bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Fluorescence labeling strategies for cell surface expression of TRPV1
Authors: Mott Taylor M. , Wulffraat Grace C. , Eddins Alex J. , Mehl Ryan A. , Senning Eric N.
Published: August 2024

Regulation of ion channel expression on the plasma membrane is a major determinant of neuronal excitability, and identifying the underlying mechanisms of this expression is critical to our understanding of neurons. Here, we present two orthogonal strategies to label extracellular sites of the ion channel TRPV1 that minimally perturb its function. We use the amber codon suppression technique to introduce a non-canonical amino acid (ncAA) with tetrazine click chemistry, compatible with a trans-cyclooctene coupled fluorescent dye. Additionally, by inserting the circularly permutated HaloTag (cpHaloTag) in an extracellular loop of TRPV1, we can incorporate a fluorescent dye of our choosing. Optimization of ncAA insertion sites was accomplished by screening residue positions between the S1 and S2 transmembrane domains with elevated missense variants in the human population. We identified T468 as a rapid labeling site (∼5 min) based on functional and biochemical assays in HEK293T/17 cells. Through adapting linker lengths and backbone placement of cpHaloTag on the extracellular side of TRPV1, we generated a fully functional channel construct, TRPV1exCellHalo, with intact wild-type gating properties. We used TRPV1exCellHalo in a single molecule experiment to track TRPV1 on the cell surface and validate studies that show decreased mobility of the channel upon activation. The application of these extracellular label TRPV1 (exCellTRPV1) constructs to track surface localization of the channel will shed significant light on the mechanisms regulating its expression and provide a general scheme to introduce similar modifications to other cell surface receptors.
Weak and strong coupling polarons in binary Bose–Einstein condensates
Authors: Liu Ning
Published: August 2024

The Bose polaron is a quasiparticle that arises from the interaction between impurities and Bogoliubov excitation in Bose–Einstein condensates, analogous to the polaron formed by electrons and phonons in solid-state physics. In this paper, we investigate the effect of phase separation on weakly coupled and strongly coupled Bose polarons. Our findings reveal that phase separation induces a remarkable alteration in the properties of weakly coupled Bose polarons. However, in the case of strong coupling, phase separation cannot destroy the highly self-trapping state of Bose polarons.
SPECtrophotometer for TRansmission Spectroscopy of Exoplanets (SPECTR)
Authors: Choi Yeon-Ho , Park Myeong-Gu , Kim Kang-Min , Koo Jae-Rim , Bang Tae-Yang , Park Chan , Jang Jeong-Gyun , Han Inwoo , Jang Bi-Ho , Lee Jong Ung , Jeong Ueejeong , Lee Byeong-Cheol
Published: August 2024

The SPECtrophotometer for TRansmission spectroscopy of exoplanets (SPECTR) is a new low-resolution optical (3800–6850 Å) spectrophotometer installed at the Bohyunsan Optical Astronomy Observatory 1.8 m telescope. SPECTR is designed for observing the transmission spectra of transiting exoplanets. Unique features of SPECTR are its long slit length of 10′ which facilitates observing the target and the comparison star simultaneously, and its wide slit width to minimize slit losses. SPECTR will be used to survey exoplanets, such as those identified by the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite, providing information about their radii across the wavelength range. In this paper, we present the design of SPECTR and the observational results of the partial transit of HD 189733 b and a full transit of Qatar-8 b. Analyses show the SPECTR’s capability on the white light curves with an accuracy of one ppt. The transmission spectrum of HD 189733 b shows general agreement with previous studies.
Role of self-assembled molecules’ anchoring groups for surface defect passivation and dipole modulation in inverted perovskite solar cells
Authors: Wang 王 Xiaoyu 啸宇 , Faizan Muhammad , Zhou 周 Kun 琨 , Wang 王 Xinjiang 新江 , Fu 付 Yuhao 钰豪 , Zhang 张 Lijun 立军
Published: August 2024

Inverted perovskite solar cells have gained prominence in industrial advancement due to their easy fabrication, low hysteresis effects, and high stability. Despite these advantages, their efficiency is currently limited by excessive defects and poor carrier transport at the perovskite–electrode interface, particularly at the buried interface between the perovskite and transparent conductive oxide (TCO). Recent efforts in the perovskite community have focused on designing novel self-assembled molecules (SAMs) to improve the quality of the buried interface. However, a notable gap remains in understanding the regulation of atomic-scale interfacial properties of SAMs between the perovskite and TCO interfaces. This understanding is crucial, particularly in terms of identifying chemically active anchoring groups. In this study, we used the star SAM ([2-(9H-carbazol-9-yl)ethyl] phosphonic acid) as the base structure to investigate the defect passivation effects of eight common anchoring groups at the perovskite–TCO interface. Our findings indicate that the phosphonic and boric acid groups exhibit notable advantages. These groups fulfill three key criteria: they provide the greatest potential for defect passivation, exhibit stable adsorption with defects, and exert significant regulatory effects on interface dipoles. Ionized anchoring groups exhibit enhanced passivation capabilities for defect energy levels due to their superior Lewis base properties, which effectively neutralize local charges near defects. Among various defect types, iodine vacancies are the easiest to passivate, whereas iodine-substituted lead defects are the most challenging to passivate. Our study provides comprehensive theoretical insights and inspiration for the design of anchoring groups in SAMs, contributing to the ongoing development of more efficient inverted perovskite solar cells.
Estimated mortality attributable to the urban heat island during the record-breaking 2022 heatwave in London
Authors: Simpson Charles H , Brousse Oscar , Heaviside Clare
Published: August 2024

The United Kingdom experienced its most extreme heatwave to date during late July 2022, with maximum air temperatures exceeding 40 °C recorded for the first time in history on July 19th. High ambient temperatures have been statistically shown to lead to increased mortality. Higher nighttime temperatures that occur in more urbanised areas, called the urban heat island (UHI), may contribute to the mortality burden of heat. In this study, we applied health impact assessment methods with advanced urban climate modelling to estimate what contribution the UHI had on the mortality impact of the 10–25 July 2022 heatwave in Greater London. Estimated mortality due to heat and due to the UHI were compared with estimated mortality due to air pollution in the same period, based on monitored concentrations. We estimate that of the 1773 deaths in Greater London in this period 370 (95% confidence interval 328–410) could be attributed to heat. We estimate that 38% of these heat-related deaths could be attributed to the UHI. In the same period is estimate deaths attributable to PM2.5 were 20.6 (10.4–30.8) and to ozone were 52.3 (95% confidence interval 18.6–85.2). Despite not contributing to the record-breaking maximum air temperature observed during this period, the UHI may have contributed to the heatwave’s mortality burden through raised nighttime temperature. While air pollutant concentrations were elevated during the period, deaths attributable to air pollution were relatively few compared to deaths attributable to heat.
Introduction
Authors: Putz Paul Emory
Published: August 2024

This chapter introduces the main ideas, narrative structure, and historiographical themes of The Spirit of the Game. It situates the book at the intersection of both sport history and religious history, and it discusses how the book engages with scholarship from both subdisciplines. For sport historians, the book offers a comprehensive analysis of the creation of a Protestant subculture within big-time sports that has shaped the meanings assigned to athletics in American life. For religious historians, the book uses sport as a lens for understanding the transformations in American Protestantism over the course of the twentieth century. This includes the shift from a mainline/ecumenical establishment to an evangelical movement that claimed to represent the mainstream. Precisely because this book is about sports and religion, it is also about American pluralism, belonging, and the public spaces we share together.
Unless the Playing Interferes with the Praying
Authors: Putz Paul Emory
Published: August 2024

This chapter examines fundamentalist, white Southern Protestant, and Black Protestant engagement with sports in the 1920s. Fundamentalists enjoyed sports, but they prioritized evangelism, piety, and separation from the world to such an extent that success in sports at an elite level was difficult. White Southern Protestants comfortably blended the evangelistic emphasis of fundamentalists with the character-building and establishment sensibility of middlebrow Protestants, all while connecting sports with Southern identity. Black Protestants shared with white Protestants the emphasis on using athletics to build character. Yet, they added a focus on cultivating Black pride and working for muscular assimilation. While middlebrow Protestants remained best positioned for influence within big-time sports, the ideologies these three groups developed in the 1920s are crucial to understanding the prehistory of the Christian athlete movement and the directions that it would eventually take.
Jesse Jackson Has Reason to Be Concerned
Authors: Putz Paul Emory
Published: August 2024

This chapter examines debates over race, Christianity, and American identity as the white-led Christian athlete movement began to include more Black athletes. In the 1980s those tensions simmered. Then, in 1990s they came to the forefront in a dramatic way when Black Christian athletes and a handful of white Christian allies began to make opposition to racism a central moral concern. In their efforts, carried out amid a broader evangelical movement for racial reconciliation, they pushed against the boundaries of the predominantly white Christian athlete movement. Yet Black Christian athletes often discovered that to discuss racism as a present and systemic problem risked being cast as polarizing and militant, leading some to seek to develop new sports ministry spaces.
Retroactive Continuity and Fictional Facts
Authors: Lee Jeonggyu
Published: August 2024

This paper deals with the phenomenon of retroactive continuity, or retcon for short, in which the truth-value of a proposition in an established fictional work is changed later. The primary aim of this paper is to provide the most compelling explanation for retroactive continuity. I first defend the metaphysical view about fiction, according to which when retconning occurs, a fictional work changes its property of containing a proposition while preserving its identity. I then argue that this view is theoretically preferable to all other competing approaches.
AI Prediction for Post–Lower Blepharoplasty Age Reduction
Authors: Chiou Tz-Wei , Yen Cheng-I , Hsiao Yen-Chang , Chen Hung-Chang
Published: August 2024

Background

Aesthetic standards vary and are subjective; artificial intelligence (AI), which is currently seeing a boom in interest, has the potential to provide objective assessment.

Objectives

The aim of this study was to provide a relatively objective assessment of the aesthetic outcomes of lower blepharoplasty–related surgeries, thereby enhancing the decision-making process and understanding of the surgical results.

Methods

This study included 150 patients who had undergone lower blepharoplasty–related surgeries. Analysis was performed with FaceAge software, created by the authors’ research team, which included 4 publicly available age estimation convolution neural network (CNN) models: Amazon Rekognition (Seattle, WA), Microsoft Azure Face (Redmond, WA), Face++ Detect (Beijing, China), and Inferdo face detection (New York, NY). This application was used to compare the subjects’ real age and their age as estimated by the 4 CNNs. In addition, this application was used to estimate patient age based on preoperative and postoperative images of all 150 patients and to evaluate the effect of lower blepharoplasty.

Results

In terms of accuracy in age prediction, all CNN models exhibited a certain degree of accuracy. For all 150 patients undergoing lower blepharoplasty–related surgeries, these surgeries resulted in about 2 years of rejuvenation with a statistically significant difference; for the sex difference, men had more age reduction than women also with a statistically significant difference; quadrilateral blepharoplasty showed the most significant antiaging effect.

Conclusions

By using deep-learning models, lower blepharoplasty–related surgeries actually had an effect on perceived age reduction. Deep learning models have the potential to provide quantitative evidence for the rejuvenating effects of blepharoplasty and other cosmetic surgeries.
A Comparison of Ovine-Reinforced Hybrid Mesh (OviTex PRS) With Porcine Acellular Dermal Matrix (STRATTICE) in the Treatment of Advanced Breast Implant Capsular Contracture
Authors: Harfouche Cyril J , Brucker Michael J , Pacella Salvatore J
Published: August 2024

Background

Tissue reinforcement techniques with porcine acellular dermal matrices (ADMs) have been widely adopted as standard care in treating capsular contracture. However, the application of alternative xenograft or mesh materials has not been widely studied.

Objectives

To examine the efficacy of OviTex PRS Reinforced Tissue Matrix (Resorbable) (TELA Bio, Malvern, PA), a hybrid ovine-reinforced mesh, in comparison with STRATTICE Reconstructive Tissue Matrix (Allergan, Irvine, CA), in patients with advanced capsular contracture.

Methods

A retrospective review was conducted on patients who underwent breast revision surgery for Baker Grade III or IV capsular contracture. Patient data were reviewed for outcomes, complications, cost, and postoperative incidence of recurrent capsular contracture after treatment with each specific mesh.

Results

Fifty-nine of 89 breasts (66.3%) were treated with OviTex and 30 (33.7%) were treated with STRATTICE. All patients experienced a reduction in Baker grades. In patients treated with OviTex, 96.6% (n = 57) of breasts had a postoperative Baker Grade I with the remaining 3.4% (n = 2) breasts presenting with a Baker Grade II. In comparison, 73.3% (n = 22), 23.3% (n = 7), and 3.3% (n = 1) of the STRATTICE cohort presented with Baker Grades I, II, and III, respectively. This demonstrated a statistically significant improvement in Baker grade capsular contracture in the OviTex cohort (P < .05) compared with STRATTICE. Average cost was $27.37/cm2 for STRATTICE compared with $22.28/cm2 for OviTex PRS.

Conclusions

OviTex may be successfully utilized to treat capsular contracture. Patient outcomes may be superior to STRATTICE in recurrent capsular contracture, particularly when a previous ADM had been utilized. Cost data show improved savings with the use of OviTex compared with STRATTICE.

Level of Evidence: 3
Identifying cancer cells from calling single-nucleotide variants in scRNA-seq data
Authors: Marot-Lassauzaie Valérie , Beneyto-Calabuig Sergi , Obermayer Benedikt , Velten Lars , Beule Dieter , Haghverdi Laleh
Published: August 2024

Motivation

Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) data are widely used to study cancer cell states and their heterogeneity. However, the tumour microenvironment is usually a mixture of healthy and cancerous cells and it can be difficult to fully separate these two populations based on transcriptomics alone. If available, somatic single-nucleotide variants (SNVs) observed in the scRNA-seq data could be used to identify the cancer population and match that information with the single cells’ expression profile. However, calling somatic SNVs in scRNA-seq data is a challenging task, as most variants seen in the short-read data are not somatic, but can instead be germline variants, RNA edits or transcription, sequencing, or processing errors. In addition, only variants present in actively transcribed regions for each individual cell will be seen in the data.

Results

To address these challenges, we develop CCLONE (Cancer Cell Labelling On Noisy Expression), an interpretable tool adapted to handle the uncertainty and sparsity of SNVs called from scRNA-seq data. CCLONE jointly identifies cancer clonal populations, and their associated variants. We apply CCLONE on two acute myeloid leukaemia datasets and one lung adenocarcinoma dataset and show that CCLONE captures both genetic clones and somatic events for multiple patients. These results show how CCLONE can be used to gather insight into the course of the disease and the origin of cancer cells in scRNA-seq data.

Availability and implementation

Source code is available at github.com/HaghverdiLab/CCLONE.
Audacity of gene therapy
Authors: Dimitrov Marketa , Ebens Christen L , Tolar Jakub
Published: August 2024

Since the identification of DNA as the hereditary material, therapeutic advances have focused on gene therapy and allogeneic haematopoietic cell transplants for inherited diseases. Despite successes in treating conditions like β-thalassaemia and sickle cell disease, challenges such as insertional oncogenesis and immunogenicity persist. Future efforts must prioritize improving vector safety, refining manufacturing processes and expanding access to gene therapy, to fully realize its potential.
Augmented reality and radiology: visual enhancement or monopolized mirage
Authors: Christie Matthew
Published: August 2024

Augmented reality (AR) exists on a spectrum, a mixed reality hybrid of virtual projections onto real surroundings. Superimposing conventional medical imaging onto the living patient offers vast potential for radiology, potentially revolutionising practice. The digital technology and user-interfaces that allow us to appreciate this enhanced environment however are complex, expensive, and development mainly limited to major commercial technology (Tech) firms. Hence, it is the activity of these consumer-based businesses that will inevitably dictate the available technology and therefore clinical application of AR. The release of mixed reality head-mounted displays in 2024, must therefore prompt a review of the current status of AR research in radiology, the need for further study and a discussion of the complicated relationship between consumer technology, clinical utility, and the risks of monopolisation.
Practitioner Perspectives on Agency Social Work in Children and Families Social Work in England
Authors: McLaughlin Hugh , Scholar Helen , McCaughan Su , Pollock Sarah
Published: August 2024

This article examines practitioner perspectives on agency social work in Local Authority Children’s Services Departments in England. There have been ongoing concerns about the use of agency workers, relating to cost, quality and impact on services, despite a recognition that temporary staff may be needed for a range of reasons. However, recent labour shortages and the escalating costs of agency staffing are fuelling calls for some form of regulation of agency workers. The article reviews literature on agency workers from the UK and elsewhere. It presents demographic survey data about agency workers drawn from a five-year longitudinal study on the recruitment and retention of child and family social workers and reports qualitative data from forty semi-structured interviews with social workers in Year 4 (Johnson et al., 2022) of the project about their experience of agency social work and agency social workers. The findings indicate several reasons for choosing agency work, pay being the most significant but by no means the only one. The advantages and disadvantages of agency work for workers, employers and service users are considered, and suggestions are offered about further research to assist in understanding how employers can identify and address recruitment and retention factors to reduce dependence on agency staff.
Photophysical properties of donor–acceptor antiaromatic organoboron compounds based on dithienodiborinines
Authors: Adachi Yohei , Hasegawa Takumi , Ohshita Joji
Published: August 2024

Boron-containing antiaromatics, such as diborinines and boroles, have sparked interest in materials chemists owing to their exciting optical properties and high Lewis acidity. In this study, we synthesized donor–acceptor (D–A) type diborinines fused with thiophene rings by introducing electron-donating amino-substituted aryl groups onto boron and elucidated their properties. The D–A type dithienodiborinines exhibited long-wavelength absorption arising from their D–A interactions and antiaromaticity. In addition, their fluorescence intensity increased under oxygen-free conditions, indicating thermally activated delayed fluorescence.
Dissecting aneurysm of sinus of Valsalva into interventricular septum and rupturing into left ventricle through multiple sinuses: a rare case report
Authors: Sharma Shubham , Shah Jayal , Charaniya Riyaz , Dash Rakesh
Published: August 2024

Background

Ruptured sinus of Valsalva (RSOV) is a rare disorder, which usually involves the right coronary sinus (RCS) or the non-coronary sinus (NCS) and ruptures usually into the right-sided chambers. Involvement of the left coronary sinus (LCS) and multiple sinuses, rupture into the left ventricle (LV), and dissecting aneurysm of the interventricular septum (IVS) have all been scarcely reported.

Case summary

A 24-year-old male presented with complaints of exertional fatigue, palpitations, and chest pain with signs of aortic run-off like wide pulse pressure, collapsing pulse along with cardiomegaly, and a diastolic murmur. Echocardiography revealed sinus of Valsalva aneurysms (SOVAs) involving both the RCS and LCS with RCS aneurysm dissecting the IVS and rupturing into the LV and another multilobulated aneurysm from LCS rupturing into the LV. Findings were confirmed on computed tomography (CT) aortogram, and the patient underwent successful surgical repair.

Discussion

Sinus of Valsalva aneurysm is a rare disorder which usually ruptures into the right-sided chambers. The involvement of multiple sinuses and rupture into the IVS is extremely rare (<2%). Aneurysm dissecting the IVS can lead to complete heart block (CHB) and sudden death. Involvement of the LCS is reported in <5% cases of RSOV, and rupture of such an aneurysm into the pericardial space may lead to cardiac tamponade and can also lead to sudden death. Clinical examination, electrocardiogram, chest X-ray, 2D echocardiography, and CT all help in the diagnosis. Treatment involves surgical repair of the defect.
Detection of infective endocarditis with [64Cu]Cu-DOTATATE positron emission tomography/computed tomography: a case series
Authors: Hadji-Turdeghal Katra , Fosbøl Marie Øbro , Hasbak Philip , Kjaer Andreas , Køber Lars , Ripa Rasmus Sejersten , Fosbøl Emil Loldrup
Published: August 2024

Background

Infective endocarditis (IE) is a serious and fatal condition, with prosthetic valve endocarditis representing the worst prognosis. The recommended nuclear imaging modality 2-deoxy-2-[18F]fluoro-D-glucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography ([18F]FDG PET/CT) has limitations. In this case series, we present two patients with IE scanned with a novel PET tracer [64Cu]Cu-DOTATATE ([64Cu]Cu-[1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane-N,N′,N″,N‴-tetra acetic acid]-d-Phe1, Tyr3-octreotate).

Case summary

An 84-year-old female patient (Patient 1) with a biological mitral valve prosthesis (MVP) was admitted acutely from the outpatient clinic. Transoesophageal echocardiography showed vegetations on the MVP. The patient underwent [64Cu]Cu-DOTATATE PET/CT, which showed uptake at the site of infection. The patient underwent surgical valve replacement. The post-operative period was without significant complications, and the patient was discharged home. In another case, a 72-year-old male patient (Patient 2) with a medical history of mild mitral valve stenosis, aortic valve stenosis, and gastrointestinal stromal tumour was admitted to the hospital for back and abdominal pain and subfebrile episodes. Transoesophageal echocardiography showed large vegetations in the native aortic valve. The patient underwent [64Cu]Cu-DOTATATE PET/CT, which showed no uptake at the site of the suspected infection. The patient underwent surgical valve replacement. The post-operative period was characterized by Candida albicans sternitis, and after prolonged hospitalization, the patient died of respiratory failure as a complication of sepsis.

Discussion

In conclusion, this is the first case series presenting two patients with definite IE (modified Duke criteria), who were scanned with the novel [64Cu]Cu-DOTATATE PET/CT. Patient 1, with endocarditis in the MVP, showed an uptake of the tracer, while Patient 2, with native aortic valve endocarditis, did not show any uptake.
A study of patients' choice of medical treatment based on rational choice theory: a cross-sectional survey from China
Authors: Li Jin , Zhao Ning , Gu Mei , Li Danhui , Yang Jia
Published: August 2024

Objective

To describe how patients choose between primary care institutions (PCIs) and non-PCIs using rational choice theory from the perspective of survival rationality, economic rationality, and social rationality.

Methods

Multi-stage stratified sampling and convenience sampling were applied to select 1723 patients to conduct the questionnaire survey. Chi-square test and binary logistic regression were performed to analyze the factors associated with patients’ choice of PCIs.

Results

In total 55.83% of 1723 patients would attend a PCIs for healthcare. The results of the univariate analysis revealed that patients who are female (58.46%, P = .015), suffering from chronic diseases (56.26%, P = .047), inpatients (67.58%, P < .001), Beijing (59.62%, P = .002), partial understanding of the family doctor contracting system (62.30%, P < .001), and not understanding of the medical alliance policy (58.04%, P = .031) had significantly higher probability of choosing PCIs. Logistic regression analysis showed that females were more unwilling to attend PCIs (odds ratio (OR) = 0.822, 95%CI: 0.676–0.999). Following survival rationality, patients without chronic diseases were more likely to attend PCIs (OR = 1.834, 95%CI: 1.029–3.268), and inpatients were more unlikely to attend PCIs (OR = 0.581, 95%CI: 0.437–0.774). From an economic rationality perspective, patients from the Fujian province were more likely to attend PCIs (OR = 1.424, 95%CI: 1.081–1.876). From a social rationality perspective, patients who partial understanding of the family doctor contracting system were more unlikely to attend PCIs (OR = 0.701, 95%CI: 0.551–0.892), and patients who partial and complete understanding of the medical alliance policy were more likely to attend PCIs (OR = 1.340, 95%CI: 1.064–1.687; OR = 1.485, 95%CI: 1.086–2.030).

Conclusions

Survival, economic, and social rationality are involved in patients’ choice to attend PCIs. Compared to survival rationality and social rationality, economic rationality showed a lower association with patients’ choice to attend PCIs. Medical institutions are recommended to adopt a “patient health-centered” approach when providing medical services and further optimize the family doctor contracting system and construction of medical alliances.
A Detailed Examination of China’s Amended Patent Act Implementing Regulations and Patent Examination Guidelines
Authors: Ganea Peter
Published: August 2024

In December 2023, the State Council and the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) amended two important pieces of secondary patent law. One is the Patent Act Implementing Regulations, which provide detailed guidance on the Patent Act’s provisions on patent prosecution, the China-specific peculiar administrative enforcement and other issues. The second is the Patent Examination Guidelines, which instruct patent examiners on examination, reexamination, invalidation, and other matters to be dealt with by the CNIPA. The amendments, which entered into force on 1 January 2024, made the two provisions compliant with the current version of the Patent Act after its fourth amendment of 2020. This article will outline the most important aspects of the amendments.
Forecasting the changes between endemic and epidemic phases of a contagious disease, with the example of COVID-19
Authors: Demongeot Jacques , Magal Pierre , Oshinubi Kayode
Published: August 2024

Background: Predicting the endemic/epidemic transition during the temporal evolution of a contagious disease.

Methods: Indicators for detecting the transition endemic/epidemic, with four scalars to be compared, are calculated from the daily reported news cases: coefficient of variation, skewness, kurtosis and entropy. The indicators selected are related to the shape of the empirical distribution of the new cases observed over 14 days. This duration has been chosen to smooth out the effect of weekends when fewer new cases are registered. For finding a forecasting variable, we have used the principal component analysis (PCA), whose first principal component (a linear combination of the selected indicators) explains a large part of the observed variance and can then be used as a predictor of the phenomenon studied (here the occurrence of an epidemic wave).

Results: A score has been built from the four proposed indicators using the PCA, which allows an acceptable level of forecasting performance by giving a realistic retro-predicted date for the rupture of the stationary endemic model corresponding to the entrance in the epidemic exponential growth phase. This score is applied to the retro-prediction of the limits of the different phases of the COVID-19 outbreak in successive endemic/epidemic transitions for three countries, France, India and Japan.

Conclusion: We provided a new forecasting method for predicting an epidemic wave occurring after an endemic phase for a contagious disease.
On Uniqueness of an Optimal Solution to the Kantorovich Problem With Density Constraints
Authors: Popova Svetlana N
Published: August 2024

We study optimal transportation problems with constraints on densities of transport plans. We obtain a sharp condition for the uniqueness of an optimal solution to the Kantorovich problem with density constraints, namely that the Borel measurable cost function $h(x, y)$ satisfies the following non-degeneracy condition: $h(x, y)$ cannot be expressed as a sum of functions $u(x) + v(y)$ on a set of positive measure.
Methanogenic symbionts of anaerobic ciliates are host and habitat specific
Authors: Méndez-Sánchez Daniel , Schrecengost Anna , Rotterová Johana , Koštířová Kateřina , Beinart Roxanne A , Čepička Ivan
Published: August 2024

The association between anaerobic ciliates and methanogenic archaea has been recognized for over a century. Nevertheless, knowledge of these associations is limited to a few ciliate species, and so the identification of patterns of host–symbiont specificity has been largely speculative. In this study, we integrated microscopy and genetic identification to survey the methanogenic symbionts of 32 free-living anaerobic ciliate species, mainly from the order Metopida. Based on Sanger and Illumina sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene, our results show that a single methanogenic symbiont population, belonging to Methanobacterium, Methanoregula, or Methanocorpusculum, is dominant in each host strain. Moreover, the host’s taxonomy (genus and above) and environment (i.e. endobiotic, marine/brackish, or freshwater) are linked with the methanogen identity at the genus level, demonstrating a strong specificity and fidelity in the association. We also established cultures containing artificially co-occurring anaerobic ciliate species harboring different methanogenic symbionts. This revealed that the host–methanogen relationship is stable over short timescales in cultures without evidence of methanogenic symbiont exchanges, although our intraspecific survey indicated that metopids also tend to replace their methanogens over longer evolutionary timescales. Therefore, anaerobic ciliates have adapted a mixed transmission mode to maintain and replace their methanogenic symbionts, allowing them to thrive in oxygen-depleted environments.
Bacterial chemolithoautotrophy in ultramafic plumes along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge
Authors: Dede Bledina , Reeves Eoghan P , Walter Maren , Bach Wolfgang , Amann Rudolf , Meyerdierks Anke
Published: August 2024

Hydrothermal vent systems release reduced chemical compounds that act as an important energy source in the deep sea. Chemolithoautotrophic microbes inhabiting hydrothermal plumes oxidize these compounds, in particular, hydrogen and reduced sulfur, to obtain the energy required for CO2 fixation. Here, we analysed the planktonic communities of four hydrothermal systems located along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge: Irinovskoe, Semenov-2, Logatchev-1, and Ashadze-2, by combining long-read 16S rRNA gene analysis, fluorescence in situ hybridization, meta-omics, and thermodynamic calculations. Sulfurimonas and SUP05 dominated the microbial communities in these hydrothermal plumes. Investigation of Sulfurimonas and SUP05 MAGs, and their gene transcription in plumes indicated a niche partitioning driven by hydrogen and sulfur. In addition to sulfur and hydrogen oxidation, a novel SAR202 clade inhabiting the plume, here referred to as genus Carboxydicoccus, harbours the capability for CO oxidation and CO2 fixation via reverse TCA cycle. Both pathways were also highly transcribed in other hydrogen-rich plumes, including the Von Damm vent field. Carboxydicoccus profundi reached up to 4% relative abundance (1.0 x 103 cell ml- 1) in Irinovskoe non-buoyant plume and was also abundant in non-hydrothermally influenced deep-sea metagenomes (up to 5 RPKM). Therefore, CO, which is probably not sourced from the hydrothermal fluids (1.9–5.8 μM), but rather from biological activities within the rising fluid, may serve as a significant energy source in hydrothermal plumes. Taken together, this study sheds light on the chemolithoautotrophic potential of the bacterial community in Mid-Atlantic Ridge plumes.
Modal semantics for reasoning with probability and uncertainty
Authors: Guallart Nino
Published: August 2024

This paper belongs to the field of probabilistic modal logic, focusing on a comparative analysis of two distinct semantics: one rooted in Kripke semantics and the other in neighbourhood semantics. The primary distinction lies in the following: The latter allows us to adequately express belief functions (lower probabilities) over propositions, whereas the former does not. Thus, neighbourhood semantics is more expressive. The main part of the work is a section in which we study the modal equivalence between probabilistic Kripke models and a subclass of belief neighbourhood models, namely additive ones. We study how to obtain modally equivalent structures.
The sufficiency of disclosure of AI inventions
Authors: Aboy Mateo , Lath Aparajita , Minssen Timo , Liddell Kathleen
Published: August 2024

The complex and data-driven nature of artificial intelligence (AI) raises questions for the sufficient disclosure of patent applications in this field. What are the European patent disclosure requirements for AI inventions? One challenge is that, prior to training, AI systems can be considered generic models. But after training, they transform into specialized AI systems to solve a particular problem. This transformation requires training data, making it an integral part of the AI system’s definition. But to what extent is the disclosure of the training data or training process necessary for patent disclosure? The Boards of Appeal of the European Patent Office (EPO) first dealt with this challenge in case T 0161/18, which involved a medical AI invention to calculate cardiac output. It held that the specialized artificial neural network (ANN) in the patent could not be carried out by a person skilled in the art due to insufficient disclosure of input data suitable for the training of the ANN or at least one data set suitable for solving the technical problem. Furthermore, without specialization, the invention lacked an inventive step. But, is it always necessary to disclose the input data or at least one data set suitable for solving the technical problem? Are there alternative ways for applicants to satisfy the disclosure requirements for AI inventions? And what evidence is there that patent applicants are disclosing specific details of the AI/machine learning (ML) training or specific AI/ML model architecture? In this article, we analyse case T 0161/18 and subsequent sufficiency of disclosure decisions (T 1539/20; T 0606/21; T 1526/20; T 1191/19) and consider these foundational questions for applicants drafting patent applications with claims directed to AI inventions. We also analyse the EPO’s examination guidelines on sufficiency of disclosure for AI inventions, which were updated in early March 2024.
Description of Trichophoromyia jariensis, a new species of phlebotomine sand fly (Diptera: Psychodidae) from the eastern Amazon
Authors: Cavalcante Keison S , Rodrigues Bruno L , Posada-López Laura , Peniche Taires , Saraiva José F , Galardo Allan Kardec R , Galati Eunice A B
Published: August 2024

A new sand fly species, Trichophoromyia jariensis n. sp. Cavalcante, Rodrigues, & Galati, from the state of Amapá, Brazil, is described based on both male and female morphology and cytochrome c oxidase subunit I DNA barcodes. The DNA barcoding analysis clearly associated males and females of this new species.
Mesoscopic damage study of red sandstone considering initial defects under drying-wetting cycles
Authors: Zhao Li , Cui Yongchang , Xu Shuo , Chang Ruiqing , Yan Zhanyou
Published: August 2024

In order to study the mechanical properties and microscopic damage of red sandstone by dry and wet cycling, this paper establishes a 3-dimensional uniaxial compression model of red sandstone by using PFC3D software. On this basis, microscopic cracks were introduced to analyze the influence of different cracks on the mesoscopic cracking of the model. The results show that the error between the simulation results and the test results is less than 10% for the model established by PFC3D software. Based on the discrete element model, displacement and velocity maps were obtained, and the values are larger at the contact with the load and smaller at the distance from the load. With the increase of the initial crack angle, the peak stress gradually increases, and with the decrease of the crack size, the peak stress gradually decreases, and the contact force also decreases.
Urbanization and distance shape population structure in Fundulus heteroclitus
Authors: Markert Jeffrey A , Rock Matthew T , Clark Bryan W , Nacci Diane E
Published: August 2024

The federal Superfund site at New Bedford Harbor (Massachusetts, USA) is an example of an environment where pollution levels rose quickly and dramatically. Industrial waste containing polychlorinated biphenyls, heavy metals, and other organic pollutants was dumped into the harbor in the mid-20th century. The mummichog (Fundulus heteroclitus) is a widely distributed fish typically susceptible to polychlorinated biphenyl toxicity. However, the population in New Bedford Harbor is one of several that have evolved the ability to tolerate this category of toxicants. Constituents of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor system are linked to this adaptive pollution tolerance. Our population genetic analysis of 444 mummichogs from Massachusetts and Rhode Island estuaries using 55 SNP loci suggests that F. heteroclitus near New Bedford Harbor have large populations and restricted but meaningful levels of gene exchange among adjacent habitats. When comparing polluted to cleaner sites, we find strong evidence of genetic differentiation at a small geographic scale. Populations at the two most polluted sites form a genetically distinct cluster. Much of this differentiation is driven by allele frequency differences at loci associated with the aryl hydrocarbon receptor system. While allele frequencies at loci associated with pollution tolerance vary between clean and polluted habitats, putatively adaptive alleles are present at low frequency elsewhere in our study area.
Joint Venture Operations by Fewer Than All the Parties
Authors: Timothy A
Published: August 2024

This chapter addresses disputes arising from joint venture operations where not all of the parties have elected to participate in a particular joint operation (where the joint venture agreement allows for such a non-participation right). In the particular context of a joint operating agreements the right of a party to elect not participate in a particular joint operation will be represented by the presence of either a sole risk provision or a non-consent provision or both. It might seem inconsistent with the very title of the agreement, but in some joint venture agreements there could be provision whereby a particular activity is not carried out by all of the parties and yet that activity, which is not jointly undertaken by all of the parties, is still governed by the terms of the agreement. This chapter considers how the resultant misalignment between the parties to the joint venture could be dealt with.
Allocation of Costs
Authors: Timothy A
Published: August 2024

This chapter considers how disputes can arise where the joint venture agreement does not address how costs should be approved or allocated, or fails to identify in advance some types of costs, or where issues subsequently arise that were not anticipated when the agreement was put in place. The cases reviewed show that the sharing of costs is at the heart of joint ventures and addressing this issue has led courts and tribunals to consider the fundamental principles on which joint ventures are built. The key message that emerges from the cases is the benefit of trying to anticipate the types of costs that will be incurred in drafting the joint venture agreement and expressly addressing whether they will be shared and, if so, how.
Default
Authors: Timothy A
Published: August 2024

This chapter examines how disputes arise in connection with a default by a party to pay its share of the costs as required by the terms of the joint venture agreement. The obligation of each party to pay its share of costs on time is considered fundamental in any joint venture. Failure of any party to pay its share of costs in a timely manner will put the entire joint venture and the underlying concession at risk. As a result, the JV agreement must ensure that there are strong, effective, and immediate remedies if one of the parties defaults in paying its share of JV costs. This chapter discusses those remedies and whether courts and tribunals have found them valid and effective, especially when some of them can be considered harsh on the defaulting party.
Termination of the Joint Venture
Authors: Timothy A
Published: August 2024

A joint venture agreement will typically make some provision for when that agreement is intended to come to an end between the parties to the joint venture, although that provision is often incomplete, that provision will differ in its content between the agreements which are used in respect of incorporated and unincorporated joint ventures, and that provision could be expressed to apply to the agreement as a whole or in respect of individual parties to the agreement. Principally, the joint venture agreement could come to an end when the underlying business purpose of the joint venture has come to an end (and so, in the context of an unincorporated joint venture, the JOA will have a duration that principally tracks the duration of the concession). This chapter examines the disputes which arise in respect of a purported termination of the joint venture.
The Concept of Investment in ICSID Arbitration
Authors: Petsche Markus
Published: August 2024

This book examines the meaning of the concept of investment in International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) arbitration. It provides a comprehensive and detailed examination of the various legal issues arising in connection with the jurisdictional requirement of the existence of an investment. It explores, first of all, the fundamental question of whether the term ‘investment’ in Art 25 ICSID Convention — despite not being defined — nevertheless has some ‘objective’ or ‘independent’ meaning. Second, it discusses the substance of that ‘objective’ meaning, showing that three primary approaches (the prevailing Salini test, the permissibility test, and the commercial-transaction test) co-exist in arbitral practice. Third, this book analyses investment treaty definitions of ‘investment’. It discusses the traditional definitional model, typical requirements (ownership or control by the investor, territoriality, legality, and the controversial requirement of an ‘active’ investment), as well as recent developments in treaty and related arbitral practice. Fourth, it provides an overview of definitions contained in domestic investment laws, highlighting commonalities with, and differences from, definitions found in investment treaties. Finally, it examines the investment status of several specific categories of assets and operations. This book offers not only a detailed analysis of the relevant case law, legislation, and scholarship, but also a critical assessment of existing practices and trends, as well as normative recommendations. Despite its formal focus on ICSID arbitration, significant portions of this book are also relevant in the context of other forms of investor-state arbitration proceedings.
The Concept of Investment in Investment Treaties
Authors: Petsche Markus
Published: August 2024

This chapter has a twofold object. Section II presents ‘traditional’ treaty definitions of the term ‘investment’, ie the approach followed in the vast majority of investment treaties concluded in the 1990s and 2000s. Those traditional definitions are characterized by two principal features: first, they are ‘asset-based’ (they define ‘investments’ as assets) and, second, they are broad. As will be shown in Chapter 6, a growing number of recent investment treaties depart from this traditional model, introducing various exclusions and restrictions and adopting (occasionally) ‘enterprise-based’ definitions of ‘investment’.Sections III—VI explore four common definitional requirements found in investment treaties. These are not specific to the traditional model, ie they generally also apply under the more restrictive and/or enterprise-based definitions contained in recently concluded treaties. These requirements include (a) ownership or control by the presumed investor, (b) localization of the investment in the territory of the host State (‘territoriality’), (c) legality (or lawfulness) of the investment, and (d) the requirement of an ‘active’ investment. The first three requirements are almost universally accepted; the fourth one enjoys only limited recognition.Please suggest 5—10 keywords that can be used for describing the content of the chapter.