bound hot H is likely to be a persistent part of Uranus’ upper atmosphere and is distinct from the escaping hot H population derived from Voyager 2 observations. We discuss the possible production mechanisms involving solar EUV radiation and study the sensitivity of the modelled brightness to the parameters of the hot H profile. We find that solar EUV radiation is not a sufficient source to explain the hot H in the exosphere of Uranus.
Excess current in variable-thickness superconducting microbridges
Authors: Gubankov V. N. , Koshelets V. P. , Ovsyannikov G. A.
Published: December 2024

Results are presented for an experimental study of the temperature dependence of the excess current Iexc(T) in superconducting thin-film microbridges of variable width over a broad range of temperatures and electric field strengths. It is shown that the behavior of Iexc(T) depends greatly on the voltage at which the excess current is measured.
Changes in the properties of superconducting vanadium films with decreasing thickness
Authors: Teplov A. A. , Mikheeva M. N.
Published: December 2024

Measurements have been made of the superconducting-transition temperature, the critical perpendicular magnetic field, and the electrical resistance at room temperature and low temperatures for vanadium films of thickness ≲ 100 Å. The observed changes in the properties of the films with decreasing thickness cannot be brought into conformity with each other on the assumption only that the electronic density of states decreases. The results can be explained if one assumes that in the vanadium films investigated surface layers of thickness 10−20 Å have the properties of a nonsuperconducting metal with a high electrical resistance.
Effect of coarse-scale surface roughness on transverse electron focusing
Authors: Korzh S. A.
Published: December 2024

It is demonstrated that transverse focusing of electrons in a metal by a magnetic field parallel to the surface is possible in the case where the dimensions of roughness significantly exceed the interatomic distances. The effective electrons then do not belong to the extremal diameters of the Fermi surface. Study of this effect can provide information on intervalley transitions occurring in collisions of electrons with the surface, as well as information on the relative location of different valleys in the inverse lattice cell.
Electron–phonon interaction spectrum in magnesium
Authors: Naidyuk Yu. G. , Yanson I. K. , Shklyarevskii O. I.
Published: December 2024

Microcontact spectroscopy is used to study the electron–phonon interaction spectra in magnesium. Microcontact spectra exhibit four singularities at 16.9 ± 1, 22 ± 0.5, 24 ± 0.5, and 28.1 ± 0.2 MeV, which correspond to the maxima in the density of phonon states. Microcontact spectra are shown to be useful for providing more precise information on the phonon spectrum of magnesium. The electron–phonon interaction parameter λ is calculated in the free-electron approximation for magnesium.
Features of the self-trapping of highly excited states in neon and argon crystals at low temperature
Authors: Belov A. G. , Yurtaeva E. M. , Svishchev V. N.
Published: December 2024

We have examined the luminescence from highly excited self-trapped one-center states, the relaxation processes of the band excitations, and the mechanisms of formation of highly excited quasiatomic centers in low-temperature crystals of the light rare gases and their solid solutions. The fundamental channel of population of highly excited emitting centers involves hole self-trapping with formation of two-center R2+ states; dissociative recombination of these forms one-center np5(n + 1)p excitations. We discuss the effect of self-trapping of highly excited states on the population of the lowest emitting centers in neon and argon crystals.
Internal friction anomaly in antimony due to transition of dislocations to the underdamped state
Authors: Pal’-Val’ P. P. , Platkov V. Ya. , Startsev V. I.
Published: December 2024

We have detected and examined anomalous behavior of the dislocation amplitude-dependent internal friction in antimony single crystals at temperatures below 30 °K. In contrast to higher temperatures, where, in conformity with the concept of thermally activated hysteresis, the curves of the amplitude dependence shift toward higher deformation amplitudes, at T ≲ 30 °K these curves shift in the opposite direction and their curvature increases. We have established and examined the effect of sample purity and plastic predeformation on the anomaly. Analysis of the experimental results reveals that the internal anomaly friction is the result of inertial effects due to the transition of dislocation segments to the underdamped state.
Current-induced destruction of superconductivity in wide films
Authors: Volotskaya V. G. , Dmitrenko I. M. , Musienko L. E. , Sivakov A. G.
Published: December 2024

Features of the current-voltage characteristics of thin Sn and Al films have been investigated in a wide interval of film widths w ≫ λ⊥. It is shown that the steplike structure of the current-voltage characteristics of wide films is similar to those of narrow superconducting channels with phase slip centers. A qualitative model is proposed to explain the appearance of such features in wide films.
Collective excitations in a stratified helium film
Authors: Monarkha Yu. P. , Sokolov S. S.
Published: December 2024

Collective excitations of a stratified film of a He3–He4 solution on a solid substrate are studied. It is shown that the excitation spectrum contains two branches whose structure is determined by the interaction of the liquid phases caused by the van der Waals’ forces, with both the substrate and with each other. The dispersion law of the collective excitations is investigated for different relationships between the thicknesses of the phases (d1 and d2) It is shown that taking account of the interaction between the stratified liquid phases of the solution results in the two speeds of sound in the solution becoming closer in the region d1 ∼ d2.
Acoustic damping in antiferromagnets at low temperatures
Authors: Sobolev V. L.
Published: December 2024

We have studied the damping of long wavelength sound waves due to defect scattering in easy plane antiferromagnets. We have shown that the main contribution to the damping is due to the interaction of sound with dislocations, which yields an effective elastic anharmonicity in the magnetic subsystem. We have calculated the sound attenuation caused by dislocation scattering for λ ≳ r0 (where r0 is the average distance between dislocations).
Problematizing the Search for the Original
Authors: Najman Hindy
Published: December 2024

This chapter seeks to problematize without eradicating scholarly tendencies towards a retrospective trajectory which prioritizes attempts to recover original forms of texts. The eighteenth- and nineteenth-century historicist impulse inextricably linked precision of understanding to earliness or first-ness. The quest for originary wholes involves retrospective gaze, restoration to wholeness out of fragments, and philology as objective science; this impulse towards the search for the earliest or the original leads to the disparagement or derogatory characterization of later traditions. Closely linked is the romantic idealization of a mythical past, as seen in the work of Robert Lowth. It was Lowth who recognized the aesthetic values of biblical poetry and demonstrated its merits as equal to Greek or Latin literature. Yet in his idealization of earlier biblical poetry, he neglected or even denigrated texts deemed later, thus contributing, albeit unwittingly, to supersessionist narratives and the interruption of Scripture’s continuing vitality. In contrast, thinking in terms of traditionary processes encompasses both textual formation as retrospective and textual interpretation as prospective, as well as a variety of text-involving practices, individual and communal. This allows us to move beyond the perceived dichotomies of centre and periphery towards understanding Judaism as a vital and dynamic, ever-growing, and emerging tradition of creativity, resilience, imagination, and new ritual.
Between Rewriting and New Scripture
Authors: Najman Hindy
Published: December 2024

The book of Jubilees serves as an example of a text from the Hellenistic period which participates in Greek and Babylonian thinking while also creating a distinctive narrative for Jewish tradition. While its rewriting tendencies have precedent already in biblical materials, Jubilees demonstrates continuing vitalization by performing radical and innovative new readings that disseminate and transform the scriptural traditions. The process contributes to the growth of Scripture by invoking past traditions which acquire a new context of reading and generating new compositions. This evaluation stands in contrast to labelling the book as ‘rewritten Bible’, which reinforces the canonical and the boundaries between text and interpretation or a form of commentary. Jubilees and other related literature of the Hellenistic Jewish corpus are actively producing new work that goes well beyond rewriting and reinforcing existing Scripture. Pluriformity can be demonstrated by the growth and expansion of a tradition through ongoing writing and thinking about tradition, ultimately contributing to the creation of new Scripture.
The Status of Jubilees in the Hellenistic Period
Authors: Najman Hindy
Published: December 2024

The influence of the Jubilees tradition appears in numerous texts from the Second Temple period, and its open nature is reflected as it continues to be written across traditions within the period and copied across linguistic registers. Presenting itself as the original first expression of writing, it creates a complex multi-layered claim of authority as it has preserved within it contradictions along with the development of interpretative traditions. Jubilees is itself a reading of texts that in every way participates, extends, and enlivens biblical texts through its compositional practices. Jubilees enters a pre-Sinaitic world by claiming a prior Torah which is primordial and heavenly. This growth of Torah through unravelling this primordial history manifests in several ways. First, there is an underwriting of Scripture itself through citation and retelling. Second, the tradition of Jubilees expands and transforms the biblical narrative. Third, Jubilees itself is part of a larger tradition of materials that continues to be inherited and rewritten, activating the earlier biblical texts and earlier traditions, and embedding them into a new unity.
Memorialized Law in Jubilees
Authors: Najman Hindy
Published: December 2024

Vitality in the book of Jubilees is ultimately expressed through the rearticulation of a past narrative and a renewed implementation of law. Jubilees memorializes the law through its consistent, precise calculating of the historical progression from primordial times through Sinai. This creates a new framework for the representation and rethinking of Sinai, creation, history, and calendrical calculation. The book reconceives Scripture in a new register which authorizes a new understanding of how one overcomes destruction and exile to envision a new future. The law for Jubilees is the organization of the cosmos, the history of the world—past, present, and future—as well as a way of life that is remembered forward. Memory is constructed through the integration of time and law as precedented in the creation of the world. To remember and to observe the law, especially with respect to the sabbath day, is to recover a perfect past and interweave that past into the present obedience to the law. The inscription of the present and future that are on heavenly tablets collapses time and allows the law and the memory of it to transcend temporal barriers. This work of inscription relocates the reader from a disoriented present (a failed reconstituted temple community in Jerusalem) to a new present. This work of memory and writing inspires a future with hope.
Transformation and the Hodayot
Authors: Najman Hindy
Published: December 2024

The collection of poetry known as the Hodayot expresses the vitality of Second Temple Judaism in the way the self emerges through processes of transformation and perfectionist aspirations. Reading this collection as part of an emerging Jewish liturgy reveals its role in the creation of new prayer, the philosophical contribution of Hellenistic Judaism and its integration into Hellenistic thinking, and the profound development of thought on the formation of the subject. The sequence of humiliation, repentance, purification, and blessing reflects a theologically coherent, iterative set of themes repeatedly inscribed in the collection that suggest a performative context for prayer. The subject moves from the lowly state of impurity through to atonement and ever-changing purification toward a new self. To accomplish this, human potential is activated by way of speech and utterance, which articulates itself in the recognition of deity in the form of blessing. The blessing is both about the celebration of the creator, but also about the human potential as a kind of new or second self to recognize and confront mortality and human limitations. In description of this process, the language of water used through the collection invokes various dimensions of transformation.