bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Ultra-broadband sound absorption in a compact multi-chamber micro-perforated panel absorber with varying depths
Authors: Wang Jiayu , Bennett Gareth J.
Published: January 2024

This study presents an enhanced multi-chamber micro-perforated panel absorber (MC-MPPA) with varying sub-chamber depths, offering ultra-broadband low-frequency sound absorption. Traditional micro-perforated panel absorbers are constrained by a limited bandwidth, necessitating impossibly small perforations for optimal low-frequency absorption. Our innovative design addresses these constraints with a lightweight, compact panel structure that uses varied chamber depths and unique porosities. Using the two-point impedance method from graph theory, an MC-MPPA was modeled and optimized. Notably, our MC-MPPA test pieces achieved impressive sound absorption coefficients experimentally of over 0.8 in the whole frequency ranges of [397–1000] and [698–1895] Hz. The absorber’s thickness is a mere 47 mm, equivalent to 1/18.2 and 1/10.5 of the sound wavelength at the minimum operational frequency, respectively. Theoretically, with a maximum sub-chamber depth of just 20 mm, average absorption coefficient values of 0.6780 and 0.6483 were observed in [200–3000] and [200–4000] Hz ranges, respectively. Our optimization algorithm permits the definition of practical geometric parameters, promising substantial industrial benefits. The results have been validated theoretically, numerically, and experimentally.
Intelligent intrusion detection for optical fiber perimeter security system based on an improved high efficiency feature extraction technique
Authors: Sun Zhenshi , Guo Zheng
Published: January 2024

The automated analysis of optical fiber vibration sensing data has been highly demanded in engineering applications. Therefore, intrusion analysis, which aims at detecting, recognizing, and classifying intrusions, holds great importance for optical fiber vibration sensing. In this work, an intelligent intrusion detection scheme employing an improved high-efficiency feature extraction technique and utilizing a dual Mach–Zehnder interferometer (DMZI)-based optical fiber perimeter security system is proposed. So, the DMZI-based perimeter security system in practical settings can be successfully established. Specifically, time-frequency feature vectors with nine features are firstly constructed using a maximal overlap discrete wavelet transformation approach and a zero crossing rate method. Then, the feature vectors are classified into corresponding categories using a radial basis function neural network. The effectiveness of the proposed scheme has been validated using six types of human intrusions, such as knocking, climbing, waggling, cutting, crashing and kicking the fence. The results show that the given intrusions can be accurately and rapidly recognized by the proposed scheme. The average recognition rate of 95.0% is achieved, and the average processing time for each sample data is only 0.033 s, which is significantly lower than the sampling interval (0.3 s) in our experiment. It is believed that the proposed scheme holds promising potential in the field of optical fiber perimeter security systems.
Multiple factors of regulation for transient negative capacitance in PbZr(1−x)Ti(x)O3 ferroelectric thin films
Authors: Cao Hai-Ze , Xiao Yong-Guang , Ma Ning-Jie , Yang Li-Sha , Jiang Yong , Xiong Ke , Li Gang , Ouyang Jun , Tang Ming-Hua
Published: January 2024

The negative capacitance (NC) of ferroelectric (FE) materials can effectively break the ‘Boltzmann tyranny’ and drive the continuation scaling of Moore’s law. In this work, to find a novel way for amplifying the transient NC, a series network of external resistors and PbZr(1−x)Ti(x)O3 (PZT) FE capacitors was constructed. Uniform modeling and simulation were performed using Kirchhoff’s current law, electrostatics equations, and Landau–Khalatnikov equations. The derived results revealed that the mismatch of switching rate between free charge and polarization during FE domain switching is responsible for the transient NC generation. Some interesting results were obtained for the regulation of the transient NC by various factors such as the strain between the FE film and substrate, the viscosity coefficient, the ratio of Ti components, the external resistance magnitude, and the operating temperature. This work provides considerable insight into the control of FE transient NC, and offers guidance for obtaining larger and longer transient NC in the widely used PZT thin films.
Black hole evaporation and its remnants with the generalized uncertainty principle including a linear term
Authors: Yu Bo , Long Zheng-wen
Published: January 2024

In recent years, researchers have investigated the evaporation of Schwarzschild black holes using various forms of the generalized uncertainty principle (GUP), metric quantum correction, and non-commutative geometry, respectively. However, there are differences between the GUP correction and the other two methods in terms of describing the later stages of black hole evaporation. Furthermore, some studies argue that the GUP with a negative parameter cannot effectively correct black hole evaporation, while others contend that the positivity or negativity of the GUP parameters should not affect the correction results. Taking the above into consideration, we reconsider black hole evaporation with the generalized uncertainty principle including a linear term (LGUP), and examine the case of negative parameters. The results indicate that the evaporation behavior of both Schwarzschild black holes and Reissner–Nordström black holes, under LGUP correction, is consistent with the results of metric quantum correction and non-commutative geometry. Additionally, the negative parameter LGUP can also effectively correct for black hole evaporation.
High-resolution imaging of magnetic fields of banknote anti-counterfeiting strip using fiber diamond probe
Authors: Zhao 赵 Xu-Tong 旭彤 , He 何 Fei-Yue 飞越 , Xue 薛 Ya-Wen 雅文 , Ma 马 Wen-Hao 文豪 , Yin 殷 Xiao-Han 筱晗 , Xia 夏 Sheng-Kai 圣开 , Zeng 曾 Ming-Jing 明菁 , Du 杜 Guan-Xiang 关祥
Published: January 2024

Counterfeiting of modern banknotes poses a significant challenge, prompting the use of various preventive measures. One such measure is the magnetic anti-counterfeiting strip. However, due to its inherent weak magnetic properties, visualizing its magnetic distribution has been a longstanding challenge. In this work, we introduce an innovative method by using a fiber optic diamond probe, a highly sensitive quantum sensor designed specifically for detecting extremely weak magnetic fields. We employ this probe to achieve high-resolution imaging of the magnetic fields associated with the RMB 50 denomination anti-counterfeiting strip. Additionally, we conduct computer simulations by using COMSOL Multiphysics software to deduce the potential geometric characteristics and material composition of the magnetic region within the anti-counterfeiting strip. The findings and method presented in this study hold broader significance, extending the RMB 50 denomination to various denominations of the Chinese currency and other items that employ magnetic anti-counterfeiting strips. These advances have the potential to significantly improve and promote security measures in order to prevent the banknotes from being counterfeited.
A proposal for detecting weak electromagnetic waves around 2.6 μm wavelength with Sr optical clock
Authors: Han 韩 Ruo-Shui 弱水 , Wang 王 Wei 伟 , Wang 汪 Tao 涛
Published: January 2024

Infrared signal detection is widely used in many fields. Due to the detection principle, however, the accuracy and range of detection are limited. Thanks to the ultra stability of the 87Sr optical lattice clock, external infrared electromagnetic wave disturbances can be responded to. Utilizing the ac Stark shift of the clock transition, we propose a new method to detect infrared signals. According to our calculations, the theoretical detection accuracy in the vicinity of its resonance band of 2.6 μm can reach the order of 10−14 W, while the minimum detectable signal of common detectors is on the order of 10−10 W.
Online misinformation during extreme weather emergencies: short-term information hazard or long-term influence on climate change perceptions?
Authors: Daume Stefan
Published: January 2024

Extreme weather events linked to climate change are becoming more frequent. The online public discourse on and during these events, especially on social media, attracts misinformation that can undermine short-term emergency responses, but can also be aimed at influencing long-term public perceptions of climate change. This contribution reviews existing research on online misinformation with the aim to understand the types, origins, and potential impacts of misinformation during extreme weather events like storms, floods, and wildfires. The screening of 289 publications reveals that there is scarce body of only 13 studies addressing this question. Relevant studies exploring online misinformation during extreme weather events rarely document misinformation immediately relevant for emergency responses and only recently link this to the discussion about climate change. The reviewed research provides however insights to derive a framework that can guide future research into this topic. Specifically, that misinformation in social media during environmental emergencies 1) cuts across domains and merges different areas of public interest, 2) cuts across temporal and geographical scales, and 3) needs to be studied as part of an interconnected online media landscape. Misinformation differs between emergency event types, can undermine the debate about climate change in diverse ways, appeal to completely different audiences and thus will likely require different responses and countermeasures. Structured research with comparable methodologies is urgently needed.
The reduced ring of the 𝑅𝑂(𝐶₂)-graded 𝐶₂-equivariant stable stems
Authors: Belmont Eva , Xu Zhouli , Zhang Shangjie
Published: January 2024

We describe in terms of generators and relations the ring structure of the

R
O
(

C
2

)

RO(C_2)

-graded

C
2

C_2

-equivariant stable stems

π
⋆

C
2

\pi _\star ^{C_2}

modulo the ideal of all nilpotent elements. As a consequence, we also record the ring structure of the homotopy groups of the rational

C
2

C_2

-equivariant sphere

π
⋆

C
2

(

S

Q

)

\pi _\star ^{C_2}(\mathbb {S}_\mathbb {Q})

.
Character formulas in category 𝒪_{𝓅}
Authors: Andersen Henning
Published: January 2024

Let

O

p

\mathcal {O}_p

denote the characteristic

p
>
0

p>0

version of the ordinary category

O

\mathcal {O}

for a semisimple complex Lie algebra. In this paper we give some (formal) character formulas in

O

p

\mathcal {O}_p

. First we concentrate on the irreducible characters. Here we give explicit formulas for how to obtain all irreducible characters from the characters of the finitely many restricted simple modules as well as the characters of a small number of infinite dimensional simple modules in

O

p

\mathcal {O}_p

with specified highest weights. We next prove a strong linkage principle for Verma modules which allow us to split

O

p

\mathcal {O}_p

into a finite direct sum of linkage classes. There are corresponding translation functors and we use these to further cut down the set of irreducible characters needed for determining all others. Then we show that the twisting functors on

O

\mathcal {O}

carry over to twisting functors on

O

p

\mathcal {O}_p

, and as an application we prove a character sum formula for Jantzen-type filtrations of Verma modules with antidominant highest weights. Finally, we record formulas relating the characters of the two kinds of tilting modules in

O

p

\mathcal {O}_p

.
Teaching at the intersection of science and society: An activity on healthcare disparities
Authors: Adams Paula E , Granados Enya , Beatty Abby E , Ballen Cissy J
Published: January 2024

Understanding the relationship between science and society is an objective of science education and is included as a core competency in the AAAS Vision and Change guidelines for biology education. However, traditional undergraduate biology instruction emphasizes scientific practice and generally avoids potentially controversial issues at the intersection of biology and society. By including these topics in biology coursework, instructors can challenge damaging ideologies and systemic inequalities that have influenced science, such as biological essentialism and health disparities. Specifically, an ideologically aware curriculum highlights how ideologies and paradigms shape our biological knowledge base and the application of that knowledge. Ideologically aware lessons emphasize the relationship between science and society with an aim to create more transparent, scientifically accurate, and inclusive postsecondary biology classrooms. Here we expand upon our ideologically aware curriculum with a new activity that challenges undergraduate biology students to consider the impacts of healthcare disparities. This lesson allows instructors to directly address systemic inequalities and allows students to connect biomedical sciences to real-world issues. Implementing an ideologically aware curriculum enables students to challenge prevailing worldviews and better address societal problems that lead to exclusion and oppression.
TRPM4 and PLCβ3 contribute to normal behavioral responses to an array of sweeteners and carbohydrates but PLCβ3 is not needed for taste-driven licking for glucose
Authors: Ascencio Gutierrez Verenice , Martin Laura E , Simental-Ramos Aracely , James Kimberly F , Medler Kathryn F , Schier Lindsey A , Torregrossa Ann-Marie
Published: January 2024

The peripheral taste system is more complex than previously thought. The novel taste-signaling proteins TRPM4 and PLCβ3 appear to function in normal taste responding as part of Type II taste cell signaling or as part of a broadly responsive (BR) taste cell that can respond to some or all classes of tastants. This work begins to disentangle the roles of intracellular components found in Type II taste cells (TRPM5, TRPM4, and IP3R3) or the BR taste cells (PLCβ3 and TRPM4) in driving behavioral responses to various saccharides and other sweeteners in brief-access taste tests. We found that TRPM4, TRPM5, TRPM4/5, and IP3R3 knockout (KO) mice show blunted or abolished responding to all stimuli compared with wild-type. IP3R3 KO mice did, however, lick more for glucose than fructose following extensive experience with the 2 sugars. PLCβ3 KO mice were largely unresponsive to all stimuli except they showed normal concentration-dependent responding to glucose. The results show that key intracellular signaling proteins associated with Type II and BR taste cells are mutually required for taste-driven responses to a wide range of sweet and carbohydrate stimuli, except glucose. This confirms and extends a previous finding demonstrating that Type II and BR cells are both necessary for taste-driven licking to sucrose. Glucose appears to engage unique intracellular taste-signaling mechanisms, which remain to be fully elucidated.
In vitro investigation of axial mechanical support devices implanted in the novel convergent cavopulmonary connection Fontan
Authors: Cleveland Vincent , Contento Jacqueline , Mass Paige , Hardikar Priyanka , Wu Qiyuan , Liu Xiaolong , Aslan Seda , Loke Yue-Hin , Krieger Axel , Lunos Scott , Olivieri Laura , Sinha Pranava
Published: January 2024

OBJECTIVES

The 2 opposing inflows and 2 outflows in a total cavopulmonary connection make mechanical circulatory support (MCS) extremely challenging. We have previously reported a novel convergent cavopulmonary connection (CCPC) Fontan design that improves baseline characteristics and provides a single inflow and outflow, thus simplifying MCS. This study aims to assess the feasibility of MCS of this novel configuration using axial flow pumps in an in vitro benchtop model.

METHODS

Three-dimensional segmentations of 12 single-ventricle patients (body surface area 0.5–1.75 m2) were generated from cardiovascular magnetic resonance images. The CCPC models were designed by connecting the inferior vena cava and superior vena cava to a shared conduit ascending to the pulmonary arteries, optimized in silico. The 12 total cavopulmonary connection and their corresponding CCPC models underwent in vitro benchtop characterization. Two MCS devices were used, the Impella RP® and the PediPump.

RESULTS

MCS successfully and symmetrically reduced the pressure in both vena cavae by >20 mmHg. The devices improved the hepatic flow distribution balance of all CCPC models (Impella RP®P = 0.045, PediPump P = 0.055).

CONCLUSIONS

The CCPC Fontan design provides a feasible MCS solution for a failing Fontan by balancing hepatic flow distribution and symmetrically decompressing the central venous pressure. Cardiac index may also improve with MCS. Additional studies are needed to evaluate this concept for managing Fontan failure.
Prevalence and the factors associated with microalbuminuria among patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and/or hypertension in the urban areas of Puducherry district: a cross-sectional study
Authors: Sivanantham Parthibane , Sahoo Jaya Prakash , Lakshminarayanan Subitha , Bobby Zachariah , Loganathan Vignesh , Kar Sitanshu Sekhar
Published: January 2024

Background

Microalbuminuria is an early indicator for renal and cardiovascular diseases, especially among patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) and hypertension (HTN). We determined the prevalence and the factors associated with microalbuminuria among patients with type 2 DM and/or HTN in the urban areas of the Puducherry district in India.

Methods

We included 225 patients aged 40–69 years with DM and/or HTN from a non-communicable diseases (NCDs) survey conducted during 2019–2020 in the urban areas of Puducherry district. The prevalence of microalbuminuria and various biological risk factors of NCDs were assessed as per the WHO STEPS methodology. The prevalence of microalbuminuria was presented as proportions (95% CI), and the adjusted prevalence ratio (aPR) was estimated using weighted forward stepwise generalized linear modelling. P-value ≤0.05 was considered statistically significant.

Results

The mean (SD) age of the patients was 54 (11) years. Over one-third (38.2%) (95% CI: 31.6–44.4) of patients with DM and/or HTN had microalbuminuria. The prevalence was highest among those having both DM and HTN 48% (95% CI: 37–59), followed by those having only DM 40.6% (95% CI: 29–52.2) and only HTN 27.7% (95% CI: 18.1–38.6). The prevalence of microalbuminuria was twice (aPR = 2.1, 95% CI: 1.1–3.9) higher among women and 2.4 times (95% CI: 1.12–5.1) higher among those having both DM and HTN as compared to those with only HTN.

Conclusion

The prevalence of microalbuminuria among patients with DM and/or HTN is concerningly high. Population-based screening for microalbuminuria, especially among women and those having both DM and HTN, needs to be undertaken in the urban areas of Puducherry district.
A fast algorithm to factorize high-dimensional tensor product matrices used in genetic models
Authors: Lopez-Cruz Marco , Pérez-Rodríguez Paulino , de los Campos Gustavo
Published: January 2024

Many genetic models (including models for epistatic effects as well as genetic-by-environment) involve covariance structures that are Hadamard products of lower rank matrices. Implementing these models requires factorizing large Hadamard product matrices. The available algorithms for factorization do not scale well for big data, making the use of some of these models not feasible with large sample sizes. Here, based on properties of Hadamard products and (related) Kronecker products, we propose an algorithm that produces an approximate decomposition that is orders of magnitude faster than the standard eigenvalue decomposition. In this article, we describe the algorithm, show how it can be used to factorize large Hadamard product matrices, present benchmarks, and illustrate the use of the method by presenting an analysis of data from the northern testing locations of the G × E project from the Genomes to Fields Initiative (n ∼ 60,000). We implemented the proposed algorithm in the open-source “tensorEVD” R package.
Of Geographical Indications and Wars: What the Specifications Tell Us about the Impact of Military Conflicts on French Protected Designations of Origin
Authors: Kyrylenko Anastasiia
Published: January 2024

Historical developments such as wars significantly impact geographical indications (GIs) and their terroir. Wars can destroy vineyards, dismantle production tools or deprive agriculture of its workforce by mobilising civilians. However, academic literature often approaches the impact of wars on GIs as anecdotal evidence rather than an object of study. This article aims to fill this research gap by examining the impact of World War I (WW1) and World War II (WW2) on French protected designations of origin (PDOs). This is done by applying quantitative and qualitative research methods to the specifications of all French PDOs that were registered in the European Union as of 23 November 2022. A total of 43 PDOs affected either by WW1, by WW2, or by both were identified. While the research understandably identifies mostly negative impacts (e.g., manpower shortage or production decline), one unexpected finding is that wars also had a positive impact on some French PDOs, including an increase in consumption and a growth in reputation beyond the original region of production.
Anti-corruption measures in large-scale construction projects
Authors: Nezami Pardis Nikoonam , Shojaei Payam , Ebrahimi Aboalghasem
Published: January 2024

Accepted by: Konstantinos Nikolopoulos

Corruption is affecting many developing countries, manifested often in construction projects. This study identifies the factors causing corruption and prioritizes anti-corruption measures in large-scale urban construction projects with empirical data from a developing country: Iran. The model consists of six main dimensions including 24 measures and was developed by systematically reviewing the literature as well as collecting primary data through interviewing experts. The model prioritizes the anti-corruption measures through an integrated method of the fuzzy best-worst method and fuzzy measurement alternatives and ranking according to the compromise solution. The field of corruption has a multi-faceted nature and inherent uncertainty, which necessitates this integrated approach for its analysis. The results reveal that the ‘lawlessness and deregulation in public construction projects’ and ‘top management and leader commitment’ are the most important causes of corruption. This study offers two main contributions. First, it develops a conceptual model to evaluate and prioritize anti-corruption measures; second, it generates practical solution for reducing corruption in municipal and urban management, thus enhancing the prospects of successful construction projects in developing countries.
A phylogenomic monograph of West-Palearctic Nomada (Hymenoptera: Apidae)
Authors: Straka Jakub , Benda Daniel , Policarová Jana , Astapenková Alena , Wood Thomas J , Bossert Silas
Published: January 2024

We reconstruct the phylogeny of the most speciose genus of cuckoo bees, genus Nomada Scopoli, 1770, using 221 species from throughout its distribution, yet with a strong emphasis on the West Palearctic. For phylogenetic reconstruction, we sequenced ultraconserved elements, allowing robust phylogenetic estimates with both concatenation and coalescent-based methods. By integrating extensive information on Nomada host records, we study macroevolutionary patterns of host associations, transitions, and phylogenetic conservatism. Using Bayesian divergence time estimates, we assess the historical biogeography of the genus, focusing on the West Palearctic. Our results show that Nomada likely originated in the Eastern Mediterranean and Near Eastern region, and likely expanded its range to a near-global distribution from there. We recovered long-standing phylogenetic conservatism in the host usage of Nomada and provided strong statistical evidence for an ancestral host association with Andrena and its most recent common ancestor. However, host transitions occurred multiple times independently in the natural history of Nomada, and species of the genus are brood parasites in at least 5 genera and 4 different families of bees in the Old World. At last, we systematically revise the taxonomy of the Old World Nomada by integrating morphological study with our well-supported phylogenetic estimates. We re-establish the genus Acanthonomada Schwarz, 1966, stat. res., as a distinct, second genus in the tribe Nomadini. We recognize 13 subgenera for Nomada, 9 of which are described as new: Afronomada Straka and Bossert, subgen. nov., Colliculla Straka, subgen. nov., Gestamen Straka, subgen. nov., Hungias Straka, subgen. nov., Mininomada Straka, subgen. nov., Nomacolla Straka, subgen. nov., Nomonosa Straka, subgen. nov., Plumada Straka, subgen. nov., and Profuga Straka, subgen. nov. Aside from the subgenus Nomada s.s., we reinstitute 3 previously synonymized subgenera: Heminomada Cockerell, 1902, stat. res., Holonomada Robertson, 1903, stat. res., and Hypochrotaenia Holmberg, 1886 stat. res. A total of 15 subgeneric names are formally synonymized with the newly established subgeneric concepts.
The Use of Intraosseous Infusion in the Early Resuscitation of Patients With Extremely Severe Burns
Authors: Wang Yuwei , Zhou Shuaishuai , Wang Lizhu , Fang Jue , Zhang Yukun , Shi Lili , Lin Gaoxing , Zhang Mangwei , Wang Sa
Published: January 2024

According to research, shock, the most common complication of extremely severe burns, is also the leading cause of mortality among patients with such burns. The case fatality rate reaches 83.45% when the total burn area exceeds 90%. The American Heart Association in 2020 recommended the intraosseous (IO) access after the peripheral access and prior to the central venous access when venous cannulation is either difficult or delayed. The use and experience with intraosseous infusion in extremely severe burns are still limited. We report efficacy and safety results from 19 burn patients treated with IO infusion between June 2020 and December 2022. In these patients, the mean injury time of burns was 1.55 ± 1.10 hours, the mean burn surface area was 86.24% ± 11.33%, the mean catheterization time was 49.68 ± 10.11 seconds, and the mean emergency retention time was 2.75 ± 1.74 hours, the mean actual fluid supplement amount was 5,533.68 ± 3,077.19 mL, the mean hourly urine volume of the patient was 93.31 ± 60.94 mL, the mean emergency detention time was 4.16 ± 2.97 hours, and the mean duration of hospitalization was 34.50 ± 25.38 days. The results demonstrated a clinically meaningful improvement and higher response rate vs peripheral venous cannulation and an acceptable safety profile in those patients.
The Dot: Statistics, Society, and Graphic Design, c. 1830–1970
Authors: Pivo Hannah
Published: January 2024

This article takes Chermayeff & Geismar Associates’ cover designs for a paperback reprint series, “Studies in American Negro Life” (1968–c. 1972), as a starting point for investigating the history of the dot as a tool for social-statistical visualization. It first situates the series—which re-issued texts on Black history, sociology, and literature—within the context of 1960s urban unrest in the United States and shows how the arrangements of dots on each cover relate to contemporaneous experiments in urban cartography. It then traces a longer genealogy, considering the dot in relation to the 19th-century emergence of “society” and “the social” as novel epistemic concepts that came to serve as the primary objects of study for the modern social sciences in the 20th century. I address the integral role of statistics in this history, demonstrating how the logic of aggregation that undergirds statistical thinking has been habitually visualized through the dot. The article concludes by returning to the book series, addressing some of the individual covers and arguing that by evoking the visual vocabulary of the social sciences, the cover designs frame the series as a social scientific project overall.
Modified Ludloff’s medial approach for resection of heterotopic ossification of the hip following severe SARS-CoV-2 infection: a case report
Authors: Ramón Ricardo , Holguín Esteban , Ribas Manuel , Al Hussin Nihad , Ezechieli Marco
Published: January 2024

The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic has significantly affected people worldwide. Herein, we present a case of massive heterotopic ossification (HO) of the right hip following severe SARS-CoV-2 infection. The exact origin of HO development is still unknown, but a critical illness, chronic immobilization and hypoxia are important risk factors. Considering the location and size of the HOs in this case, modified Ludloff’s medial approach of the hip was used. This approach allows for good exposure and access to the medial and inferior part of the hip joint and the successful extirpation of the pathologic tissue.
The Making of Balance-of-Power—Power Asymmetry, Domestic Politics, and the Making of Balancing Practices
Authors: Vadai Einat , Press-Barnathan Galia
Published: January 2024

This article joins the growing body of literature that perceives balance of power as a social construct containing shared understandings that comprise states’ repertoire of balancing practices. Distinct repertoires of balancing have prevailed in different international orders. We build on this work and focus on a less explored, though important, political process to explain the variation in balancing practices over time. We suggest that external threats, domestic considerations of key states, and diffusion mechanisms deriving from hierarchical relations can explain the evolution of balancing practices. More specifically, we suggest that balancing practices evolve in the domestic arena of the dominant state at a given time, as leaders frame their foreign policy in terms that most closely resonate with their domestic circumstances. Secondary states, who depend on the dominant state for their security, will tend to adopt its balancing practice. They will do so because the hierarchy of the international system enables the dominant state to use positive and negative leverage tools to pressure them, or because they voluntarily calculate that this choice will enhance their security. To demonstrate the importance of studying the social construction of balancing practices and the impact of dominant states on the content of these practices, we examine two central case studies of different balancing practices—the rise of early eighteenth-century Britain and the emergence of the logic of a contrived balance of power, and the rise of American hegemony in the aftermath of World War II that generated the practice of ideological balancing
Weakened relationship between tree growth and nitrogen availability due to global CO2 increase and warming in the Taibai Mountain timberline, central China
Authors: Yin Lelong , Liu Xiaohong , Zeng Xiaomin , Wang Ziyi , Xu Guobao , Zhao Liangju , Lu Qiangqiang , Zhang Lingnan , Xing Xiaoyu
Published: January 2024

Climate warming, rising atmospheric CO2 concentration (Ca), and nitrogen (N) availability are exerting profound impacts on global forest ecosystems, particularly in high-altitude mountains. This study investigated the tree-growth dynamics of timberline Larix chinensis in the Taibai Mountain, central China, and explored its ecophysiological responses to environmental stresses by combining tree growth and stable isotopes. The results showed that the growth rate of L. chinensis has significantly increased since the 1960s, and that tree growth in this timberline was particularly sensitive to temperature in spring. Moreover, the continuously rising intrinsic water-use efficiency (iWUE), linked to higher Ca and warmer environment, promoted the growth of L. chinensis. Before the 1960s, tree-ring δ15N gradually increased, then shifted to an insignificant decline with the acceleration of tree growth, and broke the preexisting carbon–nitrogen balance. Meanwhile, climate warming and increased iWUE have replaced N as the principal drivers of tree growth since the 1960s. It is believed that L. chinensis may gradually suffer a decline in N availability as it continues to grow rapidly. The insightful understanding of the biochemical mechanisms of plant responses to growth-related environmental conditions will improve our ability to predict the evolution of high-elevation mountain ecosystems in the future.
Identifying the intersegmental plane for segmentectomy using the open insufflation technique
Authors: Dai Wei , Mei Na , Ning Ye , Zhang Wentian , Li Yan , Jiang Lei
Published: January 2024

Accurate identification of the intersegmental plane is the key to successful segmentectomy. This case series included 41 patients who underwent uniportal thoracoscopic segmentectomy using the open insufflation method to identify the intersegmental plane for pulmonary nodules. The median age of the patients was 58 (range 35–73) years, and 63.4% were female. Malignant pulmonary nodules accounted for 80.5% of cases and were staged as 0–IA2. Seventeen patients underwent a single subsegmentectomy or single segmentectomy, and 24 underwent combined subsegmentectomy or subsegmentectomy combined with segmentectomy. There was no conversion to multiportal video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery, open surgery, or lobectomy. The median operative time was 84 (range 45–194) min, and the median blood loss was 50 (range 10–150) ml. The median chest tube duration and postoperative hospital stay were 2 (range 1 − 7) days. One (2.4%) developed an air leak for >5 days. No deaths occurred within 30 days after surgery.
Resection of a pure androgen secreting adrenal adenoma in a postmenopausal woman: a case report
Authors: Dalal Ahmad , Dwayat Abdallah , Khamashta Natalie , Alashwas Mo’men , Asi Tariq
Published: January 2024

Pure androgen secreting adrenal tumors are exceedingly rare, presenting in higher numbers in women compared with men, and are particularly rare in women of postmenopausal age. Postmenopausal hyperandrogenism is usually ovarian or adrenal in origin, with tumors representing an uncommon cause, which are more frequently ovarian but could also be adrenal. Herein we present a case of a 61-year-old postmenopausal woman, who had suffered multiple reproductive disturbances, presenting with a 10-year history of virilizing symptoms, most bothersome of which was generalized hirsutism, alongside clitoromegaly, irritability, and voice deepening. Work-up of the patient revealed a 1.5 cm left adrenal mass, which was removed through laparoscopic total adrenalectomy. Postoperatively, the patient’s androgen levels dropped significantly. An adrenal androgen secreting tumor is a can't miss diagnosis that should always be considered in the evaluation of postmenopausal women with hyperandrogenism, alongside the more common etiologies. Regular hormonal follow-up is essential.
Evidence for decreased copper associated with demyelination in the corpus callosum of cuprizone-treated mice
Authors: Hilton James B W , Kysenius Kai , Liddell Jeffrey R , Mercer Stephen W , Hare Dominic J , Buncic Gojko , Paul Bence , Wang YouJia , Murray Simon S , Kilpatrick Trevor J , White Anthony R , Donnelly Paul S , Crouch Peter J
Published: January 2024

Demyelination within the central nervous system (CNS) is a significant feature of debilitating neurological diseases such as multiple sclerosis and administering the copper-selective chelatorcuprizone to mice is widely used to model demyelination in vivo. Conspicuous demyelination within the corpus callosum is generally attributed to cuprizone's ability to restrict copper availability in this vulnerable brain region. However, the small number of studies that have assessed copper in brain tissue from cuprizone-treated mice have produced seemingly conflicting outcomes, leaving the role of CNS copper availability in demyelination unresolved. Herein we describe our assessment of copper concentrations in brain samples from mice treated with cuprizone for 40 d. Importantly, we applied an inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry methodology that enabled assessment of copper partitioned into soluble and insoluble fractions within distinct brain regions, including the corpus callosum. Our results show that cuprizone-induced demyelination in the corpus callosum was associated with decreased soluble copper in this brain region. Insoluble copper in the corpus callosum was unaffected, as were pools of soluble and insoluble copper in other brain regions. Treatment with the blood–brain barrier permeant copper compound CuII(atsm) increased brain copper levels and this was most pronounced in the soluble fraction of the corpus callosum. This effect was associated with significant mitigation of cuprizone-induced demyelination. These results provide support for the involvement of decreased CNS copper availability in demyelination in the cuprizone model. Relevance to human demyelinating disease is discussed.
RT-PCR assay to detect FGFR3::TACC3 fusions in formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded glioblastoma samples
Authors: Priesterbach-Ackley Loudy P , van Kuik Joyce , Tops Bastiaan B J , Lasorella Anna , Iavarone Antonio , van Hecke Wim , Robe Pierre A , Wesseling Pieter , de Leng Wendy W J
Published: January 2024

Background

One targeted treatment option for isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH)-wild-type glioblastoma focuses on tumors with fibroblast growth factor receptor 3::transforming acidic coiled-coil-containing protein 3 (FGFR3::TACC3) fusions. FGFR3::TACC3 fusion detection can be challenging, as targeted RNA next-generation sequencing (NGS) is not routinely performed, and immunohistochemistry is an imperfect surrogate marker. Fusion status can be determined using reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) on fresh frozen (FF) material, but sometimes only formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissue is available.

Aim

To develop an RT-PCR assay to determine FGFR3::TACC3 status in FFPE glioblastoma samples.

Methods

Twelve tissue microarrays with 353 historical glioblastoma samples were immunohistochemically stained for FGFR3. Samples with overexpression of FGFR3 (n = 13) were subjected to FGFR3::TACC3 RT-PCR on FFPE, using 5 primer sets for the detection of 5 common fusion variants. Fusion-negative samples were additionally analyzed with NGS (n = 6), FGFR3 Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization (n = 6), and RNA sequencing (n = 5).

Results

Using RT-PCR on FFPE material of the 13 samples with FGFR3 overexpression, we detected an FGFR3::TACC3 fusion in 7 samples, covering 3 different fusion variants. For 5 of these FF was available, and the presence of the fusion was confirmed through RT-PCR on FF. With RNA sequencing, 1 additional sample was found to harbor an FGFR3::TACC3 fusion (variant not covered by current RT-PCR for FFPE). The frequency of FGFR3::TACC3 fusion in this cohort was 9/353 (2.5%).

Conclusions

RT-PCR for FGFR3::TACC3 fusions can successfully be performed on FFPE material, with a specificity of 100% and (due to limited primer sets) a sensitivity of 83.3%. This assay allows for the identification of potential targeted treatment options when only formalin-fixed tissue is available.
ARPES investigation of the electronic structure and its evolution in magnetic topological insulator MnBi2+2nTe4+3n family
Authors: Xu Runzhe , Xu Lixuan , Liu Zhongkai , Yang Lexian , Chen Yulin
Published: January 2024

In the past 5 years, there has been significant research interest in the intrinsic magnetic topological insulator family compounds MnBi2+2nTe4+3n (where n = 0, 1, 2 …). In particular, exfoliated thin films of MnBi2Te4 have led to numerous experimental breakthroughs, such as the quantum anomalous Hall effect, axion insulator phase and high-Chern number quantum Hall effect without Landau levels. However, despite extensive efforts, the energy gap of the topological surface states due to exchange magnetic coupling, which is a key feature of the characteristic band structure of the system, remains experimentally elusive. The electronic structure measured by using angle-resolved photoemission (ARPES) shows significant deviation from ab initio prediction and scanning tunneling spectroscopy measurements, making it challenging to understand the transport results based on the electronic structure. This paper reviews the measurements of the band structure of MnBi2+2nTe4+3n magnetic topological insulators using ARPES, focusing on the evolution of their electronic structures with temperature, surface and bulk doping and film thickness. The aim of the review is to construct a unified picture of the electronic structure of MnBi2+2nTe4+3n compounds and explore possible control of their topological properties.
Pressure-induced hydrogen-dominant high-temperature superconductors
Authors: Mao Ho-kwang
Published: January 2024

The century-old pursuit of room temperature superconductivity has finally been reached in highly compressed hydrogen-dominant compounds. Future efforts will be focused on understanding the high-pressure hydrogen physics and ambient-pressure applications.
A dynamically stable self-healable wire based on mechanical–electrical coupling
Authors: Wang Shuo , Ouyang Zhaofeng , Geng Shitao , Wang Yan , Zhao Xiaoju , Yuan Bin , Zhang Xiao , Xu Qiuchen , Tang Chengqiang , Tang Shanshan , Miao Han , Peng Huisheng , Sun Hao
Published: January 2024

The rise in wearable electronics has witnessed the advancement of self-healable wires, which are capable of recovering mechanical and electrical properties upon structural damage. However, their highly fluctuating electrical resistances in the range of hundreds to thousands of ohms under dynamic conditions such as bending, pressing, stretching and tremoring may seriously degrade the precision and continuity of the resulting electronic devices, thus severely hindering their wearable applications. Here, we report a new family of self-healable wires with high strengths and stable electrical conductivities under dynamic conditions, inspired by mechanical–electrical coupling of the myelinated axon in nature. Our self-healable wire based on mechanical–electrical coupling between the structural and conductive components has significantly improved the electrical stability under dynamic scenarios, enabling precise monitoring of human health status and daily activities, even in the case of limb tremors from simulated Parkinson's disease. Our mechanical–electrical coupling strategy opens a new avenue for the development of dynamically stable electrodes and devices toward real-world wearable applications.
Derivation and Internal Validation of a Mortality Prognostication Machine Learning Model in Ebola Virus Disease Based on Iterative Point-of-Care Biomarkers
Authors: Bearnot Courtney J , Mbong Eta N , Muhayangabo Rigo F , Laghari Razia , Butler Kelsey , Gainey Monique , Perera Shiromi M , Michelow Ian C , Tang Oliver Y , Levine Adam C , Colubri Andrés , Aluisio Adam R
Published: January 2024

Background

Although multiple prognostic models exist for Ebola virus disease mortality, few incorporate biomarkers, and none has used longitudinal point-of-care serum testing throughout Ebola treatment center care.

Methods

This retrospective study evaluated adult patients with Ebola virus disease during the 10th outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Ebola virus cycle threshold (Ct; based on reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction) and point-of-care serum biomarker values were collected throughout Ebola treatment center care. Four iterative machine learning models were created for prognosis of mortality. The base model used age and admission Ct as predictors. Ct and biomarkers from treatment days 1 and 2, days 3 and 4, and days 5 and 6 associated with mortality were iteratively added to the model to yield mortality risk estimates. Receiver operating characteristic curves for each iteration provided period-specific areas under curve with 95% CIs.

Results

Of 310 cases positive for Ebola virus disease, mortality occurred in 46.5%. Biomarkers predictive of mortality were elevated creatinine kinase, aspartate aminotransferase, blood urea nitrogen (BUN), alanine aminotransferase, and potassium; low albumin during days 1 and 2; elevated C-reactive protein, BUN, and potassium during days 3 and 4; and elevated C-reactive protein and BUN during days 5 and 6. The area under curve substantially improved with each iteration: base model, 0.74 (95% CI, .69–.80); days 1 and 2, 0.84 (95% CI, .73–.94); days 3 and 4, 0.94 (95% CI, .88–1.0); and days 5 and 6, 0.96 (95% CI, .90–1.0).

Conclusions

This is the first study to utilize iterative point-of-care biomarkers to derive dynamic prognostic mortality models. This novel approach demonstrates that utilizing biomarkers drastically improved prognostication up to 6 days into patient care.
Peasant Productivity and Welfare in The Middle Ages and Beyond
Authors: Hatcher John
Published: January 2024

Driven by the quality of sources rather than their representativeness, the history of English agriculture has been written primarily from the perspective of well-documented large farms to the neglect of smallholders and cottagers who for centuries cultivated the greater part of the nation’s farmland but left scant records. The superb series recording the mediocre and low crop yields of the expansive demesnes of great lords has long been adopted for the productivity of all medieval England’s arable and is deeply embedded in economic and social histories and calculations of economic growth and the welfare of the population. Yet no convincing justification for this supposition has ever been made, and an increasing flow of research and analysis indicates that the productivity of land varied markedly in accordance with the size and function of farms, with the output per acre of large farms constrained by the need to control costs in order to sell surpluses at a profit, while smallholders, at the cost of low and frequently abysmal labour productivity, produced higher yields by striving to maximize output using abundant family labour to secure subsistence from meagre acreages. An appraisal of farming across the centuries and the continents from the Middle Ages to modern times clearly shows that an inverse relationship generally prevailed between farm size and land productivity.