bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A matrix computing method for visualizing switchless controlled 3D hexagonal‐annular rotary braiding process architecture
Authors: Li Jinyu , Zhang Yifan , Zhang Tao , Yuan Lin , Wang Chi , Ren Chengwei , Gong Xiaobo , Guo Bin , Yang He
Published: July 2023

Numerous process architectures for fabric molding are investigated because fiber braided structure is closely related to the performance of fiber‐reinforced composites. However, existing methods for calculating process architectures have to deal with the coordinates of each fiber when modeling the three‐dimensional braiding method without individually controlled switches. The amount of data grows geometrically as the number of fibers and braiding steps increases. A methodology that enables simple and efficient computation of a model of the relationship between braiding parameters and fiber structure is urgently needed. This paper proposes a novel algorithm to trace the yarn carrier trajectories through machine simulation with Euler rotation‐matrix operations. To predict the real fabric architecture, a contraction factor is introduced to optimize the yarn trajectory while considering the volume of the yarn. The optimized fabric architecture is explored and the braiding process architecture with different braiding parameters is simulated according to the algorithm. Based on the exploration of the relationship between the braiding parameters and the process structure, a hexagonal‐annular braiding machine was established, which can fabricate fabrics with different cross‐sectional shapes. The simulation results were verified by the braiding experiments.
Three‐dimensional polymer composite flow simulation and associated fiber orientation prediction for large area extrusion deposition additive manufacturing
Authors: Wang Zhaogui , Luo Chenjun , Xie Zhongqi , Fang Zhenyu
Published: July 2023

Material flow and associated fiber orientation are among the most important features in Large Area extrusion deposition Additive Manufacturing (LAAM) of short fiber‐filled composites. Endeavors have been done in 2D flow models, where significant knowledge is achieved in explaining the material anisotropy of the deposited composite parts. Nevertheless, 2D flow models are limited by a couple of assumptions that lose significant characters of the deposition flow. This study is one of the first few that employ a 3D flow model which focuses on the quasi‐steady state of the polymer composite melt flow within the nozzle and the subsequent 90‐degree turning deposition onto the material substrate. The material flow is assumed as a highly viscous Newtonian flow. The fiber orientation is evaluated using the advanced pARD‐RSC fiber orientation tensor evaluation model, via the one‐way weakly‐coupled flow/orientation analysis formulation. Computed results show the fiber orientation state on the entire cross‐section of a deposited bead, which yields a clear view of how the material anisotropy is affected by the locally varied fiber orientation. The 3D‐flow prediction proves that the transverse directional fiber alignments are in high degree of similarity as compared to the over‐predicted results from the simplified 2D planar flows. In addition, the 3D‐model results exhibit a more favorable agreement with the reported experimental data than that yielded by the conventional 2D models.
IFF: Identifying key residues in intrinsically disordered regions of proteins using machine learning
Authors: Ho Wen‐Lin , Huang Hsuan‐Cheng , Huang Jie‐rong
Published: July 2023

Conserved residues in protein homolog sequence alignments are structurally or functionally important. For intrinsically disordered proteins or proteins with intrinsically disordered regions (IDRs), however, alignment often fails because they lack a steric structure to constrain evolution. Although sequences vary, the physicochemical features of IDRs may be preserved in maintaining function. Therefore, a method to retrieve common IDR features may help identify functionally important residues. We applied unsupervised contrastive learning to train a model with self‐attention neuronal networks on human IDR orthologs. Parameters in the model were trained to match sequences in ortholog pairs but not in other IDRs. The trained model successfully identifies previously reported critical residues from experimental studies, especially those with an overall pattern (e.g., multiple aromatic residues or charged blocks) rather than short motifs. This predictive model can be used to identify potentially important residues in other proteins, improving our understanding of their functions. The trained model can be run directly from the Jupyter Notebook in the GitHub repository using Binder (mybinder.org). The only required input is the primary sequence. The training scripts are available on GitHub (https://github.com/allmwh/IFF). The training datasets have been deposited in an Open Science Framework repository (https://osf.io/jk29b).
Monitoring the temporal changes in herbicide‐resistantAmaranthus tuberculatus: a landscape‐scale probability‐based estimation in Iowa
Authors: Hamberg Ryan C. , Yadav Ramawatar , Dixon Philip M , Licht Mark A. , Owen Micheal DK
Published: July 2023

Background

A landscape‐scale probability‐based sampling of Iowa soybean [Glycine max(L.) Merr.] fields was conducted in 2013 and 2019;Amaranthus tuberculatus[Moq.] J.D. Sauer seed was collected from 97 random geospatial selected fields. The objectives were to evaluate the prevalence and distribution of herbicide‐resistantA. tuberculatus(waterhemp) in soybean fields and evaluate temporal changes over 6 years.Amaranthus tuberculatusseedlings were evaluated for resistance to imazethapyr, atrazine, glyphosate, lactofen and mesotrione at 1× and 4× label rates.

Results

Resistance to imazethapyr, glyphosate, lactofen and mesotrione at the 1× rate increased significantly from 2013 to 2019 and was found in 99%, 97%, 16% and 15% of IowaA. tuberculatuspopulations in 2019, respectively. Resistance to atrazine at the 4× rate increased over time; atrazine resistance was found in 68% of populations in 2019. Three‐way multiple herbicide‐resistantA. tuberculatuswas the most frequent and increased significantly to 4× rates from 16% in 2013 to 43% of populations in 2019. AllA. tuberculatuspopulations resistant to HPPD‐inhibitor herbicides also were resistant to atrazine.

Conclusion

To the best of our knowledge, this is the first probability‐based study that presented evolution ofA. tuberculatusherbicide resistance over time. The results demonstrated that imazethapyr, atrazine and glyphosate resistance in IowaA. tuberculatuspopulations was frequent whereas resistance to lactofen and mesotrione was less frequent. Most IowaA. tuberculatuspopulations evolved resistance to multiple sites of action over time. The results of our study are widely applicable given the similarities in weed management practices throughout the Midwest United States. © 2023 The Authors.Pest Management Sciencepublished by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.
Sensitivity analysis of G‐estimators to invalid instrumental variables
Authors: Vancak Valentin , Sjölander Arvid
Published: July 2023

Instrumental variables regression is a tool that is commonly used in the analysis of observational data. The instrumental variables are used to make causal inference about the effect of a certain exposure in the presence of unmeasured confounders. A valid instrumental variable is a variable that is associated with the exposure, affects the outcome only through the exposure (exclusion), and is not confounded with the outcome (exogeneity). Unlike the first assumption, the other two are generally untestable and rely on subject‐matter knowledge. Therefore, a sensitivity analysis is desirable to assess the impact of assumptions' violation on the estimated parameters. In this paper, we propose and demonstrate a new method of sensitivity analysis for G‐estimators in causal linear and non‐linear models. We introduce two novel aspects of sensitivity analysis in instrumental variables studies. The first is a single sensitivity parameter that captures violations of exclusion and exogeneity assumptions. The second is an application of the method to non‐linear models. The introduced framework is theoretically justified and is illustrated via a simulation study. Finally, we illustrate the method by application to real‐world data and provide guidelines on conducting sensitivity analysis.
Loganin alleviates myocardial ischemia–reperfusion injury through GLP‐1R/NLRP3‐mediated pyroptosis pathway
Authors: Li Wenfan , Fan Pei , Wang Xiaobo , Tang Haifeng
Published: July 2023

Myocardial ischemia–reperfusion (I/R) injury is one of main pathological manifestations of cardiovascular outcomes related to NLRP3 inflammasome‐mediated pyroptosis pathway. Loganin is an iridoid glycoside extracted from traditional Chinese medicines, which has multiple activities. However, the roles and mechanism of loganin in myocardial I/R injury remain largely unknown. The models of myocardial I/R injury were established using I/R‐treated rats or OGD/R‐treated H9C2 cardiomyocytes. Myocardial damage was assessed by TTC and hematoxylin–eosin staining. Pyroptosis‐related marker levels were detected by immunohistochemistry, immunofluorescence and western blotting assays. Cell proliferation was examined via EdU assay. Cell apoptosis was investigated by LDH release and flow cytometry. The integrity of cell membrane was analyzed via Dil staining. GLP‐1R and NLRP3 levels were detected by immunofluorescence and western blotting assays. Our results showed that loganin suppressed I/R‐induced myocardial damage in rats by reducing myocardial infarct, injury and pyroptosis. In addition, loganin attenuated OGD/R‐induced cardiomyocyte apoptosis through increasing cell proliferation and reducing LDH release and apoptotic rate. Loganin also mitigated OGD/R‐induced cardiomyocyte pyroptosis by reducing cell membrane damage and levels of cleaved caspase‐1, IL‐1β and IL‐18. Furthermore, loganin repressed GLP‐1R/NLRP3 pathway activation in OGD/R‐treated H9C2 cardiomyocytes by enhancing GLP‐1R expression and decreasing NLRP3 level. GLP‐1R/NLRP3 activation by GLP‐1R inhibition or NLRP3 overexpression reversed the suppressive effects of loganin on OGD/R‐induced cardiomyocyte pyroptosis. These data indicated that loganin prevented OGD/R‐induced proliferation inhibition, apoptosis and pyroptosis in OGD/R‐treated cardiomyocytes by inhibiting GLP‐1R/NLRP3 activity, indicating the therapeutic potential of loganin in myocardial I/R injury.
Theoretical designs of low‐barrier ferroelectricity
Authors: Zhong Ting‐Ting , Gao Yaxin , Ren Yangyang , Wu Menghao
Published: July 2023

Ferroelectrics with electrically switchable spontaneous polarizations can be used for information storage, where a low switching barrier is favorable to reduce the energy cost and enhance the speed for data writing. Meanwhile their robustness at working temperature should be ensured, which is a challenge for the designs of low‐barrier ferroelectrics. Here we review several types of ferroelectric mechanisms that may render both low switching barriers and room‐temperature robustness, which have been theoretically proposed in previous studies. (1) The prediction of sliding ferroelectricity with ultralow switching barriers has been experimentally confirmed in a series of van der Waals layers, which may enable convenient electrical control of various physical properties in 2D materials, like magnetic, photovoltaic, valleytronic and topological properties. (2) Hydrogen‐bonded ferroelectricity spontaneously formed by head‐to‐tail chains can be switched by proton‐transfer crossing a low barrier, and a mechanism of ultra‐high piezoelectricity utilizing the specific features of hydrogen bonding has been proposed. (3) High‐ionicity ferroelectricity induced by covalent‐like ionic bondings may entail high polarizations and low barriers during switching, which is attributed to the features of long‐range Coulomb interaction, and the long ion‐displacements crossing unitcell may give rise to unconventional ferroelectricity with quantized polarizations even in crystals of non‐ferroelectric point groups. Those low‐barrier ferroelectric mechanisms may bring in both new physics and technological advances, which are to be further explored.

This article is categorized under:

Structure and Mechanism > Computational Materials Science
Prince Charles’ A Vision of Britain as Populist Retrotopia
Authors: Rajaniemi Juho , Koponen Olli-Paavo
Published: July 2023

In 1989, Charles, Prince of Wales (now King Charles III), published A Vision of Britain: A Personal View of Architecture, a book promoting traditional over modernist architecture. He called for an architecture which could please the more traditional taste of ‘ordinary’ people. Prince Charles’ opinions generated extensive positive feedback by the audience, and his ideas fuelled an architectural debate for several years, forcing many architects to re-evaluate and clarify their views on modernist architecture. In our chapter, we scrutinize three aspects intertwined in A Vision of Britain: firstly, the author’s attack on modernism in architecture; secondly, the populist arguments he uses to legitimize his attack; and thirdly, the retrotopic tendencies of his proposal for a reversion to the architecture of the past. In addition, we take a look at Poundbury, Prince Charles’ retrotopia realized on the outskirts of Dorchester, and consider if and how his nostalgic ideas have been successfully constructed.
Indonesia’s Student and Non-student Protesters in May 1998: Break and Reunification
Authors: Tehusijarana Jonathan Peter
Published: July 2023

As Indonesia moves temporally further away from the events that heralded reformasi in 1998, the memory of the pivotal role played by students in those events has also begun to shift. This chapter examines how the student activists of 1998 justified their actions based on memories of past experiences with the Indonesian people as well as the longer lineage of the role youth and youth activism have played within Indonesian history.
A prognostic nomogram for predicting recurrence-free survival of stage I–III colon cancer based on immune-infiltrating Treg-related genes
Authors: Xu Longwen , Liu Mengjie , Lian Jie , Li Enmeng , Dongmin Chang , Li Xuqi , Wang Wenjuan
Published: July 2023

Purpose

A high postoperative recurrence rate seriously impedes colon cancer (CC) patients from achieving long-term survival. Here, we aimed to develop a Treg-related classifier that can help predict recurrence-free survival (RFS) and therapy benefits of stage I–III colon cancer.

Methods

A Treg-related prognostic classifier was built through a variety of bioinformatic methods, whose performance was assessed by KM survival curves, time-dependent receiver operating characteristic (tROC), and Harrell’s concordance index (C-index). A prognostic nomogram was generated using this classifier and other traditional clinical parameters. Moreover, the predictive values of this classifier for immunotherapy and chemotherapy therapeutic efficacy were tested using multiple immunotherapy sets and R package “pRRophetic".

Results

A nine Treg-related classifier categorized CC patients into high- and low-risk groups with distinct RFS in the multiple datasets (all p < 0.05). The AUC values of 5-year RFS were 0.712, 0.588, 0.669, and 0.662 in the training, 1st, 2nd, and entire validation sets, respectively. Furthermore, this classifier was identified as an independent predictor of RFS. Finally, a nomogram combining this classifier and three clinical variables was generated, the analysis of tROC, C-index, calibration curves, and the comparative analysis with other signatures confirmed its predictive performance. Moreover, KM analysis exhibited an obvious discrepancy in the subgroups, especially in different TNM stages and with adjuvant chemotherapy. We detected the difference between the two risk subsets of immune cell sub-population and the response to immunotherapy and chemotherapy.

Conclusions

We built a robust Treg-related classifier and generated a prognostic nomogram that predicts recurrence-free survival in stage I–III colon cancer that can identify high-risk patients for more personalized and effective therapy.
The benefits and pitfalls of machine learning for biomarker discovery
Authors: Ng Sandra , Masarone Sara , Watson David , Barnes Michael R.
Published: July 2023

Prospects for the discovery of robust and reproducible biomarkers have improved considerably with the development of sensitive omics platforms that can enable measurement of biological molecules at an unprecedented scale. With technical barriers to success lowering, the challenge is now moving into the analytical domain. Genome-wide discovery presents a problem of scale and multiple testing as standard statistical methods struggle to distinguish signal from noise in increasingly complex biological systems. Machine learning and AI methods are good at finding answers in large datasets, but they have a tendency to overfit solutions. It may be possible to find a local answer or mechanism in a specific patient sample or small group of samples, but this may not generalise to wider patient populations due to the high likelihood of false discovery. The rise of explainable AI offers to improve the opportunity for true discovery by providing explanations for predictions that can be explored mechanistically before proceeding to costly and time-consuming validation studies. This review aims to introduce some of the basic concepts of machine learning and AI for biomarker discovery with a focus on post hoc explanation of predictions. To illustrate this, we consider how explainable AI has already been used successfully, and we explore a case study that applies AI to biomarker discovery in rheumatoid arthritis, demonstrating the accessibility of tools for AI and machine learning. We use this to illustrate and discuss some of the potential challenges and solutions that may enable AI to critically interrogate disease and response mechanisms.
Succinic acid production by wine yeasts and the influence of GABA and glutamic acid
Authors: Torres-Guardado Rafael , Rozès Nicolás , Esteve-Zarzoso Braulio , Reguant Cristina , Bordons Albert
Published: July 2023

As a consequence of alcoholic fermentation (AF) in wine, several compounds are released by yeasts, and some of them are linked to the general quality and mouthfeel perceptions in wine. However, others, such as succinic acid, act as inhibitors, mainly of malolactic fermentation. Succinic acid is produced by non-Saccharomyces and Saccharomyces yeasts during the initial stages of AF, and the presence of some amino acids such as γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and glutamic acid can increase the concentration of succinic acid. However, the influence of these amino acids on succinic acid production has been studied very little to date. In this work, we studied the production of succinic acid by different strains of non-Saccharomyces and Saccharomyces yeasts during AF in synthetic must, and the influence of the addition of GABA or glutamic acid or a combination of both. The results showed that succinic acid can be produced by non-Saccharomyces yeasts with values in the range of 0.2–0.4 g/L. Moreover, the addition of GABA or glutamic acid can increase the concentration of succinic acid produced by some strains to almost 100 mg/L more than the control, while other strains produce less. Consequently, higher succinic acid production by non-Saccharomyces yeast in coinoculated fermentations with S. cerevisiae strains could represent a risk of inhibiting Oenococcus oeni and therefore the MLF.
d-Serine as a sensor and effector of the kidney
Authors: Kimura Tomonori , Sakai Shinsuke , Isaka Yoshitaka
Published: July 2023

d-Serine, a rare enantiomer of serine, is a biomarker of kidney disease and function. The level of d-serine in the human body is precisely regulated through the urinary clearance of the kidney, and its clearance serves as a new measure of glomerular filtration rate with a lower bias than creatinine clearance. d-Serine also has a direct effect on the kidneys and mediates the cellular proliferation of tubular cells via mTOR signaling and induces kidney remodeling as a compensatory reaction to the loss of kidney mass. In living kidney donors, the removal of the kidney results in an increase in blood d-serine level, which in turn accelerates kidney remodeling and augments kidney clearance, thus reducing blood levels of d-serine. This feedback system strictly controls d-serine levels in the body. The function of d-serine as a biomarker and modulator of kidney function will be the basis of precision medicine for kidney diseases.
Bergbau und Naturschutzrecht
Authors: Frenz Walter
Published: July 2023

Der Bergbau gilt als besonderes Feld des Naturschutzes. Kann dieser sich durchsetzen oder gilt dies umgekehrt für den Bergbau? Im Ansatz sind beide gleichgewichtig. Dieses Gleichgewicht bricht sich auch im Rahmen des geltenden Rechts Bahn. In den unionsrechtlich geregelten Bereichen ist ohnehin der Naturschutz vorrangig – oder doch mit Aufweichungen wie jetzt im Hinblick auf den Windkraftausbau, für den auch Rohstoffe nötig sind?
GPR81-mediated reprogramming of glucose metabolism contributes to the immune landscape in breast cancer
Authors: li Xiaofeng , Chen Yiwen , Wang Ting , Liu Zifan , Yin Guotao , Wang Ziyang , Sui Chunxiao , Zhu Lei , Chen Wei
Published: July 2023

Background

Local tumor microenvironment (TME) plays a crucial role in immunotherapy for breast cancer (BC). Whereas, the molecular mechanism responsible for the crosstalk between BC cells and surrounding immune cells remains unclear. The present study aimed to determine the interplay between GPR81-mediated glucometabolic reprogramming of BC and the immune landscape in TME.

Materials and Methods

Immunohistochemistry (IHC) assay was first performed to evaluate the association between GPR81 and the immune landscape. Then, several stable BC cell lines with down-regulated GPR81 expression were established to directly identify the role of GPR81 in glucometabolic reprogramming, and western blotting assay was used to detect the underlying molecular mechanism. Finally, a transwell co-culture system confirmed the crosstalk between glucometabolic regulation mediated by GPR81 in BC and induced immune attenuation.

Results

IHC analysis demonstrated that the representation of infiltrating CD8+ T cells and FOXP3+ T cells were dramatically higher in BC with a triple negative (TN) subtype in comparison with that with a non-TN subtype (P < 0.001). Additionally, the ratio of infiltrating CD8+ to FOXP3+ T cells was significantly negatively associated with GPR81 expression in BC with a TN subtype (P < 0.001). Furthermore, GPR81 was found to be substantially correlated with the glycolytic capability (P < 0.001) of BC cells depending on a Hippo-YAP signaling pathway (P < 0.001). In the transwell co-culture system, GPR81-mediated reprogramming of glucose metabolism in BC significantly contributed to a decreased proportion of CD8+ T (P < 0.001) and an increased percentage of FOXP3+ T (P < 0.001) in the co-cultured lymphocytes.

Conclusion

Glucometabolic reprogramming through a GPR81-mediated Hippo-YAP signaling pathway was responsible for the distinct immune landscape in BC. GPR81 was a potential biomarker to stratify patients before immunotherapy to improve BC’s clinical prospect.
Mozart's Operas and National Politics
Authors: Nedbal Martin
Published: July 2023

As both an in-depth study of Mozart criticism and performance practice in Prague, and a history of how eighteenth-century opera was appropriated by later political movements and social groups, this book explores the reception of Mozart's operas in Prague between 1791 and the present and reveals the profound influence of politics on the construction of the Western musical canon. Tracing the links between performances of Mozart's operas and strategies that Bohemian musicians, critics, directors, musicologists, and politicians used to construct modern Czech and German identities, Nedbal explores the history of the canonization process from the perspective of a city that has often been regarded as peripheral to mainstream Western music history. Individual chapters focus on Czech and German adaptations of Mozart's operas for Prague's theaters, operatic criticism published in Prague's Czech and German journals, the work of Bohemian historians interpreting Mozart, and endeavours of cultural activists to construct monuments in recognition of the composer.
How Plato Writes
Authors: Schofield Malcolm
Published: July 2023

Plato is a philosophical writer of unusual and ingenious versatility. His works engage in argument but are also full of allegory, imagery, myth, paradox and intertextuality. He astutely characterises the participants whom he portrays in conversation. Sometimes he composes fictive dialogues in dramatic form while at other times he does so as narratives. In this book, world-renowned scholar Malcolm Schofield illustrates the variety of the literary resources that Plato deploys to achieve his philosophical purposes. He draws key passages for discussion particularly, but not only, from Republic and the less well-known Laws and also shows how reconstructing the original historical context of a dialogue and of its assumed readership is essential to understanding Plato's approach. The book will open the eyes of readers of all levels of expertise to Plato's masterly ability as a writer and how an understanding of this is crucial if we are to appreciate his philosophy.
Richtmyer–Meshkov instability with a rippled reshock
Authors: Zhang Yumeng , Zhao Yong , Ding Juchun , Luo Xisheng
Published: July 2023

The reshocked Richtmyer–Meshkov instability (RMI) is examined in three different configurations via shock-tube experiments: RMI at a single-mode interface with a planar reshock (configuration I); RMI at a flat interface with a sinusoidal reshock (configuration II); RMI at a single-mode interface with a sinusoidal reshock (configuration III). The sinusoidal reshock is created by an incident shock reflecting off a sine-shaped wall surface. For all three configurations, the initial conditions of the experiment are specially set such that the interface evolution is at the linear stage when the reshock arrives. It is found that the amplitude of the reshocked interface increases linearly with time for all three configurations. For configuration I, the post-reshock perturbation growth depends heavily on the pre-reshock amplitude and growth rate, which can be predicted by a modified Mikaelian model (Phys. Rev. A, vol. 31, 1985, pp. 410–419). For configuration II, velocity perturbation associated with the non-uniform rippled reshock plays an important role in the instability growth. For configuration III, the post-reshock instability growth is much quicker (lower) than in configuration I when the sinusoidal reshock is in phase (out of phase) with the interface. A major reason is that for the in-phase (anti-phase) case, the velocity perturbation gives rise to an instability growth with an identical (opposite) direction to the pressure perturbation. A linear theory is developed that takes velocity perturbation, pressure perturbation and pre-reshock growth rate into account, which gives a reasonable prediction of the growth of the reshocked RMI in configurations II and III.
Late Holocene coastal dynamics south of the Chanthaburi estuary, eastern Gulf of Thailand
Authors: Ballian Armelle , Chawchai Sakonvan , Miocic Johannes M. , Charoenchatree Warinyupa , Bissen Raphael , Preusser Frank
Published: July 2023

Beach ridges are depositional features that allow reconstruction of past sea-level variations, sediment dynamics, and storm activity. However, there are still very few systematic studies focusing on beach ridges available from the Gulf of Thailand. Along the east coast, satellite images provide evidence of beach ridges in the Chanthaburi Province, extending as far as 6 km inland, oriented parallel to the current coastline. These can be divided into a set of landward ridges (5.3–6.0 km inland) and seaward ridges (0.4–1.8 km inland) that are separated by an arm of the Chanthaburi estuary. Optically stimulated luminescence dating of 26 sand samples from 12 pits of ridge profiles suggests that the landward set of beach ridges formed ca. 3500 yr ago, while the seaward set of ridges formed between ca. 2100–1200 years ago, which also includes the modern active beach. It appears that the landward set of beach ridges developed during a period of relatively stable sea level followed by a rapid regression presently occupied by the arm of the Chanthaburi estuary. The seaward set of beach ridges apparently reflects a millennium of slowly retreating coastline until the modern beach ridge formed.
Imposing a Lifestyle: A New Argument for Antinatalism
Authors: Häyry Matti , Sukenick Amanda
Published: July 2023

Antinatalism is an emerging philosophy and practice that challenges pronatalism, the prevailing philosophy and practice in reproductive matters. We explore justifications of antinatalism—the arguments from the quality of life, the risk of an intolerable life, the lack of consent, and the asymmetry of good and bad—and argue that none of them supports a concrete, understandable, and convincing moral case for not having children. We identify concentration on possible future individuals who may or may not come to be as the main culprit for the failure and suggest that the focus should be shifted to people who already exist. Pronatalism’s hegemonic status in contemporary societies imposes upon us a lifestyle that we have not chosen yet find almost impossible to abandon. We explicate the nature of this imposition and consider the implications of its exposure to different stakeholders with varying stands on the practice of antinatalism. Imposition as a term has figured in reproductive debates before, but the argument from postnatal, mental, and cultural imposition we launch is new. It is the hitherto overlooked and underdeveloped justification of antinatalism that should be solid and comprehensible enough to be used even by activists in support of their work.
Aiding Higher Education with Export Expansion in the Developing World
Authors: Suzuki Motoshi
Published: July 2023

The recent change towards advanced technologies favors skill-intensive labor, motivating workers to upgrade their educational achievements to the tertiary level. However, workers in many developing countries cannot exploit the opportunity for premium wages in skill-intensive sectors owing to insufficient education facilities and resources. In such contexts, aid to education provides a capacity-building tool to eliminate the insufficiency but is often unsuccessful. Using theories of trade and human capital, this study argues that complementarity between education aid and skill-intensive manufactured exports creates a synergistic effect in upgrading educational achievements by rectifying both structural and incentive constraints. Through extensive data analysis, the result demonstrates that skill-intensive exports enhance aid's effectiveness in increasing tertiary school enrollment, whereas neither exports nor aid alone significantly affect enrollment. It further shows that the aid–export complementarity is less relevant in low-income countries, whereas skill-intensive exports alone promote education upgrading in developed countries via the Stolper–Samuelson effect.
Early EEG-burst sharpness and 2-year disability in extremely preterm infants
Authors: Plomgaard Anne Mette , Stevenson Nathan , Roberts James A. , Hvass Petersen Tue , Vanhatalo Sampsa , Greisen Gorm ,   the SafeBoosC-II study group, Pellicer Adelina , Fumagalli Monica , Lemmers Petra , Pichler Gerhard , Dempsey Eugene , Claris Olivier , Hyttel-Sorensen Simon
Published: July 2023

Background

Automated computational measures of EEG have the potential for large-scale application. We hypothesised that a predefined measure of early EEG-burst shape (increased burst sharpness) could predict neurodevelopmental impairment (NDI) and mental developmental index (MDI) at 2 years of age over-and-above that of brain ultrasound.

Methods

We carried out a secondary analysis of data from extremely preterm infants collected for an RCT (SafeBoosC-II). Two hours of single-channel cross-brain EEG was used to analyse burst sharpness with an automated algorithm. The co-primary outcomes were moderate-or-severe NDI and MDI. Complete data were available from 58 infants. A predefined statistical analysis was adjusted for GA, sex and no, mild–moderate, and severe brain injury as detected by cranial ultrasound.

Results

Nine infants had moderate-or-severe NDI and the mean MDI was 87 ± 17.3 SD. The typical burst sharpness was low (negative values) and varied relatively little (mean –0.81 ± 0.11 SD), but the odds ratio for NDI was increased by 3.8 (p = 0.008) and the MDI was reduced by –3.2 points (p = 0.14) per 0.1 burst sharpness units increase (+1 SD) in the adjusted analysis.

Conclusion

This study confirms the association between EEG-burst measures in preterm infants and neurodevelopment in childhood. Importantly, this was by a priori defined analysis.

Impact

A fully automated, computational measure of EEG in the first week of life was predictive of neurodevelopmental impairment at 2 years of age.

This confirms many previous studies using expert reading of EEG.

Only single-channel EEG data were used, adding to the applicability.

EEG was recorded by several different devices thus this measure appears to be robust to differences in electrodes, amplifiers and filters.

The likelihood ratio of a positive EEG test, however, was only about 2, suggesting little immediate clinical value.
Pharmacological bioactivity of Ceratonia siliqua pulp extract: in vitro screening and molecular docking analysis, implication of Keap-1/Nrf2/NF-ĸB pathway
Authors: El-Zeftawy Marwa , Ghareeb Doaa
Published: July 2023

Inflammation is interfaced with various metabolic disorders. Ceratonia siliqua (CS) has a higher pharmaceutical purpose. The research aimed to investigate the biofunction of CS pulp aqueous extract (CS-PAE) with an emphasis on its integrated computational approaches as opposed to different specific receptors contributing to inflammation. The extract was assessed for its chemical and phenolic components via GC–MS, LC–MS, HPLC, and total phenolic and flavonoid content. In vitro, bioactivities and molecular docking were analyzed. Findings indicate that CS-PAE demonstrated higher scavenging activities of nitric oxide, 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radical, superoxide anion, hydrogen peroxide, and anti-lipid peroxidation (IC50 values were 5.29, 3.04, 0.63, 7.35 and 9.6 mg/dl, respectively). The extract revealed potent inhibition of RBCs hemolysis, acetylcholine esterase, monoamine oxidase-B, and α-glucosidase enzymes (IC50 was 13.44, 9.31, 2.45, and 1.5 mg/dl, respectively). The extract exhibited a cytotoxic effect against prostate cancer Pc3, liver cancer HepG2, colon cancer Caco2, and lung cancer A549 cell lines. Moreover, CS-PAE owned higher antiviral activity against virus A and some bacteria. When contrasting data from molecular docking, it was reported that both apigenin-7-glucoside and rutin in CS-PAE have a good affinity toward the Keap-1/Nrf2/ NF-ĸB pathway. In conclusion, CS-PAE showed promise in therapeutic activity in metabolic conditions.
The role of early synthetic materials degradation in the downfall of the Ansaldo A.1, an Italian World War I biplane fighter
Authors: La Nasa Jacopo , Ceccarini Alessio , Ducoli Riccardo , Manariti Antonella , Lucejko Jeanette J. , Degano Ilaria , Capra Neva , Giovannini Lucia , Tomasi Maria Luisa , Modugno Francesca , Colombini Maria Perla , Bonaduce Ilaria
Published: July 2023

From the Pioneer Era of the aviation to World War I the evolution of aircraft technology and chemical synthesis enabled a unique coexistence of traditional craftsmanship, artistic decoration practices, and technological advancements. The study of the materials used in these early years of aviation is still an uncharted territory: a vast portion of remaining planes has been partially or completely repaired and restored, usually by total replacement of the fabric. The Italian biplane Ansaldo A.1 (1918) is a fighter aircraft and is one of the few planes in the world that still preserves its own original materials. In the last years, the fabric sections of the airplane have started to become brittle and loose cohesion, severely compromising the integrity of the aircraft, and resulting in a general alteration of the pictorial layers of the painted sections. A chemical investigation was undertaken to unveil the materials, and to elucidate the causes of the degradation. This study presents one of the first steps into the study of early historical aircrafts, defining the background for the conservation plans to preserve these objects for future generations.
Study on the spatial spillover effect of land use type change on carbon emissions
Authors: Zhang Ruiwu , Ying Jun , Zhang Yiqi
Published: July 2023

Land use change affects the terrestrial carbon cycle, a crucial factor in attaining energy conservation and emission reduction under climate change. This study constructs panel data for thirteen Hangzhou districts and municipalities from 2000 to 2020. Using the spatial Durbin model, it analyzes the spatial spillover effect of land use change on carbon emissions. The results show that the spatial distribution of carbon emissions in Hangzhou continues to increase with positive spatial autocorrelation, and the spatial distribution shows "high-high" and "low-low" clustering. The expansion of construction land is the main reason for the increase in carbon emissions, and the inhibitory effect of water area on carbon emissions is more potent than woodland. The area of cultivated land and construction land has a positive spillover effect on carbon emissions, while the woodland area has a negative spillover effect on carbon emissions. To promote urban low-carbon development, maximizing the spatial spillover effect of land use and establishing a collaborative governance system between districts and counties is crucial.
Association between CCR2 and CCL2 expression and NET stimulation in adult-onset Still’s disease
Authors: Jung Ju-Yang , Ahn Mi-Hyun , Kim Ji-Won , Suh Chang-Hee , Han Jae Ho , Kim Hyoun-Ah
Published: July 2023

Adult-onset Still’s disease (AOSD) is a systemic inflammatory disease characterized by the activation of monocyte-derived cells and the release of neutrophil extracellular traps (NET). C–C motif ligand (CCL) 2 is a chemoattractant that interacts with the C–C motif chemokine receptor (CCR) 2, resulting in monocyte recruitment and activation. CCL2 and CCR2 were measured with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) at the serum level, and using immunohistochemical staining at the skin and lymph node tissues levels. THP-1 cell lysates were analyzed using western blot and ELISA after NET stimulation in patients with AOSD. Serum CCL2 level was higher in patients with AOSD than in patients with rheumatoid arthritis and healthy controls (HCs). In patients with AOSD, the percentage of CCL2-positive inflammatory cells in the skin tissues and CCR2-positive inflammatory cells in the lymph nodes increased, compared to that in HCs and in patients with reactive lymphadenopathy, respectively. NET induced in patients with AOSD enhanced the secretion of CCR2, higher CCR2 expression in monocytes, and the levels of interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, and IL-18 from THP-1 cells. Our findings suggest that upregulation of the CCL2–CCR2 axis may contribute to the clinical and inflammatory characteristics of AOSD.
No Musician Advantage in the Perception of Degraded–Fundamental Frequency Speech in Noisy Environments
Authors: Hsieh I-Hui , Guo Yu-Jyun
Published: July 2023

Purpose:

Pitch variations of the fundamental frequency (
f
o
) contour contribute to speech perception in noisy environments, but whether musicians confer an advantage in speech in noise (SIN) with altered
f
o
information remains unclear. This study investigated the effects of different levels of degraded
f
o
contour (i.e., conveying lexical tone or intonation information) on musician advantage in speech-in-noise perception.

Method:

A cohort of native Mandarin Chinese speakers, comprising 30 trained musicians and 30 nonmusicians, were tested on the intelligibility of Mandarin Chinese sentences with natural, flattened-tone, flattened-intonation, and flattened-all
f
o
contours embedded in background noise masked under three signal-to-noise ratios (0, −5, and −9 dB). Pitch difference thresholds and innate musical skills associated with speech-in-noise benefits were also assessed.

Results:

Speech intelligibility score improved with increasing signal-to-noise level for both musicians and nonmusicians. However, no musician advantage was observed for identifying any type of flattened-
f
o
contour SIN. Musicians exhibited smaller
f
o
pitch discrimination limens than nonmusicians, which correlated with benefits for perceiving speech with intact tone-level
f
o
information. Regardless of musician status, performance on the pitch and accent musical-skill subtests correlated with speech intelligibility score.

Conclusions:

Collectively, these results provide no evidence for a musician advantage for perceiving speech with distorted
f
o
information in noisy environments. Results further show that perceptual musical skills on pitch and accent processing may benefit the perception of SIN, independent of formal musical training. Our findings suggest that the potential application of music training in speech perception in noisy backgrounds is not contingent on the ability to process
f
o
pitch contours, at least for Mandarin Chinese speakers.

Supplemental Material:

https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.23706354
Deep features fusion for user authentication based on human activity
Authors: Wandji Piugie Yris Brice , Charrier Christophe , Di Manno Joël , Rosenberger Christophe
Published: July 2023

The exponential growth in the use of smartphones means that users must constantly be concerned about the security and privacy of mobile data because the loss of a mobile device could compromise personal information. To address this issue, continuous authentication systems have been proposed, in which users are monitored transparently after initial access to the smartphone. In this study, the authors address the problem of user authentication by considering human activities as behavioural biometric information. The authors convert the behavioural biometric data (considered as time series) into a 2D colour image. This transformation process keeps all the characteristics of the behavioural signal. Time series does not receive any filtering operation with this transformation, and the method is reversible. This signal‐to‐image transformation allows us to use the 2D convolutional networks to build efficient deep feature vectors. This allows them to compare these feature vectors to the reference template vectors to compute the performance metric. The authors evaluate the performance of the authentication system in terms of Equal Error Rate on a benchmark University of Californy, Irvine Human Activity Recognition dataset, and they show the efficiency of the approach.
Simplification of DFT and IDFT in PRACH
Authors: Jiang Yufeng , Kang Shouxin
Published: July 2023

The respective simplifications of prime‐point discrete Fourier transform (DFT) and ultra‐long‐point inverse discrete Fourier transform (IDFT) in physical random access channel (PRACH) are proposed. The former is an equivalent substitution of DFT function by using the property of Zadoff‐Chu (ZC) sequence, and the latter is an approximation based on cubic spline interpolation, which not only reduces the IDFT points, but also is easy to construct.
Wide angle SAR imaging method based on hybrid representation
Authors: Zhao Yao , Chen Yanxu , Tian He , Quan Xiangyin , Ling Bingo Wing‐Kuen , Zhang Zhe
Published: July 2023

In this paper, the application of a hybrid representation in wide‐angle synthetic aperture radar (WASAR) imaging is investigated, addressing the challenge of achieving sparse representation in the presence of complex electromagnetic scattering characteristics and highly anisotropic targets. A convolutional neural network is utilized to represent the two‐dimensional data within each azimuth aperture, while employing blind compressed sensing (BCS) to achieve sparse representation across different azimuth apertures. Convolutional neural network (CNN) excels in learning spatial hierarchies and local dependencies of two‐dimensional data but requires a large amount of training data. Isotropic targets within each azimuth aperture can be used for training conventional SAR data, while acquiring training samples for anisotropic targets poses challenges. To address this issue, BCS are integrated into WASAR imaging, eliminating the need for additional training data. By integrating these methods, a novel approach called hybrid‐WASAR is proposed, which incorporates two regularization terms into WASAR imaging and employs the alternating direction method of multipliers to iteratively solve the imaging model. Compared to traditional WASAR imaging techniques, hybrid‐WASAR improves the accuracy of reconstructing the backscattering coefficients of the targets, leading to a significant enhancement in overall imaging quality.
A dilating and embedding scheme for constructing sparse MIMO radar array
Authors: Zhang Baohua , Guo Yiming , Liu Guangyi , Mei Fengtong , Shen Zhixiang
Published: July 2023

In this letter, a dilating and embedding scheme for constructing sparse multiple‐input and multiple‐output radar arrays is addressed, which seeks to increase the uniform degrees of freedom (uDOFs) and reduce the mutual coupling effects for a given number of transmitters and receivers (Tx/Rx). According to this scheme, a dilated maximum inter‐element spacing constraint (MISC) array with an embedded thinned coprime array in the collocated MIMO radar for DOA estimation is proposed. Theoretical analysis shows that the proposed array can provide higher uDOFs and is robust in a scenario with heavy levels of mutual coupling. Numerical simulations are conducted to validate its aforementioned advantages in line with the design scheme.
MDSC‐Net: A multi‐scale depthwise separable convolutional neural network for skin lesion segmentation
Authors: Jiang Yun , Qiao Hao , Zhang Zequn , Wang Meiqi , Yan Wei , Chen Jie
Published: July 2023

Accurate segmentation of the skin lesion region is crucial for diagnosing and screening skin diseases. However, skin lesion segmentation is challenging due to the indistinguishable boundaries of the lesion region, irregular shapes and hair interference. To settle the above issues, we propose a Multi‐scale Depthwise Separable Convolutional Neural Network for skin lesion segmentation named MDSC‐Net. Specifically, a novel Multi‐scale Depthwise Separable Residual Convolution Module is employed in skip connection, conveying more detailed features to the decoder. To compensate for the loss of spatial location information in down‐sampling, we propose a novel Spatial Adaption Module. Furthermore, we propose a Multi‐scale Decoding Fusion Module in the decoder to capture contextual information. We have performed extensive experiments to verify the effectiveness and robustness of the proposed network on three public benchmark skin lesion segmentation datasets and one public benchmark polyp segmentation dataset, including ISIC‐2017, ISIC‐2018, PH2, and Kvasir‐SEG datasets. Experimental results consistently demonstrate the proposed MDSC‐Net achieves superior segmentation across five popularly used evaluation criteria. The proposed network reaches high‐performance skin lesion segmentation, and can provide important clues to help doctors diagnose and treat skin cancer early.