bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Use of Pre- and Peri-Procedural Imaging During VT Ablation
Authors: Whitaker John , Rajani Ronak , Ismail Tevfik F. , Wright Matthew , Zei Paul C.
Published: January 2024

Purpose of review

Ventricular arrhythmias, including ventricular tachycardia (VT), ventricular fibrillation (VF), and premature ventricular complexes (PVCs), may occur in structurally normal hearts and in the context of structural heart disease. In those patients with recurrent arrhythmias despite medical therapy, catheter ablation may be considered. To successfully suppress ventricular arrhythmias, an understanding of the substrate for the arrhythmias is crucial.

Recent findings

Advances in cross-sectional imaging used prior to VT ablation permit accurate localisation of fibrosis that represents the substrate for VT, allowing an operator to focus the electrophysiologic assessment during a procedure and effectively target all relevant parts of the substrate. In addition, the use of imaging during a procedure allows registration of pre-procedural cross-sectional imaging as well as real-time substrate assessment and allows the operator to visualise tissue-catheter contact for the most effective lesion delivery.

In this review, the role of pre-procedural cardiac computed tomographic (CCT) imaging and cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging and the peri-procedural use of intra-cardiac echocardiography (ICE) are discussed.
Cultural Differences in the Perception of (Self-)sexualizing Instagram Content and Their Associations with Sexism and Self-sexualization Tendencies: Evidence from Six Countries
Authors: Plieger Thomas , Groote Olivia , Hartstein Alena , Fotiadis Roya , Griesberg Mona Corinna , Onwubiko Stephanie , Pöttgen Katja , Sever Gamze , Reuter Martin
Published: January 2024

The use of social networking sites is associated with objectification tendencies of the self and others. However, only few studies investigate how users actually perceive sexualizing content on Instagram. In a recent study, we showed that perceiving sexy Instagram posts as appropriate and less revealing goes along with self-sexualization in German participants and that Instagram users tend to be more sexist than non-users. The present study aimed to replicate these findings in a cross-nations study to test for cultural differences. We asked N = 2055 persons from six different countries (Germany, Spain, United States, Italy, Turkey, and South Africa) to rate sexy Instagram posts with respect to revealing clothing, appropriateness, and attractiveness and collected self-report data on sexism, enjoyment of sexualization, and Instagram usage behavior. Our results show associations between the perception of the presented posts as appropriate, sexism, and self-sexualizing tendencies in all countries. Strength of the associations are mainly the same across all countries. Participants from Spain, the U.S., and Italy reported the lowest sexism scores and the most liberal ratings for the presented photos. We find no substantial main effect of mere Instagram use on sexism or photo ratings. The results suggest that Instagram use does not necessarily alter the perception of sexualized stimuli, but that greater appreciation of self-sexualizing others goes along with self-sexualization. This effect seems to be culturally invariant. The found mean differences between countries are plausible, but future studies should aim to obtain representative samples to allow serious assumptions about cultural effects.
Overview and Discussion of the Competition on Legal Information, Extraction/Entailment (COLIEE) 2023
Authors: Goebel Randy , Kano Yoshinobu , Kim Mi-Young , Rabelo Juliano , Satoh Ken , Yoshioka Masaharu
Published: January 2024

We summarize the 10th Competition on Legal Information Extraction and Entailment. In this tenth edition, the competition included four tasks on case law and statute law. The case law component includes an information retrieval task (Task 1), and the confirmation of an entailment relation between an existing case and a selected unseen case (Task 2). The statute law component includes an information retrieval task (Task 3), and an entailment/question-answering task based on retrieved civil code statutes (Task 4). Participation was open to any group based on any approach. Ten different teams participated in the case law competition tasks, most of them in more than one task. We received results from 8 teams for Task 1 (22 runs) and seven teams for Task 2 (18 runs). On the statute law task, there were 9 different teams participating, most in more than one task. 6 teams submitted a total of 16 runs for Task 3, and 9 teams submitted a total of 26 runs for Task 4. We describe the variety of approaches, our official evaluation, and analysis of our data and submission results.
Increase of Plasmodium falciparum parasites carrying lumefantrine-tolerance molecular markers and lack of South East Asian pfk13 artemisinin-resistance mutations in samples collected from 2013 to 2016 in Côte d’Ivoire
Authors: Konaté-Touré Abibatou , Gnagne Akpa Paterne , Bedia-Tanoh Akoua Valérie , Menan Eby Ignace Hervé , Yavo William
Published: January 2024

One of the major obstacles to malaria elimination in the world is the resistance in Plasmodium falciparum to most antimalarial drugs. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of molecular markers of antimalarial drugs resistance in Côte d’Ivoire. Samples were collected from 2013 to 2016 from asymptomatic and symptomatic subjects in Abengourou, Abidjan, Grand Bassam, and San Pedro. A total of 704 participants aged between 1 year and 65 years (Mean age: 9 years ± 7.7) were enrolled. All the dried filter paper blood spots were genotyped by sequencing. Plasmodium falciparum kelch propeller domain 13 (pfk13) gene were analyzed for all the samples, while 344 samples were examined for Plasmodium falciparum multi-drug resistance 1 (pfmdr1). Overall, the success rate of molecular tests was 98.8% (340/344), 99.1% (341/344), and 94.3% (664/704) for pfmdr1 N86Y, pfmdr1 Y184F, and pfk13 genes respectively. Molecular analysis revealed twenty (5.9%; 20/340) and 219 (64.2%; 219/341) mutant alleles for pfmdr1 86Y and pfmdr1 184 F, respectively. Twenty-nine mutations in pfk13 gene (4.4%; 29/664) with 2.7% (18/664) of non-synonymous mutations was found. None of the mutations previously described in South East Asia (SEA) involved in P. falciparum resistance to artemisinin derivatives were observed in this study. According to year of collection, a decrease of the prevalence of pfk13 mutation (from 3.6 to 1.8%) and pfmdr1 N86Y mutation (from 8.5 to 4.5%) and an increase of mutant allele of pfmdr1 Y184F proportion (from 39.8 to 66.4%) were found. Comparing to previous studies in the country, this study showed an increase in lumefantrine tolerance of P. falciparum strains. This demonstrates the importance of establishing a strong system for molecular surveillance of malaria in Côte d’Ivoire.
Uncertainties and robustness with regard to the safety of a repository for high-level radioactive waste: introduction of a research initiative
Authors: Kurgyis Kata , Achtziger-Zupančič Peter , Bjorge Merle , Boxberg Marc S. , Broggi Matteo , Buchwald Jörg , Ernst Oliver G. , Flügge Judith , Ganopolski Andrey , Graf Thomas , Kortenbruck Philipp , Kowalski Julia , Kreye Phillip , Kukla Peter , Mayr Sibylle , Miro Shorash , Nagel Thomas , Nowak Wolfgang , Oladyshkin Sergey , Renz Alexander , Rienäcker-Burschil Julia , Röhlig Klaus-Jürgen , Sträter Oliver , Thiedau Jan , Wagner Florian , Wellmann Florian , Wengler Marc , Wolf Jens , Rühaak Wolfram
Published: January 2024

The Federal Company for Radioactive Waste Disposal (BGE mbH) is tasked with the selection of a site for a high-level radioactive waste repository in Germany in accordance with the Repository Site Selection Act. In September 2020, 90 areas with favorable geological conditions were identified as part of step 1 in phase 1 of the Site Selection Act. Representative preliminary safety analyses are to be carried out next  to support decisions on the question, which siting regions should undergo surface-based exploration. These safety analyses are supported by numerical simulations building on geoscientific and technical data. The models that are taken into account are associated with various sources of uncertainties. Addressing these uncertainties and the robustness of the decisions pertaining to sites and design choices is a central component of the site selection process. In that context, important research objectives are associated with the question of how uncertainty should be treated through the various data collection, modeling and decision-making processes of the site selection procedure, and how the robustness of the repository system should be improved. BGE, therefore, established an interdisciplinary research cluster to identify open questions and to address the gaps in knowledge in six complementary research projects. In this paper, we introduce the overall purpose and the five thematic groups that constitute this research cluster. We discuss the specific questions addressed as well as the proposed methodologies in the context of the challenges of the site selection process in Germany. Finally, some conclusions are drawn on the potential benefits of a large method-centered research cluster in terms of simulation data management.
Water consumption time series forecasting in urban centers using deep neural networks
Authors: García-Soto C. G. , Torres J. F. , Zamora-Izquierdo M. A. , Palma J. , Troncoso A.
Published: January 2024

The time series analysis and prediction techniques are highly valued in many application fields, such as economy, medicine and biology, environmental sciences or meteorology, among others. In the last years, there is a growing interest in the sustainable and optimal management of a resource as scarce as essential: the water. Forecasting techniques for water management can be used for different time horizons from the planning of constructions that can respond to long-term needs, to the detection of anomalies in the operation of facilities or the optimization of the operation in the short and medium term. In this paper, a deep neural network is specifically designed to predict water consumption in the short-term. Results are reported using the time series of water consumption for a year and a half measured with 10-min frequency in the city of Murcia, the seventh largest city in Spain by number of inhabitants. The results are compared with K Nearest Neighbors, Random Forest, Extreme Gradient Boosting, Seasonal Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average and two persistence models as naive methods, showing the proposed deep learning model the most accurate results.
Investigation the changes in the concentration of dye organic pollutant using magnetic titania nanoparticles incorporated on surface of graphene oxide
Authors: Abbasi Sedigheh
Published: January 2024

In this study, in order to prepare magnetic nanocomposite, TiO2 nanoparticles and Fe3O4 nanoparticles are uniformly synthesized on the surface of graphene oxide by hydrolysis and hydrothermal methods, respectively. The efficiency of the synthesized nanocomposite (MGO@ Fe3O4) for the photocatalytic decomposition of methyl orange is investigated and compared with the magnetic hybrid without graphene oxide (Fe3O4@ TiO2). FTIR and VSM analysis are used to characterize the synthesized nanocomposite and hybrid. FTIR analysis confirmed the bond vibrations in TiO2 and Fe3O4 molecules present in both photocatalytic samples. VSM analysis shows the superparamagnetic properties of the synthesized photocatalysts. Investigating the effect of irradiation time and photocatalyst concentration on the ability to remove methyl orange by magnetic photocatalysts showed that both parameters have a positive effect, although based on the results of statistical analysis, irradiation time is more effective than photocatalyst concentration. It is also observed that despite the independent operating parameters having a significant effect on the photocatalytic activity of nanocomposite and hybrid, the mutual interaction between individual factors in nanocomposite and hybrid behaves differently.
Synthesis and characterization of an innovative sodium alginate/flaxseed gum green hydrogel for forward osmosis desalination
Authors: Saad Menatalla Ashraf , Sadik Eman Radi , Eldakiky Basma Mohamed , He Zhen , Elashtoukhy Elsayed Zakaria , Khalifa Randa Eslah , Zewail Taghreed Mohamed Mohamed , Moustafa Hanan
Published: January 2024

Recently, fresh water resources have been limited globally. Thus, desalination has been the most recommended solution to overcome this issue. Forward osmosis (FO) is an affordable and developing desalination technique. In this current study, a cutting-edge green hydrogel was prepared from a polymer blend of flaxseed gum (FG) and sodium alginate using epichlorohydrin (ECH) as a crosslinker and polyethylene glycol (PEG) as a semi-interpenetrating network polymer. The impact of PEG incorporation on the hydrogel’s response was investigated, and the influence of different mass contents of FG and ECH on the swelling measurements of the hydrogel was studied to optimize the composition of the hydrogel. The optimum hydrogel was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and X-ray diffraction and the compressive strength test. Furthermore, the behavior of the present hydrogel was examined as a draw agent in a batch FO unit. The water flux and the reverse solute flux were measured at various values of average hydrogel particle size and feed solution (FS) temperature and concentration. The optimal hydrogel of 0.3 PEG/polymer blend mass ratio, 12% FG, and 0.95 ECH/polymer blend mass ratio exhibits a swelling ratio (%) of 1800 after an hour and an equilibrium swelling ratio (ESR) (%) of 5300. The results of the FO experiments revealed that raising FS temperature and reducing FS concentration and average hydrogel particle size enhance water flux.
The perceived potential of religion in mitigating climate change and how this is being realized in Germany and Switzerland
Authors: Hearn Adam X. , Huber Fabian , Koehrsen Jens , Buzzi Ann-Lea
Published: January 2024

Scholars of religion have repeatedly debated and contested the role of religion and spirituality in combatting climate change. In recent years, the potential of religion has also become an issue among natural scientists, politicians, environmental organizations, and civil society. Indeed, the potential of religion to mitigate climate change is perceived both internally and externally, and various expectations are placed on religion. This article examines the perceived potential of religion in mitigating climate change and how this is being realized. Based on 38 interviews, conducted with representatives from religious communities and umbrella organizations in Germany and Switzerland, we focus on the areas of values, political influence, and materialization. Our results show that the potential of religion in addressing climate change remains largely unfulfilled despite increasing steps in this direction.
Neuroprotective properties of exosomes and chitosan nanoparticles of Tomafran, a bioengineered tomato enriched in crocins
Authors: Etxebeste-Mitxeltorena Mikel , Niza Enrique , Fajardo Cristián Martinez , Gil Carmen , Gómez-Gómez Lourdes , Martinez Ana , Ahrazem Oussama
Published: January 2024

Saffron has many pharmacological properties in addition to being a frequently used food seasoning. Crocin and picrocrocin which accumulate in saffron stigma, are responsible for these pharmacological properties. These natural products have health‐promoting effects for the prevention and treatment of numerous diseases, including age‐related cognitive and memory disfunction. Currently, crocin and picrocrocin are obtained from saffron, considered as the spice with the highest price in the market. To develop an efficient and low‐cost approach to producing these compounds with high bioactivity, biosynthetic genes isolated from saffron can be exploited in the metabolic engineering of heterologous hosts and the production of crocins in productive crop plants. Recently, we engineered tomato fruit producing crocins (Tomafran). In this study, we demonstrated that crocin-rich extract, encapsulated in chitosan or in exosomes may function as a neuroprotective strategy. Crocins contained in the Tomafran extracts and much lower doses in chitosan nanoparticles or exosomes were enough to rescue the neuroblastoma cell line SH-SY5Y after damage caused by okadaic acid. Our results confirm the neuroprotective effect of Tomafran and its exosomes that may be useful for the delay or prevention of neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease.

Graphical Abstract
Food cravings after bariatric surgery: comparing laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy and Roux-en-Y gastric bypass
Authors: Koball Afton M. , Ames Gretchen E. , Fitzsimmons Alec J. , Kallies Kara J. , Bennie Barb A.
Published: January 2024

Background

Research suggests that food choices, preferences, and tastes change after bariatric surgery, but evidence regarding changes in food cravings is mixed.

Objectives

The primary aim of this cohort study was to compare food cravings during the first year following bariatric surgery in patients who had undergone sleeve gastrectomy (SG) versus Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB).

Setting

Integrated multispecialty health system, United States.

Methods

Patients aged ≥ 18 years seen between May 2017 and July 2019, provided informed consent, completed the Food Craving Inventory (FCI), and had ≥ 1 year of follow-up after undergoing primary SG or RYGB were included in the study. Secondary data captured included psychological and behavioral measures. Preoperative and postoperative (3, 6, 9, and 12 months) FCI scores of patients who underwent SG and RYGB were compared.

Results

Some attrition occurred postoperatively (N = 187 at baseline, 141 at 3 months, 108 at 6 months, 89 at 9 months, and 84 at 12 months). No significant relationship between pre- or postoperative food cravings and surgery type was found except on the carbohydrate subscale. Patients with higher preoperative food addiction symptoms were not more likely to experience an earlier reoccurrence of food cravings during the first 12 months after surgery. Likewise, patients with higher levels of preoperative depression and anxiety were not more likely to have early reoccurrence of food cravings during the first 12 months after surgery; however, those with higher PHQ9 scores at baseline had uniformly higher food craving scores at all timepoints (pre-surgery, 3 m, 6 m, 9 m, and 12 m).

Conclusions

Results suggest that food cravings in the year after bariatric surgery are equivalent by surgery type and do not appear to be related to preoperative psychological factors or eating behaviors.

Level of evidence

Level III: Evidence obtained from well-designed cohort.
Design of synthetic peptide-based fluorescence probes for turn-on detection of hyaluronan
Authors: Fan Xinyu , Sato Yusuke , Shiraki Yudai , Nishizawa Seiichi
Published: January 2024

Herein, we designed and examined a series of fluorescent peptide-based probes for turn-on detection of hyaluronan (HA), a member of the glycosaminoglycan family. We utilized two kinds of synthetic HA-binding peptides as the binding unit for HA, and each peptide was coupled with three kinds of environment-sensitive fluorophores as the signaling unit. From the examination of the peptides, fluorophores, and the position and number of fluorophore modification, we found that X7 peptide (RYPISRPRKR) labelled with an aggregation-induced emission (AIE) fluorogen, tetraphenylethene (TPE), at the N-terminal (named TPE-X7) did function as a light-up probe for HA. The response of TPE-X7 was highly selective to higher molecular weight HA in comparison with lower ones, having the possible potential for the analysis of HA size. TPE-X7 was also applicable to the quantification of HA in synovial fluids.

Graphical abstract
Reflection of a rightward-moving oblique shock of first family over a steady oblique shock wave
Authors: Wang Miaomiao , Xu ZhongZiheng , Wu Ziniu
Published: January 2024

The reflection of a rightward-moving oblique shock (RMOS) belonging to the first family, over an initially steady oblique shock wave (SOSW) produced by a wedge, is studied in this paper. To cover all possibilities, the problem is divided into a pre-shock reflection problem, for which the incident shock is assumed to reflect over the pre-interaction part of the SOSW, and a post-shock reflection problem, for which the incident shock is assumed to reflect over the post-interaction part. Such division, together with the definition of the equivalent problem defined on the reference frame co-moving with the nominal intersection point of the two shock waves, allows us to connect the reflection patterns with the six types of shock interference of Edney, which include type I–VI shock interferences depending on how an upstream oblique shock intersects a bow shock (types I and II are regular and Mach reflections of two shocks from the opposite sides; type III and type IV have two triple points or two Mach reflection configuration; type V and type VI are irregular and regular reflections of two shocks from the same side). We are thus able to identify all possible shock reflection types and find their transition conditions. Pre-shock reflection may yield IV, V and VI (of Edney's six types) shock interferences and post-shock reflection may yield I, II and III shock interferences. Pre- and post-shock reflections possibly occur at two different parts of the SOSW, and the complete reflection configuration may have one or both of them. Both transition condition study and numerical simulation are used to show how pre-shock reflection and post-shock reflection exist alone or coexist, leading to various types of combined pre-shock and post-shock reflections.
A Fair Process Matters: The Relationship between Public Participation and Constitutional Legitimacy
Authors: Hirschl Ran , Hudson Alexander
Published: January 2024

Public participation is widely considered to be an indispensable part of contemporary constitution-making processes, largely because it is thought to create a sense of public ownership of the new constitution. However, as recent research has shown that public participation has little actual impact on the content of the constitution, this supposed link is puzzling. How can ineffective participation contribute to public support for the constitution? We address this puzzle by subjecting it to experimental tests. In two recontact survey experiments conducted across six countries, we empirically tested the effects of various forms of participation at the constitution drafting stage and their concrete impact on public support for the constitution. We found that the act of participating in itself has little effect on support for the constitution but that broader cues that give the impressions of a fair process can have significant positive effects. This indicates that participation in constitution drafting can increase public support for a constitution regardless of the extent to which it has an impact on the constitutional text and that the appearance of a fair process is the link between participation and support.
Overcoming the limitations of wildlife disease monitoring
Authors: Barroso Patricia , López-Olvera Jorge R. , Kiluba wa Kiluba Théophile , Gortázar Christian
Published: January 2024

Integrated wildlife monitoring (IWM) combines infection dynamics and the ecology of wildlife populations, including aspects defining the host community network. Developing and implementing IWM is a worldwide priority that faces major constraints and biases that should be considered and addressed when implementing these systems. We identify eleven main limitations in the establishment of IWM, which could be summarized into funding constraints and lack of harmonization and information exchange. The solutions proposed to overcome these limitations and biases comprise: (i) selecting indicator host species through network analysis, (ii) identifying key pathogens to investigate and monitor, potentially including nonspecific health markers, (iii) improve and standardize harmonized methodologies that can be applied worldwide as well as communication among stakeholders across and within countries, and (iv) the integration of new noninvasive technologies (e.g., camera trapping (CT) and environmental nucleic acid detection) and new tools that are under ongoing research (e.g., artificial intelligence to speed-up CT analyses, microfluidic polymerase chain reaction to overcome sample volume constraints, or filter paper samples to facilitate sample transport). Achieving and optimizing IWM is a must that allows identifying the drivers of epidemics and predicting trends and changes in disease and population dynamics before a pathogen crosses the interspecific barriers.
Phonological and acoustic properties of ATR in the vowel system of Akebu (Kwa)
Authors: Makeeva Nadezhda , Kuznetsova Natalia
Published: January 2024

This study examines phonological and phonetic properties of ATR contrasts in the vowel system of Akebu (Kwa). The sum of descriptive evidence, including vowel harmony, vowel distribution in non-harmonising contexts, vowel reduction and typological and etymological considerations, indicates a rare vowel inventory with an ATR contrast in front/back vowels but a height contrast in the three redundantly [−ATR] central vowels /ᵻ, ə, a/. This analysis was checked against four common acoustic metrics of ATR: F1 and F2 frequencies, spectral slope and F1 bandwidth size (B1). As expected, the results for the last three metrics were variable across speakers and vowel types, and are therefore inconclusive. The results for F1 were consistent but do not distinguish between ATR and vowel height. Two results nonetheless suggest the [−ATR] status of central vowels: they occupy the same belt of F1 frequencies and show the same position of observed-over-predicted B1 values as front and back [−ATR] vowels.
Machine Ethics in Care: Could a Moral Avatar Enhance the Autonomy of Care-Dependent Persons?
Authors: Misselhorn Catrin
Published: January 2024

It is a common view that artificial systems could play an important role in dealing with the shortage of caregivers due to demographic change. One argument to show that this is also in the interest of care-dependent persons is that artificial systems might significantly enhance user autonomy since they might stay longer in their homes. This argument presupposes that the artificial systems in question do not require permanent supervision and control by human caregivers. For this reason, they need the capacity for some degree of moral decision-making and agency to cope with morally relevant situations (artificial morality). Machine ethics provides the theoretical and ethical framework for artificial morality. This article scrutinizes the question how artificial moral agents that enhance user autonomy could look like. It discusses, in particular, the suggestion that they should be designed as moral avatars of their users to enhance user autonomy in a substantial sense.
NONLINEAR SELF-MODULATION OF GRAVITY-CAPILLARY WAVES ON SHEAR CURRENTS IN FINITE DEPTH
Authors: PAL TANMOY , DHAR ASOKE KUMAR
Published: January 2024

A nonlinear evolution equation correct to fourth order is developed for gravity-capillary waves on linear shear currents in finite water depth. Therefore, this equation covers both effects of depth uniform currents and uniform vorticity. Starting from this equation, an instability analysis is then made for narrow banded uniform Stokes waves. The notable feature is that our investigation due to fourth order shows a remarkable improvement compared with the third-order one, and produces an excellent result compatible with the exact result of Longuet-Higgins. We observe that linear shear currents considerably change the modulational instability properties of capillary-gravity waves, such as the growth rate and bandwidth of instability.
Comment on “Highly Contrasted Geochemical Pattern in Sediments of the Okavango Delta, Botswana Driven by Dust Supply, Hydrological Heritage and Biogeochemical Reactions” by Jolivet et al.
Authors: McCarthy Terence , Humphries Marc
Published: January 2024

The Okavango Delta in southern Africa has been the subject of geomorphological and hydrological investigations since the 1970s. In the early 1990s, McCarthy and co‐workers developed a geomorphological and hydrological model which describes the processes that give rise to the gently undulating topography and the lack of saline surface water in this semi‐arid environment. This model is based on extensive investigations of soil and water chemistry conducted across the Okavango Delta, and has been subject to rigorous testing by a number of independent researchers. In their recent paper, Jolivet et al. (2023, https://doi.org/10.1029/2023GC010978) proposed an alternative hydrological model based on chemical and mineralogical analyses of samples from six auger holes drilled at a site on the lower fringe of the permanent swamp. We provide a critique of their model and explain how this model cannot describe the geohydrological functioning of the Okavango Delta. Jolivet et al. suggest there are two shallow aquifers, one hosted in sand and the other in clay‐rich material. Previous studies of subsurface soils on 18 islands have failed to reveal a deeper clay‐rich layer. Rather, the shallow groundwater is laterally fully connected and salinity varies in response to evapotranspiration. We attribute REE fractionation in subsurface soils observed by Jolivet et al. to be caused by the precipitation of calcite from groundwater which strongly accumulates REE. We are of the opinion that Jolivet et al. have insufficient data to suggest revisions to the current understanding of the functioning of the Okavango hydrological and sedimentological system.
Evolution of a Lake Margin Recorded in the Sutton Island Member of the Murray Formation, Gale Crater, Mars
Authors: Gwizd S. , Fedo C. , Grotzinger J. , Banham S. , Rivera‐Hernández F. , Gupta S. , Stack K. M. , Edgar L. A. , Vasavada A. R. , Davis J. , Kah L. C.
Published: January 2024

This study uses data from the Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity rover to document the facies of the Sutton Island member of the Murray formation, interpret paleoenvironments, and establish key stratigraphic transitions at Gale crater. Two facies associations were identified: Facies Association 1 (FA1) and Facies Association 2 (FA2). Individual facies in FA1 include planar‐laminated mudstone with minor intervals of planar sandstone, ripple cross‐laminated sandstone, cross‐stratified sandstone, and alternating laminated sandstone and mudstone. Meter‐thick packages of planar‐laminated mudstone in FA1 are interpreted to represent deposition in low‐energy ponded environments along the lake margin. Straight‐ and curve‐crested ripple cross‐laminated facies are interpreted to represent current‐influenced deposition. Cross‐stratified sandstone facies consist of dm‐thick sets that represent deposition in distal channels. Intercalated mm‐scale mudstone and sandstone laminae represent waning flow conditions and possible channel abandonment. Facies in FA1 collectively represent deposition in a distal delta plain. FA2 is comprised of planar‐laminated mudstone with minor sandstone and is interpreted to represent deposition in a lacustrine‐basin setting by suspension settling linked to density flows. FA1 transitions upward into FA2, defining a rapid transgression substantial enough to facilitate the deposition of distal lake facies above delta plain facies. The abrupt transition from FA2 back to FA1 deltaic deposits is suggestive of forced regression. Facies in FA1 and FA2 are consistent with the prevalence of aqueous environments recorded in other Murray formation members and extend our understanding of the dynamic sedimentary processes that characterized ancient lacustrine systems at Gale crater.
Blood donor biobank as a resource in personalised biomedical genetic research
Authors: Clancy Jonna , Ritari Jarmo , Vaittinen Eevaleena , Arvas Mikko , Tammi Silja ,   FinnGen, Koskela Satu , Partanen Jukka
Published: January 2024

Health questionnaires and donation criteria result in accumulation of highly selected individuals in a blood donor population. To understand better the usefulness of a blood donor-based biobank in personalised disease-associated genetic studies, and for possible personalised blood donation policies, we evaluated the occurrence and distributions of common and rare disease-associated genetic variants in Finnish Blood Service Biobank. We analysed among 31,880 blood donors the occurrence and geographical distribution of (i) 53 rare Finnish-enriched disease-associated variants, (ii) mutations assumed to influence blood donation: four Bernard-Soulier syndrome and two hemochromatosis mutations, (iii) type I diabetes risk genotype HLA-DQ2/DQ8. In addition, we analysed the level of consanguinity in Blood Service Biobank. 80.3% of blood donors carried at least one (range 0–9 per donor) of the rare variants, many in homozygous form, as well. Donors carrying multiple rare variants were enriched in Eastern Finland. Haemochromatosis mutation HFE C282Y homozygosity was 43.8% higher than expected, whereas mutations leading to Bernard-Soulier thrombocytopenia were rare. The frequency of HLA-DQ2/DQ8 genotype was slightly lower than expected. First-degree consanguinity was higher in Blood Service Biobank than in the general population. We demonstrate that despite donor selection, the Blood Service Biobank is a valuable resource for personalised medical research and for genotype-selected samples from unaffected individuals. The geographical genetic substructure of Finland enables efficient recruitment of donors carrying rare variants. Furthermore, we show that blood donor biobank material can be utilised for personalised blood donation policies.
Global emergence of a hypervirulent carbapenem-resistant Escherichia coli ST410 clone
Authors: Ba Xiaoliang , Guo Yingyi , Moran Robert A. , Doughty Emma L. , Liu Baomo , Yao Likang , Li Jiahui , He Nanhao , Shen Siquan , Li Yang , van Schaik Willem , McNally Alan , Holmes Mark A. , Zhuo Chao
Published: January 2024

Carbapenem-resistant Escherichia coli (CREC) ST410 has recently emerged as a major global health problem. Here, we report a shift in CREC prevalence in Chinese hospitals between 2017 and 2021 with ST410 becoming the most commonly isolated sequence type. Genomic analysis identifies a hypervirulent CREC ST410 clone, B5/H24RxC, which caused two separate outbreaks in a children’s hospital. It may have emerged from the previously characterised B4/H24RxC in 2006 and has been isolated in ten other countries from 2015 to 2021. Compared with B4/H24RxC, B5/H24RxC lacks the blaOXA-181-bearing X3 plasmid, but carries a F-type plasmid containing blaNDM-5. Most of B5/H24RxC also carry a high pathogenicity island and a novel O-antigen gene cluster. We find that B5/H24RxC grew faster in vitro and is more virulent in vivo. The identification of this newly emerged but already globally disseminated hypervirulent CREC clone, highlights the ongoing evolution of ST410 towards increased resistance and virulence.
Spatiotemporal imaging and shaping of electron wave functions using novel attoclock interferometry
Authors: Ge Peipei , Dou Yankun , Han Meng , Fang Yiqi , Deng Yongkai , Wu Chengyin , Gong Qihuang , Liu Yunquan
Published: January 2024

Electrons detached from atoms by photoionization carry valuable information about light-atom interactions. Characterizing and shaping the electron wave function on its natural timescale is of paramount importance for understanding and controlling ultrafast electron dynamics in atoms, molecules and condensed matter. Here we propose a novel attoclock interferometry to shape and image the electron wave function in atomic photoionization. Using a combination of a strong circularly polarized second harmonic and a weak linearly polarized fundamental field, we spatiotemporally modulate the atomic potential barrier and shape the electron wave functions, which are mapped into a temporal interferometry. By analyzing the two-color phase-resolved and angle-resolved photoelectron interference, we are able to reconstruct the spatiotemporal evolution of the shaping on the amplitude and phase of electron wave function in momentum space within the optical cycle, from which we identify the quantum nature of strong-field ionization and reveal the effect of the spatiotemporal properties of atomic potential on the departing electron. This study provides a new approach for spatiotemporal shaping and imaging of electron wave function in intense light-matter interactions and holds great potential for resolving ultrafast electronic dynamics in molecules, solids, and liquids.
Modelling dataset bias in machine-learned theories of economic decision-making
Authors: Thomas Tobias , Straub Dominik , Tatai Fabian , Shene Megan , Tosik Tümer , Kersting Kristian , Rothkopf Constantin A.
Published: January 2024

Normative and descriptive models have long vied to explain and predict human risky choices, such as those between goods or gambles. A recent study reported the discovery of a new, more accurate model of human decision-making by training neural networks on a new online large-scale dataset, choices13k. Here we systematically analyse the relationships between several models and datasets using machine-learning methods and find evidence for dataset bias. Because participants’ choices in stochastically dominated gambles were consistently skewed towards equipreference in the choices13k dataset, we hypothesized that this reflected increased decision noise. Indeed, a probabilistic generative model adding structured decision noise to a neural network trained on data from a laboratory study transferred best, that is, outperformed all models apart from those trained on choices13k. We conclude that a careful combination of theory and data analysis is still required to understand the complex interactions of machine-learning models and data of human risky choices.
Simulated outcomes for durotomy repair in minimally invasive spine surgery
Authors: Balu Alan , Kugener Guillaume , Pangal Dhiraj J. , Lee Heewon , Lasky Sasha , Han Jane , Buchanan Ian , Liu John , Zada Gabriel , Donoho Daniel A.
Published: January 2024

Minimally invasive spine surgery (MISS) is increasingly performed using endoscopic and microscopic visualization, and the captured video can be used for surgical education and development of predictive artificial intelligence (AI) models. Video datasets depicting adverse event management are also valuable, as predictive models not exposed to adverse events may exhibit poor performance when these occur. Given that no dedicated spine surgery video datasets for AI model development are publicly available, we introduce Simulated Outcomes for Durotomy Repair in Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery (SOSpine). A validated MISS cadaveric dural repair simulator was used to educate neurosurgery residents, and surgical microscope video recordings were paired with outcome data. Objects including durotomy, needle, grasper, needle driver, and nerve hook were then annotated. Altogether, SOSpine contains 15,698 frames with 53,238 annotations and associated durotomy repair outcomes. For validation, an AI model was fine-tuned on SOSpine video and detected surgical instruments with a mean average precision of 0.77. In summary, SOSpine depicts spine surgeons managing a common complication, providing opportunities to develop surgical AI models.
Gonococcal resistance to zoliflodacin could emerge via transformation from commensal Neisseria species. An in-vitro transformation study
Authors: Abdellati Saïd , Laumen Jolein Gyonne Elise , de Block Tessa , De Baetselier Irith , Van Den Bossche Dorien , Van Dijck Christophe , Manoharan-Basil Sheeba Santhini , Kenyon Chris
Published: January 2024

One of the most promising new treatments for gonorrhoea currently in phase 3 clinical trials is zoliflodacin. Studies have found very little resistance to zoliflodacin in currently circulating N. gonorrhoeae strains, and in-vitro experiments demonstrated that it is difficult to induce resistance. However, zoliflodacin resistance may emerge in commensal Neisseria spp., which could then be transferred to N. gonorrhoeae via transformation. In this study, we investigated this commensal-resistance-pathway hypothesis for zoliflodacin. To induce zoliflodacin resistance, ten wild-type susceptible isolates belonging to 5 Neisseria species were serially passaged for up to 48 h on gonococcal agar plates containing increasing zoliflodacin concentrations. Within 7 to 10 days, all strains except N. lactamica, exhibited MICs of ≥ 4 µg/mL, resulting in MIC increase ranging from 8- to 64-fold. The last passaged strains and their baseline were sequenced. We detected mutations previously reported to cause zoliflodacin resistance in GyrB (D429N and S467N), novel mutations in the quinolone resistance determining region (QRDR) (M464R and T472P) and mutations outside the QRDR at amino acid positions 28 and 29 associated with low level resistance (MIC 2 µg/mL). Genomic DNA from the laboratory evolved zoliflodacin-resistant strains was transformed into the respective baseline wild-type strain, resulting in MICs of ≥ 8 µg/mL in most cases. WGS of transformants with decreased zoliflodacin susceptibility revealed presence of the same zoliflodacin resistance determinants as observed in the donor strains. Two inter-species transformation experiments were conducted to investigate whether zoliflodacin resistance determinants of commensal Neisseria spp. could be acquired by N. gonorrhoeae. N. gonorrhoeae strain WHO P was exposed to (i) pooled genomic DNA from the two resistant N. mucosa strains and (ii) a gyrB amplicon of the resistant N. subflava strain 45/1_8. Transformants of both experiments exhibited an MIC of 2 µg/mL and whole genome analysis revealed uptake of the mutations detected in the donor strains. This is the first in-vitro study to report that zoliflodacin resistance can be induced in commensal Neisseria spp. and subsequently transformed into N. gonorrhoeae.
Attention-based fusion of multiple graphheat networks for structural to functional brain mapping
Authors: Oota Subba Reddy , Yadav Archi , Dash Arpita , Bapi Raju S. , Sharma Avinash
Published: January 2024

Over the last decade, there has been growing interest in learning the mapping from structural connectivity (SC) to functional connectivity (FC) of the brain. The spontaneous fluctuations of the brain activity during the resting-state as captured by functional MRI (rsfMRI) contain rich non-stationary dynamics over a relatively fixed structural connectome. Among the modeling approaches, graph diffusion-based methods with single and multiple diffusion kernels approximating static or dynamic functional connectivity have shown promise in predicting the FC given the SC. However, these methods are computationally expensive, not scalable, and fail to capture the complex dynamics underlying the whole process. Recently, deep learning methods such as GraphHeat networks and graph diffusion have been shown to handle complex relational structures while preserving global information. In this paper, we propose a novel attention-based fusion of multiple GraphHeat networks (A-GHN) for mapping SC-FC. A-GHN enables us to model multiple heat kernel diffusion over the brain graph for approximating the complex Reaction Diffusion phenomenon. We argue that the proposed deep learning method overcomes the scalability and computational inefficiency issues but can still learn the SC-FC mapping successfully. Training and testing were done using the rsfMRI data of 1058 participants from the human connectome project (HCP), and the results establish the viability of the proposed model. On HCP data, we achieve a high Pearson correlation of 0.788 (Desikan-Killiany atlas with 87 regions) and 0.773 (AAL atlas with 86 regions). Furthermore, experiments demonstrate that A-GHN outperforms the existing methods in learning the complex nature of the structure-function relation of the human brain.
Possibility of CO2 laser-pumped multi-millijoule-level ultrafast pulse terahertz sources
Authors: Tóth György , Illés Gergő , Nazymbekov Gabit , Mbithi Nelson , Almási Gábor , Hebling János
Published: January 2024

In the last decade, intense research has been witnessed on developing compact, terahertz (THz) driven electron accelerators, producing electrons with a sub-MeV—few tens of MeV energy. Such economical devices could be used in scientific and material research and medical treatments. However, until now, the extremely high-energy THz pulses needed by the THz counterparts of the microwave accelerators were generated by optical rectification (OR) of ultrafast Ti:sapphire or Yb laser pulses. These lasers, however, are not very effective. Because of this, we use numerical simulations to investigate the possibility of generating high-energy THz pulses by the OR of pulses produced by CO2 lasers, which can have high plug-in efficiency. The results obtained supposing optical rectification (OR) in GaAs demonstrate that consideration of the self-phase-modulation (SPM) and the second-harmonic-generation (SHG) processes is indispensable in the design of CO2 laser-based THz sources. More interestingly, although these two processes hinder achieving high laser-to-THz conversion efficiency, they can still surpass the 1.5% value, ensuring high system efficiency and making the CO2 laser OR system a promising THz source. Our finding also has important implications for other middle-infrared laser-pumped OR-based THz sources.
Cortactin is in a complex with VE-cadherin and is required for endothelial adherens junction stability through Rap1/Rac1 activation
Authors: Moztarzadeh Sina , Sepic Sara , Hamad Ibrahim , Waschke Jens , Radeva Mariya Y. , García-Ponce Alexander
Published: January 2024

Vascular permeability is mediated by Cortactin (Cttn) and regulated by several molecules including cyclic-adenosine-monophosphate, small Rho family GTPases and the actin cytoskeleton. However, it is unclear whether Cttn directly interacts with any of the junctional components or if Cttn intervenes with signaling pathways affecting the intercellular contacts and the cytoskeleton. To address these questions, we employed immortalized microvascular myocardial endothelial cells derived from wild-type and Cttn-knock-out mice. We found that lack of Cttn compromised barrier integrity due to fragmented membrane distribution of different junctional proteins. Moreover, immunoprecipitations revealed that Cttn is within the VE-cadherin-based adherens junction complex. In addition, lack of Cttn slowed-down barrier recovery after Ca2+ repletion. The role of Cttn for cAMP-mediated endothelial barrier regulation was analyzed using Forskolin/Rolipram. In contrast to Cttn-KO, WT cells reacted with increased transendothelial electrical resistance. Absence of Cttn disturbed Rap1 and Rac1 activation in Cttn-depleted cells. Surprisingly, despite the absence of Cttn, direct activation of Rac1/Cdc42/RhoA by CN04 increased barrier resistance and induced well-defined cortical actin and intracellular actin bundles. In summary, our data show that Cttn is required for basal barrier integrity by allowing proper membrane distribution of junctional proteins and for cAMP–mediated activation of the Rap1/Rac1 signaling pathway.