bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A HYBRID SURROGATE MODELING METHOD FOR CORROSION MORPHOLOGY PREDICTION UNDER NON-STATIONARY DYNAMIC LOADING
Authors: QIAN GUOFENG , NAJERA-FLORES DAVID , HU ZHEN , TODD MICHAEL D.
Published: December 2023

The loads on the structures or components are more often fluctuating stochastically over time and exhibit non-stationary statistical behaviors. The goal of this research is to predict the corrosion growth of large civil infrastructure using multi-scale simulations with the consideration of time-dependent stochastic loads along with other sources of uncertainty. A stochastic process modeling method is first employed to model the stochasticity of the load conditions based on real-world data. A multi-scale simulation model is then constructed to predict the corrosion morphology evoluation over time subject to dynamic loads. The model consists of a mesoscale phase-field simulation and a macroscale structural analysis model. The required high computational effort of the multi-scale simulation model makes it unsuitable for probabilistic analysis purposes, which requires the execution of the model thousands of times. This research proposes a hybrid surrogate modeling to substitute the original multi-scale simulation model. The hybrid surrogate model consists of a deep neural network-based autoencoder for dimension reduction and a Gaussian process regression-based model for forecasting and uncertainty quantification. A navigational lock miter gate case study is employed to demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed method.
DETECTION OF BUCKLING IN COLUMNAR STRUCTURES BY SHAPE SENSING WITH MULTI-CORE OPTICAL FIBERS
Authors: OGURA TAKAFUMI , KOBAYASHI MAKITO , ZHAO YUE , LEANDRO DANIEL , MURAYAMA HIDEAKI
Published: December 2023

This paper presents the results of a demonstration experiment in which helical multi-core optical fiber shape sensing was applied to detect the buckling deformation of a columnar structure, one of the most basic structures, while preventing fiber breakage. The experimental results show that the buckling deformation of a rod can be detected even when only a part of the fiber is fixed to the measurement target, suggesting its applicability to structural health monitoring of columnar structures.
COVARIANCE OF LIMIT DEFINING PAIRS (CLDP): A NOVEL APPROACH TO ESTABLISHING DETECTION SENSITIVITY FOR STRUCTURAL HEALTH MONITORING DATA
Authors: KESSLER SETH S. , KABBAN CHRISTINE M. SCHUBERT
Published: December 2023

This paper explores a novel approach to establishing detection sensitivity for SHM. The proposed approach uses data associated with the largest flaw such that all smaller flaws were not detected and the smallest flaw such that all larger flaws were detected for that specimen. These points are termed “limit defining” because they directly contribute to defining the most valuable portion of the probability of detection (POD) curve. A POD curve can be efficiently built using a standard hit/miss analysis, and an upper confidence bound can be generated by calculating the Covariance of the Limit Defining Pair (CLDP) to take the dependence into account. A fatigue experiment was conducted on 60 aluminum bars using a carbon nanotube (CNT) based fatigue crack gauge. 100 data points were collected for each specimen as the crack grew to ~2mm. 1000 classic POD curves were generated by randomly selecting 1 point from each specimen to observe variability, and subsequently the same data was analyzed using the CLDP. Finally, random subsets of specimens were selected to simulate POD statistics associated with testing fewer specimens. Overall, CPLD has proven to be a robust and reliable alternative to traditional detection sensitivity evaluation for SHM sensors.
LEAST-SQUARE SUPPORT VECTOR REGRESSION FOR THE PROGNOSIS OF THE DETERIORATING STRUCTURE UNDER THE SEISMIC EXCITATIONS USING AUTOREGRESSIVE MODEL
Authors: OJHA SHIVAM , SHELKE AMIT , HABIB ANOWARUL
Published: December 2023

In the current work, the prognostic behavior of the degradation in the space frame is carried out through the proposed data-driven framework based on autoregressive modelling and least square support vector regression. The acceleration responses were obtained at certain intervals after introducing the time dependent damage in the building. These responses are used to develop the damage index through filtering and statistical measures. The series of damage index is nonstationary in nature and therefore, the time varying autoregression (TVAR) modelling is carried out to obtain the change point. Next, for the prognosis, the algorithm performs surrogate modeling of observed degradation through least square support vector regression (LS-SVR) and the same is used to predict the trend of degradation. To increase accuracy and obtain the confidence bounds, a few mini datasets are created through omitting and shuffling the observation in the training dataset. The LSSVR predicts the degradation trend through each mini dataset. The mean and covariance of the prediction provides the best fit value along with upper and lower bounds. The advantage of SVR is that it can provide high-order approximations with sparse availability of samples. However, SVR optimized through sequential minimal optimization is time consuming and iterative in nature. Therefore, in the present study least square SVR is used for the model fitting and regression. Overall, the results highlight the potential advantage of creating mini datasets for taking advantages of LSSVR for the prognosis and obtaining the confidence bounds.
HIGH-VELOCITY IMPACT DETECTION AND LOCALIZATION ENABLED BY 10 MSA/S SAMPLE- RATE FBG INTERROGATION
Authors: LIOKUMOVITCH EGOR , GLASSER ZIV , BANK STAS , KRESSEL IDDO , BEN-SIMON URI , SHOHAM SHAY , STERNKLAR SHMUEL
Published: December 2023

Real-time structural health monitoring (SHM) systems for airborne structures can help detect and predict damage to critical components. This study demonstrates a system for real-time detection and evaluation of high-velocity foreign object impacts on composite structures using fiber Bragg gratings (FBGs). A set of fiber Bragg gratings were applied to a composite helicopter blade, and by using high-speed and wide frequency-band FBG interrogation, we demonstrate object impact detection made by projectiles of various materials and weights, with speeds from 100 m/s up to 200 m/s and their respective elastic wave propagation along the blade. Early impact damage detection has the potential to reduce the chance of critical failure and decrease aircraft downtime caused by rigorous and time-consuming non-destructive inspections.
COMPUTATIONAL MODELING OF HIGH-TEMPERATURE MEMS SENSOR ARRAY FOR ULTRASONICS AND ACOUSTIC EMISSION IN STRUCTURAL HEALTH MONITORING OF HIGH TEMPERATURE ADVANCED REACTOR PIPES
Authors: XU CHENXI , DALY MATTHEW , HEIFETZ ALEXANDER , KULTGEN DEREK , OZEVIN DIDEM
Published: December 2023

In recent years, development of advanced liquid metal thermal hydraulics enabling technologies has become increasingly important for commercial deployment of advanced reactors. One of the challenges is the need for reliable structural health monitoring (SHM) systems capable of detecting early signs of critical metallic structure failure in high-temperature environments. To address this need, we investigate a new type of piezoelectric microelectromechanical system (MEMS) sensor that can continuously operate at high temperatures. We study the use of a circumferential array of high-temperature piezoelectric MEMS sensors for deployment on a piping system of Argonne’s Mechanisms Engineering Test Loop (METL) liquid sodium thermal hydraulic facility. The MEMS sensors consist of square silicon carbide wafer with 5 mm length and aluminum nitride as piezoelectric element. These materials were shown to be resilient to ionizing nuclear radiation in prior studies. The sensors are arranged in a circumferential array on the pipe surface to enable dual ultrasonics and acoustic emission sensing. To determine the optimal number of transducers needed to achieve the excitation of Lamb wave for ultrasonics testing, we created a Multiphysics numerical model to simulate the coupling between the sensors and the pipe. Overall, the results of the study demonstrated the potential of using high-temperature piezoelectric MEMS sensors for SHM in liquid metal reactors. By detecting critical structure failure in high-temperature environments, these sensors could help reduce the risk of forced reactor shutdown and minimize operation and maintenance costs.
ADVANCED HEALTH MONITORING OF COMPOSITE STRUCTURES THROUGH DEEP LEARNING-BASED ANALYSIS OF LAMB WAVE DATA FOR DEVELOPING HEALTH INDICATORS
Authors: MORADI MORTEZA , GUL FERDA C. , CHIACHIO JUAN , BENEDICTUS RINZE , ZAROUCHAS DIMITRIOS
Published: December 2023

A health indicator (HI) serves as an intermediary link between structural health monitoring (SHM) data and prognostic models, and an efficient HI should meet prognostic criteria, i.e., monotonicity, trendability, and prognosability. However, designing a proper HI for composite structures is a challenging task due to the complex damage accumulation process during operational conditions. Additionally, designing a HI that is independent of historical SHM data (i.e., from the healthy state until the current state) is even more challenging as HI and remaining useful life prediction are time-dependent phenomena. A reliable SHM technique is required to extract informative time-independent data, and a powerful model is necessary to construct a proper HI from that data. The lamb wave (LW) technique is a useful SHM method that can extract such time-independent data. However, translating the LW data at each time step to the appropriate HI value is a challenge. AI—deep learning in this case—offers significant mathematical potential to meet this difficulty. A semi-supervised learning approach is developed to train the model using the simulated ideal HIs as the targets. The model uses the current LW data, without prior or subsequent data, to output the current HI value. Prognostic criteria are then calculated using the entire HI trajectory until the end-of-life. To validate the proposed approach, aging experiments from NASA’s prognostics data repository are used, which include composite specimens subjected to a tension-tension fatigue loading and monitored using the LW technique. The LW data is first processed using the Hilbert transform, and then, upper and lower signal envelopes in two states – baseline and current time – are used to feed the deep learning model. The results confirm the effectiveness of the proposed approach according to the prognostic criteria. The effect of different triggering frequencies of the LW system on the results is also discussed in terms of the prognostic criteria.
Sociedad Líquida: Una nueva serie de Joaquín González Quino
Authors: Báñez Simón José
Published: December 2023

En el presente artículo se estudia una nueva serie del artista extremeño afincado en Sevilla, Joaquín González “Quino”. Varias han sido las muestras en las que ha participado, y no menos los premios que atesora, que lo certifican como uno de los artistas más prolijos y de mayor éxito del panorama sevillano actual. Su inquietud y trabajo infatigable, los pone al servicio de la investigación conceptual y plástica, que plasma en el lienzo dando lugar la mayoría de las veces a magníficas series que abordan temáticas, conceptos y estilos de lo más variopinto. En este contexto se sitúa Sociedad líquida, una nueva serie en la que se encuentra trabajando desde hace unos meses, y que centra la atención de estas páginas, en las que se presenta una primera aproximación.
Principales deterioros en el estado de conservación de los archivos fotográficos
Authors: Liu Huaxia
Published: December 2023

Debido a la heterogeneidad de los especímenes almacenados en un archivo fotográfico, su conservación requiere un amplio conocimiento de la naturaleza de los procedimientos y los materiales empleados. Los deterioros presentes en las fotografías son también muy variados y muchos de ellos aparecen por la propia naturaleza intrínseca de los elementos que las componen.
Apuntes sobre la obra de Torsten Jovinge en Sevilla.
Authors: Iglesias Cumplido Alicia
Published: December 2023

El artículo analiza los dibujos de Torsten Jovinge en Sevilla, artista vinculado a las Vanguardias Históricas parisinas, procedente del círculo de André Lhote, cuyos planteamientos cubistas superó con una nueva figuración en contacto con los planteamientos de importantes pintores internacionales, como Fernand Léger, Le Corbusier y Amédee Ozenfant, en consonancia con la Pintura Metafísica, y con ciertos paralelismos con las estructuras directas de Magritte. En esos dibujos reflejó la problemática civil y militar de Sevilla durante el Alzamiento Nacional de 1936.
C.k. Sąd Powiatowy w Mszanie Dolnej w latach 1883–1914: Instytucja i ludzie
Authors: Wójcik Michał
Published: December 2023

Szybki rozwój komunikacji umożliwił lepszy dojazd do większych ośrodków miejskich, a rozpowszechnienie Internetu pozwoliło na kontaktowanie się z różnymi instytucjami publicznymi bez wychodzenia z domu. Te nowe zdobycze cywilizacyjne wymagały wprowadzenia zmian w ustroju państwa, a także ustroju sądów powszechnych. Wszystkie dotychczasowe projekty zreformowania sądownictwa zmierzały w kierunku skonsolidowania sądów, zmniejszenia ich liczby i przeniesienia administracji sądowej do sądów usytuowanych w większych ośrodkach. Cel wydawał się oczywisty: oszczędności, ułatwienie zarządzania kadrą, szybsza reakcja na powstałe zaległości w rozpoznawaniu spraw. Tylko czy korzyści, które przynoszą te zmiany, przewyższą potencjalne straty? Być może odpowiedź znajdziemy w monografii Michała Wójcika pt. C.k. Sąd Powiatowy w Mszanie Dolnej w latach 1883–1914. Instytucja i ludzie. W książce ukazano odwrotne zjawisko, a mianowicie ulokowanie pod koniec XIX wieku w Mszanie Dolnej sądu, co spowodowało szybki rozwój tego miasteczka, malowniczo położonego w Beskidzie Wyspowym. Warto podkreślić, że książka Michała Wójcika przybliża postać Józefa Ptasia, naczelnika mszańskiego sądu przed I wojną światową, osoby szczególnie zasłużonej dla rozwoju sądownictwa w tym mieście. Na przykładzie sędziego Ptasia można dostrzec, jak ważne znaczenie ma dla instytucji człowiek, który stoi na jej czele. Niniejsza monografia powinna zainteresować nie tylko sędziów, historyków oraz miłośników dziejów Beskidów, lecz także tych, którzy zarówno z nadzieją, jak i z obawą przyglądają się konsekwencjom galopującego postępu. z Przedmowy
The Effects of International Retirement Migration on Indigenous Communities: Empirical Insights from Cotacachi, Ecuador
Authors: Crespo Marcelo , Follmann Alexander , Butsch Carsten , Dannenberg Peter
Published: December 2023

abstract: International retirement migration (IRM) is known to be an important factor for regional economic development in some low-and middle-income countries. However, IRM's effects on land prices and real estate markets, especially housing, are controversial. Using the case study of the Andean city of Cotacachi, Ecuador, this paper discusses the economic and socio-spatial effects of IRM-related construction of comparatively high-priced retirement homes on indigenous communities' access to land and housing prices in the urban area. Based on the analysis and collection of quantitative and qualitative data, the paper identifies that IRM-related foreign investments result in increased prices of (agricultural) land and urban housing. This especially affects indigenous communities as they are historically marginalized in access to land. To understand the IRM-related effects, we contextualize and discuss these in light of the historical control of land by landowning élites. Our data show that recent IRM-oriented real estate development—paired with highly uneven postcolonial distribution of land—has unequal socio-spatial effects: land-rich élites benefit from selling land to both local and foreign investors, while landless and land-poor indigenous communities face increasing difficulty in accessing land for agriculture. resumen: La migración internacional de jubilados (MIJ) es conocida como un factor importante para el desarrollo económico regional en algunos países. Sin embargo, sus efectos sobre los precios del suelo y los mercados inmobiliarios son controversiales. A partir de un estudio en la ciudad de Cotacachi, Ecuador, este artículo analiza los efectos económicos y socio-espaciales de la construcción de viviendas de alto valor para jubilados extranjeros, en relación con el acceso a la tierra en las comunidades indígenas y el precio de la vivienda. El artículo identifica que las inversiones extranjeras relacionadas con la MIJ provocan un aumento en los precios de la tierra y la vivienda urbana. Esto, a su vez, afecta especialmente a las comunidades indígenas. Con el fin de entender los efectos relacionados con la MIJ, discutimos los mismos, a la luz del control histórico de la tierra por parte de las élites terratenientes. Nuestros datos reflejan que el desarrollo inmobiliario relacionado con la MIJ junto con la distribución postcolonial de la tierra tiene efectos socio-espaciales desiguales: las grandes élites terratenientes se benefician de la venta de tierras, mientras que las comunidades indígenas (sin) o pobres en tierras enfrentan grandes dificultades para continuar con la agricultura.
FTIR Spectroscopic Analysis of Pharmacological Importance of Tinospora Cordifolia (Giloy)
Authors: Nidhi  , Gupta Renu , Agarwal Shilpi
Published: December 2023

In this study, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy has been used for identifying the important bioactive compounds elicit pharmacological importance in tinospora cordifolia (Giloy).
Evaluation of the antimicrobial photodynamic response of Rhizopus oryzae
Authors: de A. M. Marques Maria Júlia , Alves Fernanda , Guimarães Francisco , Kurachi Cristina
Published: December 2023

Mucormycosis, a fungal disease, has high mortality despite aggressive treatment. Antimicrobial photodynamic therapy (aPDT), an alternative to antifungal drugs, showed partial inhibition of R. oryzae in vitro growing in all life cycles.
Deep-learning-augmented microscopy for super-resolution imaging of nanoparticles
Authors: Hu Xin , Jia Xixi , Zhang Kai , Lo Tsz Wing , Fan Yulong , Liu Danjun , Wen Jing , Yong Hongwei , Rahmani Mohsen , Zhang Lei , Lei Dangyuan
Published: December 2023

Conventional optical microscopes generally provide blurry and indistinguishable images for subwavelength nanostructures. However, a wealth of intensity and phase information is hidden in the corresponding diffraction-limited optical patterns and can be used for the recognition of structural features, such as size, shape, and spatial arrangement. Here, we apply a deep-learning framework to improve the spatial resolution of optical imaging for metal nanostructures with regular shapes yet varied arrangement. A convolutional neural network (CNN) is constructed and pre-trained by the optical images of randomly distributed gold nanoparticles as input and the corresponding scanning-electron microscopy images as ground truth. The CNN is then learned to recover reversely the non-diffracted super-resolution images of both regularly arranged nanoparticle dimers and randomly clustered nanoparticle multimers from their blurry optical images. The profiles and orientations of these structures can also be reconstructed accurately. Moreover, the same network is extended to deblur the optical images of randomly cross-linked silver nanowires. Most sections of these intricate nanowire nets are recovered well with a slight discrepancy near their intersections. This deep-learning augmented framework opens new opportunities for computational super-resolution optical microscopy with many potential applications in the fields of bioimaging and nanoscale fabrication and characterization. It could also be applied to significantly enhance the resolving capability of low-magnification scanning-electron microscopy.
Lissajous singularities in Young’s interference experiment
Authors: Miao Wenrui , Visser Taco D. , Gbur Greg
Published: December 2023

We explore the interference of two bichromatic vector beams in Young’s interference experiment. Our analysis focuses on determining the conditions under which the superposition of such beams, emerging from the pinholes, can give rise to Lissajous-type polarization singularities on the observation screen. Two independent sufficiency conditions are derived. This analysis aids in comprehending the inherent characteristics of Lissajous singularities. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first demonstration of the singular behavior of polarization in a two-frequency field in Young’s interference experiment.
Simultaneous two-plane flame front detection using PIV based on defocusing
Authors: He Qichi , Willman Christopher , Williams Benjamin A. O.
Published: December 2023

This Letter presents a simultaneous two-plane flame front detection method. It is based on a standard single-camera single-plane particle image velocimetry (PIV) system in combination with an inexpensive and compact image splitting device. The image splitting optics places images from two depth-offset planes onto the two halves of a camera sensor. A shallow depth of field ensures only one plane is in focus on each half of the sensor. By using a high-pass filter and a novel two-step filter we have devised, the out-of-focus particle images are effectively removed, while the in-focus particle images remain, allowing the turbulent flame fronts on two planes to be detected simultaneously. Our approach could be combined with conventional polarization/wavelength discrimination methods to achieve simultaneous multi-plane flame front reconstruction with similarly high in-plane spatial resolution to single-plane measurement and is suitable for practical combustion devices with limited optical access.
Temperature-dependent charge carrier behavior in phosphorene quantum dots probed by terahertz time-domain spectroscopy
Authors: Ji Pengcheng , Liu Xuan , Hou Lei , Ding Lan
Published: December 2023

Although phosphorene quantum dots (PQDs) have gained significant attention in optoelectronics and physics due to their unique optical responses, the low-frequency electromagnetic properties of PQDs and the effects of temperature still remain largely unexplored. Herein, we investigate the temperature-dependent terahertz (THz) response of PQDs by using THz time-domain spectroscopy. Effective THz conductivity of the PQD sample is extracted based on THz measurements to analyze the charge carrier behavior. It is shown that the carriers in the PQDs can be approximated as a weakly confined Drude gas of classical and noninteracting charge particles, which are described by the modified Drude–Smith formula. Then, we also obtain the temperature dependences of the effective characteristic parameters for the charge carriers. As the temperature increases, the plasma frequency linearly enhances whereas both of the carrier diffusion time and the momentum scattering time decrease, which are akin to conventional semiconductors to a large extent. In addition, the confinement factor is closed to 1 and nearly insensitive to temperature. These results are helpful to gain an in-depth understanding of the low-frequency electromagnetic response of charge carriers in PQDs and to explore new applications in photonics and optoelectronics.
Four-dimensional laser absorption cinematography of species and temperature dynamics at 2 kHz in reacting flows
Authors: Wei Chuyu , Spearrin R. Mitchell
Published: December 2023

A four-dimensional (4D) mid-infrared laser absorption imaging technique has been developed and demonstrated for quantitative, time-resolved, volumetric measurements of temperature and species concentration in dynamic combustion flows. This technique employs a dual high-speed infrared camera setup to capture turnable radiation from a quantum cascade laser near 4.85 µm to resolve rovibrational absorption transitions of carbon monoxide at two orthogonal projection angles. The laser is modulated with a customized waveform to adaptively resolve two target transitions with an increased density of data samples in proximity to the transition peaks, therefore ensuring accurate and quantitative spectral interpretation while minimizing the required frame rate. A 3D masked Tikhonov regularized inversion was performed to reconstruct spectrally resolved absorbance at every grid point of each frame, which enables subsequent interpretation of local gas properties in time. These methods are applied to achieve quantitative 4D cinematography of temperature and carbon monoxide in a propagating C2H4/O2 flame with a spatial pixel resolution of ∼70 µm and a temporal resolution of 2 kHz.
Medium-adaptive Compressive Diffuse Optical Tomography
Authors: Nunez Miguel Adrian Mireles , Xu Edward , Ragunathan Rahul , Fang Qianqian
Published: December 2023

The low spatial resolution of diffuse optical tomography (DOT) has motivated the development of high-density DOT systems utilizing spatially-encoded illumination and detection strategies. To limit the size of the inverse problem in these systems, data compression methods, such as applying Fourier or Hadamard patterns, have been explored for both illumination and detection, but were largely limited to pre-determined patterns regardless of imaging targets. Here, we show that target-optimized detection patterns can yield significantly improved DOT reconstructions. Applying reciprocity, we can further iteratively optimize both illumination and detection patterns, and show that these simultaneously optimized source/detection patterns outperform pre-determined patterns in both simulations and phantom data. In addition, we report a target-adaptive wide-field DOT imaging system and test such system with phantom measurements.
Changes in sea floor productivity are crucial to understanding the impact of climate change in temperate coastal ecosystems according to a new size-based model
Authors: Audzijonyte Asta , Delius Gustav W. , Stuart-Smith Rick D. , Novaglio Camilla , Edgar Graham J. , Barrett Neville S. , Blanchard Julia L.
Published: December 2023

The multifaceted effects of climate change on physical and biogeochemical processes are rapidly altering marine ecosystems but often are considered in isolation, leaving our understanding of interactions between these drivers of ecosystem change relatively poor. This is particularly true for shallow coastal ecosystems, which are fuelled by a combination of distinct pelagic and benthic energy pathways that may respond to climate change in fundamentally distinct ways. The fish production supported by these systems is likely to be impacted by climate change differently to those of offshore and shelf ecosystems, which have relatively simpler food webs and mostly lack benthic primary production sources. We developed a novel, multispecies size spectrum model for shallow coastal reefs, specifically designed to simulate potential interactive outcomes of changing benthic and pelagic energy inputs and temperatures and calculate the relative importance of these variables for the fish community. Our model, calibrated using field data from an extensive temperate reef monitoring program, predicts that changes in resource levels will have much stronger impacts on fish biomass and yields than changes driven by physiological responses to temperature. Under increased plankton abundance, species in all fish trophic groups were predicted to increase in biomass, average size, and yields. By contrast, changes in benthic resources produced variable responses across fish trophic groups. Increased benthic resources led to increasing benthivorous and piscivorous fish biomasses, yields, and mean body sizes, but biomass decreases among herbivore and planktivore species. When resource changes were combined with warming seas, physiological responses generally decreased species’ biomass and yields. Our results suggest that understanding changes in benthic production and its implications for coastal fisheries should be a priority research area. Our modified size spectrum model provides a framework for further study of benthic and pelagic energy pathways that can be easily adapted to other ecosystems.
Generalized Michaelis–Menten rate law with time-varying molecular concentrations
Authors: Lim Roktaek , Martin Thomas L. P. , Chae Junghun , Kim Woo Joong , Ghim Cheol-Min , Kim Pan-Jun
Published: December 2023

The Michaelis–Menten (MM) rate law has been the dominant paradigm of modeling biochemical rate processes for over a century with applications in biochemistry, biophysics, cell biology, systems biology, and chemical engineering. The MM rate law and its remedied form stand on the assumption that the concentration of the complex of interacting molecules, at each moment, approaches an equilibrium (quasi-steady state) much faster than the molecular concentrations change. Yet, this assumption is not always justified. Here, we relax this quasi-steady state requirement and propose the generalized MM rate law for the interactions of molecules with active concentration changes over time. Our approach for time-varying molecular concentrations, termed the effective time-delay scheme (ETS), is based on rigorously estimated time-delay effects in molecular complex formation. With particularly marked improvements in protein–protein and protein–DNA interaction modeling, the ETS provides an analytical framework to interpret and predict rich transient or rhythmic dynamics (such as autogenously-regulated cellular adaptation and circadian protein turnover), which goes beyond the quasi-steady state assumption.
How well do rudimentary plasticity rules predict adult visual object learning?
Authors: Lee Michael J. , DiCarlo James J.
Published: December 2023

A core problem in visual object learning is using a finite number of images of a new object to accurately identify that object in future, novel images.

One longstanding, conceptual hypothesis asserts that this core problem is solved by adult brains through two connected mechanisms: 1) the re-representation of incoming retinal images as points in a fixed, multidimensional neural space, and 2) the optimization of linear decision boundaries in that space, via simple plasticity rules applied to a single downstream layer.

Though this scheme is biologically plausible, the extent to which it explains learning behavior in humans has been unclear—in part because of a historical lack of image-computable models of the putative neural space, and in part because of a lack of measurements of human learning behaviors in difficult, naturalistic settings.

Here, we addressed these gaps by 1) drawing from contemporary, image-computable models of the primate ventral visual stream to create a large set of testable learning models (n = 2,408 models), and 2) using online psychophysics to measure human learning trajectories over a varied set of tasks involving novel 3D objects (n = 371,000 trials), which we then used to develop (and publicly release) empirical benchmarks for comparing learning models to humans.

We evaluated each learning model on these benchmarks, and found those based on deep, high-level representations from neural networks were surprisingly aligned with human behavior. While no tested model explained the entirety of replicable human behavior, these results establish that rudimentary plasticity rules, when combined with appropriate visual representations, have high explanatory power in predicting human behavior with respect to this core object learning problem.
Systematic single cell RNA sequencing analysis reveals unique transcriptional regulatory networks of Atoh1-mediated hair cell conversion in adult mouse cochleae
Authors: Tu Shu , Zuo Jian
Published: December 2023

Regeneration of mammalian cochlear hair cells (HCs) by modulating molecular pathways or transcription factors is a promising approach to hearing restoration; however, immaturity of the regenerated HCs in vivo remains a major challenge. Here, we analyzed a single cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) dataset during Atoh1-induced supporting cell (SC) to hair cell (HC) conversion in adult mouse cochleae (Yamashita et al. (2018)) using multiple high-throughput sequencing analytical tools (WGCNA, SCENIC, ARACNE, and VIPER). Instead of focusing on differentially expressed genes, we established independent expression modules and confirmed the existence of multiple conversion stages. Gene regulatory network (GRN) analysis uncovered previously unidentified key regulators, including Nhlh1, Lhx3, Barhl1 and Nfia, that guide converted HC differentiation. Comparison of the late-stage converted HCs with the scRNA-seq data from neonatal mouse cochleae (Kolla et al. (2020)) revealed that they closely resemble postnatal day 1 wild-type OHCs, in contrast to other developmental stages. Using ARACNE and VIPER, we discovered multiple key regulators likely to promote conversion to a more mature OHC-like state, including Zbtb20, Nfia, Zmiz1, Gm14418, Bhlhe40, Six2, Fosb and Klf9. Our findings provide insights into the regulation of HC regeneration in adult mammalian cochleae in vivo and demonstrate an approach for analyzing GRNs in large scRNA-seq datasets.
Evaluation of a large-scale aptamer proteomics platform among patients with kidney failure on dialysis
Authors: Ren Yue , Ruan Peifeng , Segal Mark , Dobre Mirela , Schelling Jeffrey R. , Banerjee Upasana , Shafi Tariq , Ganz Peter , Dubin Ruth F. ,   the CRIC Study Investigators
Published: December 2023

Background

Patients with kidney failure suffer high mortality, and we currently lack markers for risk stratification for these patients. We carried out a quality control study of a modified aptamer assay (SomaScan v.4.0) that measures ~ 5000 proteins, in preparation for a larger study using this platform in cohorts with kidney failure.

Methods

Forty participants from the Cardiac, Endothelial Function and Arterial Stiffness in End-Stage Renal Disease (CERES study) were selected to analyze technical and short-term biological variability, orthogonal correlations and differential protein expression in plasma from patients who died during 2.5 year follow-up. Long-term (one year) variability was studied in 421 participants in the Chronic Renal Insufficiency Cohort. We evaluated 4849 aptamers (4607 unique proteins) using data formats including raw data and data formatted using Adaptive Normalization by Maximum Likelihood (ANML), an algorithm developed for SomaScan data in individuals with normal kidney function.

Results

In ANML format, median[IQR] intra-assay coefficient of variation (CV) was 2.38%[1.76, 3.40] and inter-assay CV was 7.38%[4.61, 13.12]. Short-term within-subject CV was 5.76% [3.35, 9.72]; long-term CV was 8.71%[5.91, 13.37]. Spearman correlations between aptamer and traditional assays for PTH, NT-proBNP, FGF-23 and CRP were all > 0.7. Fold-change (FC) in protein levels among non-survivors, significant after Bonferroni correction, included SVEP1 (FC[95% CI] 2.14 [1.62, 2.82]), keratocan (1.74 [1.40, 2.15]) and LanC-like protein 1 (0.56 [0.45, 0.70]). Compared to raw aptamer data, technical and short-term biological variability in paired samples was lower in ANML-formatted data. ANML formatting had minimal impact on orthogonal correlations with traditional assays or the associations of proteins with the phenotype of mortality.

Conclusions

SomaScan had excellent technical variability and low within-subject short-term variability. ANML formatting could facilitate comparison of biomarker results with other studies that utilize this format. We expect SomaScan to provide novel and reproducible information in patients with kidney failure on dialysis.
Gender imbalances in the editorial activities of a selective journal run by academic editors
Authors: Seidel Malkinson Tal , Terhune Devin B. , Kollamkulam Mathew , Guerreiro Maria J. , Bassett Dani S. , Makin Tamar R.
Published: December 2023

The fairness of decisions made at various stages of the publication process is an important topic in meta-research. Here, based on an analysis of data on the gender of authors, editors and reviewers for 23,876 initial submissions and 7,192 full submissions to the journal eLife, we report on five stages of the publication process. We find that the board of reviewing editors (BRE) is men-dominant (69%) and that authors disproportionately suggest male editors when making an initial submission. We do not find evidence for gender bias when Senior Editors consult Reviewing Editors about initial submissions, but women Reviewing Editors are less engaged in discussions about these submissions than expected by their proportion. We find evidence of gender homophily when Senior Editors assign full submissions to Reviewing Editors (i.e., men are more likely to assign full submissions to other men (77% compared to the base assignment rate to men RE of 70%), and likewise for women (41% compared to women RE base assignment rate of 30%))). This tendency was stronger in more gender-balanced scientific disciplines. However, we do not find evidence for gender bias when authors appeal decisions made by editors to reject submissions. Together, our findings confirm that gender disparities exist along the editorial process and suggest that merely increasing the proportion of women might not be sufficient to eliminate this bias. Measures accounting for women’s circumstances and needs (e.g., delaying discussions until all RE are engaged) and raising editorial awareness to women’s needs may be essential to increasing gender equity and enhancing academic publication.
Age estimation of captive Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) based on DNA methylation: An exploratory analysis using methylation-sensitive high-resolution melting (MS-HRM)
Authors: Arai Kana , Qi Huiyuan , Inoue-Murayama Miho
Published: December 2023

Age is an important parameter for bettering the understanding of biodemographic trends—development, survival, reproduction and environmental effects—critical for conservation. However, current age estimation methods are challenging to apply to many species, and no standardised technique has been adopted yet. This study examined the potential use of methylation-sensitive high-resolution melting (MS-HRM), a labour-, time-, and cost-effective method to estimate chronological age from DNA methylation in Asian elephants (Elephas maximus). The objective of this study was to investigate the accuracy and validation of MS-HRM use for age determination in long-lived species, such as Asian elephants. The average lifespan of Asian elephants is between 50–70 years but some have been known to survive for more than 80 years. DNA was extracted from 53 blood samples of captive Asian elephants across 11 zoos in Japan, with known ages ranging from a few months to 65 years. Methylation rates of two candidate age-related epigenetic genes, RALYL and TET2, were significantly correlated with chronological age. Finally, we established a linear, unisex age estimation model with a mean absolute error (MAE) of 7.36 years. This exploratory study suggests an avenue to further explore MS-HRM as an alternative method to estimate the chronological age of Asian elephants.
Could Cratylia argentea replace Tifton 85 hay on growing and finishing lamb diets in tropical areas?
Authors: Teixeira Elaine Cristina , Abreu Lucas Freires , de Souza Fernando Antônio , Matrangolo Walter José Rodrigues , da Silva Karina Toledo , de Lima Luciano Soares , de Sa Hemilly Cristina Menezes , Lana Ângela Maria Quintão
Published: December 2023

Legumes shrubs such as Cratylia argentea have an ability to thrive in environments with low water availability and poor soil. On the other hand, forage grasses such as Tifton 85 have a greater demand for inputs to be productive. The objective of this study was to evaluate the performance of growing and finishing Lacaune lambs fed Cratylia argentea hay as an alternative to Tifton 85 (Cynodon spp). Twenty-four Lacaune lambs aged between five and six months (average body weight [BW] 21.50 ± 3.38 kg) were arranged in a split-plot randomized block design. The plots consisted of different Cratylia to Tifton 85 hay proportions (0, 20%, 40%, or 100%, dry matter [DM] basis) as a roughage replacement in the total diet. The subplots represented two evaluation times, entitled “initial period” and “final period”, which consisted of the early seven days of total feces and urine collection, and the last seven days of the experiment, respectively. The lambs were blocked by weight with six replicates per treatment. The results show that the level of Tifton 85 replacement for Cratylia hay in the roughage portion of the lamb diet did not influence (P > 0.05) weight gain (WG), dry matter intake or dry matter digestibility; feed conversion, feed efficiency; and the evaluated nitrogen balance variables. The digestibility coefficient of neutral detergent fiber decreased linearly as Tifton 85 replacement for Cratylia level was increased, which probably happened due to the presence of highly lignified material within the Cratylia hay. However, the alternative legume maintained animal performance of Tifton 85. In conclusion, Cratylia hay can be recommended as a potential substitute for Tifton 85 hay, which requires greater inputs for the production. Cratylia may be considered a feeding strategy for livestock production, especially for smallholder livestock systems and regions with unfavorable soil and climate.
Causal relationship from heart failure to kidney function and CKD: A bidirectional two-sample mendelian randomization study
Authors: Zhang Junyu , Hu Zhixi , Tan Yuquan , Ye Jiahao
Published: December 2023

Background

Heart Failure (HF) is a widespread condition that affects millions of people, and it is caused by issues with the heart and blood vessels. Even though we know hypertension, coronary artery disease, obesity, diabetes, and genetics can increase the risk of HF and Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD), the exact cause of these conditions remains a mystery. To bridge this gap, we adopted Mendelian Randomization (MR), which relies on genetic variants as proxies.

Methods

We used data from European populations for our Bidirectional Two-Sample MR Study, which included 930,014 controls and 47,309 cases of HF from the HERMES consortium, as well as 736,396 controls and 51,256 cases of CKD. We also employed several MR variations, including MR-Egger, Inverse Variance Weighted (IVW), and Weighted Median Estimator (WME), to guarantee the results were accurate and comprehensive.).

Results

In this study, the MR analysis found that individuals with a genetic predisposition for HF have an elevated risk of CKD. Our study revealed a significant association between the genetic prediction of HF and the risk of CKD, as evidenced by the IVW method [with an odds ratio (OR) of 1.12 (95% CI, 1.03–1.21), p = 0.009] and the WME [with an OR of 1.14 (95% CI, 1.03–1.26), p = 0.008]. This causal relationship remained robust even after conducting MR analysis while adjusting for the effects of diabetes and hypertension, yielding ORs of 1.13 (IVW:95% CI, 1.03–1.23), 1.12 (MR-Egger: 95% CI, 0.85–1.48), and 1.15 (WME:95% CI, 1.04–1.27) (p = 0.008). However, in the reverse analysis aiming to explore CKD and renal function as exposures and HF as the outcome, we did not observe a statistically significant causal link between CKD and HF.

Conclusion

Our study demonstrates the significance of HF in CKD progression, thus having meaningful implications for treatment and the potential for discovering new therapies. To better understand the relationship between HF and CKD, we need to conduct research in a variety of populations.
Pulmonary expansion manoeuvres compared to usual care on ventilatory mechanics, oxygenation, length of mechanical ventilation and hospital stay, extubation, atelectasis, and mortality of patients in mechanical ventilation: A randomized clinical trial
Authors: da Silva Karina , Oliveira Cristino Carneiro , Cabral Leandro Ferracini , Malaguti Carla , José Anderson
Published: December 2023

Pulmonary expansion manoeuvres are therapeutic techniques used to prevent and reverse atelectasis; however, no randomized controlled trials have provided evidence supporting the use of this intervention among individuals on mechanical ventilation. Objective: To evaluate the effects of chest compression-decompression and chest block manoeuvres compared to usual care among patients on mechanical ventilation. Methods: The current study was a randomized clinical trial of adult subjects on mechanical ventilation for 12 to 48 hours. The control group received usual care (passive or active mobilization, manoeuvres for airway clearance and tracheal aspiration). The intervention group received usual care plus two lung expansion manoeuvres, i.e., chest decompression and chest block, while remaining on mechanical ventilation. Assessments were performed before and after usual care, immediately after the intervention and 30 minutes after the intervention. The primary outcome was static compliance. The secondary outcomes were the incidence of atelectasis, dynamic compliance, airway resistance, driving pressure, oxygenation, duration of mechanical ventilation, extubation success, length of hospital and ICU stay, and mortality. Results: Fifty-one participants (67±15 years old, 53% men, 26 in the control group and 25 in the intervention group) were evaluated. No differences in static compliance were observed between groups (intervention minus control) before and after expansion manoeuvres [3.64 ml/cmH2O (95% CI: -0.36–7.65, p = 0.074)]. Peripheral oxygen saturation differed between groups before and after expansion manoeuvres, with more favourable outcome observed in the control group [-1.04% (95% CI: -1.94 –-0.14), p = 0.027]. No differences were found in other outcomes. Conclusion: Chest compression-decompression and chest block manoeuvres did not improve ventilatory mechanics, the incidence of atelectasis, oxygenation, the duration of mechanical ventilation, the length of stay in the ICU and hospital, or mortality in individuals on mechanical ventilation. The findings of this study can be valuable for guiding evidence-based clinical practice and developing a therapeutic approach that provides real benefits for this population.
análise estrutural da narrativa barthesiana e a série televisiva The Handmaid's Tale
Authors: De Oliveira Zabotti Manoela , Formentin Claudia Nandi
Published: December 2023

Este artigo propõe uma análise do episódio piloto da série televisiva The Handmaid’s Tale, sob a perspectiva da Teoria de Análise Estrutural da Narrativa de Roland Barthes (2001). Para isso, buscou-se reconhecer as unidades que compõem a estrutura narrativa do episódio individualmente, para sua posterior relação com os diferentes níveis de profundidade. Com caráter exploratório e abordagem qualitativa, a pesquisa partiu de uma revisão bibliográfica com aprofundamento na teoria de análise proposta por Roland Barthes, utilizada como instrumento de análise do objeto de pesquisa. Assim, identificou-se a distribuição dos elementos narrativos fundamentais para a construção da narrativa seriada, organizados em forma de quadros. Como resultado, observou-se a importância da estrutura na formação da narrativa, principalmente audiovisual, para prender a atenção e manter o interesse do espectador.