bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Supplemental Material: Ice? Salt? Pressure? Sediment deformation structures as evidence of late-stage shallow groundwater in Gale crater, Mars
Authors: Banham Steven , al. et
Published: March 2024

Slide pack of high-quality images used as part of this study and additional data. 
Two-Electron Scenario of High-Order Harmonics Generation by Atom in an Intense Infrared Field and Attosecond Pulse
Authors: Romanov A. A. , Silaev A. A. , Vvedenskii N. V. , Frolov M. V.
Published: March 2024

The two-electron scenario is proposed for the high-order harmonic generation (HHG) by an atom interacting with an intense infrared field and attosecond pulse. The two-electron dynamics involved in the proposed scenario is realized for the specific attosecond pulse, which can excite the resonance between the valence and deeper shells. Within the numerical solution of the time-dependent Kohn–Sham equations, we analyze the contribution of the single [Phys. Rev. A 98, 063433 (2018)] and two-electron scenarios of HHG by decreasing the duration of attosecond pulse having carrier frequency detuned from the atomic resonance. Favorable conditions are formulated for the realization of a two-electron scenario, which causes the enhancement of the harmonic yield in the spectral range exceeding the cutoff energy of the HHG spectrum in the infrared field.
Association of phenotypic frailty and hand grip strength with telomere length in SLE
Authors: Lieber Sarah B , Lipschultz Robyn A , Syed Shahrez , Rajan Mangala , Venkatraman Sara , Lin Myriam , Reid M Carrington , Lue Neal F , Mandl Lisa A
Published: March 2024

Objective

Frailty and objective hand grip strength (one of the components of the frailty phenotype) are both risk factors for worse health outcomes in SLE. Whether telomere length, an established cellular senescence marker, is a biologic correlate of the frailty phenotype and hand grip strength in patients with SLE is not clear. First, we aimed to evaluate differences in telomere length between frail and non-frail women with SLE and then assessed whether frailty or hand grip strength is differentially associated with telomere length after adjusting for relevant confounders.

Methods

Women ≥18 years of age with validated SLE enrolled at a single medical centre. Fried frailty status (which includes hand grip strength), clinical characteristics and telomere length were assessed cross-sectionally. Differences between frail and non-frail participants were evaluated using Fisher’s exact or Wilcoxon rank-sum tests. The associations between frailty and hand grip strength and telomere length were determined using linear regression.

Results

Of the 150 enrolled participants, 131 had sufficient data for determination of frailty classification; 26% were frail with a median age of 45 years. There was a non-significant trend towards shorter telomere length in frail versus non-frail participants (p=0.07). Hand grip strength was significantly associated with telomere length (beta coefficient 0.02, 95% CI 0.004, 0.04), including after adjustment for age, SLE disease activity and organ damage, and comorbidity (beta coefficient 0.02, 95% CI 0.002, 0.04).

Conclusions

Decreased hand grip strength, but not frailty, was independently associated with shortened telomere length in a cohort of non-elderly women with SLE. Frailty in this middle-aged cohort may be multifactorial rather than strictly a manifestation of accelerated ageing.
The success of computational material design for sustainable energy catalysis
Authors: Siahrostami Samira , Murray Nicholas
Published: March 2024

Computational material design (CMD) employs quantum mechanical simulations, density functional theory, and machine learning techniques to correlate electronic structural attributes with physical and chemical properties of materials. Over the last decade, CMD has proven to be critical to the advancement of materials science and a variety of engineering fields. This contribution provides an overview of CMD’s success in driving materials discovery for catalysis in the context of sustainable energy applications. Specifically, we discuss how CMD has enabled the development of catalysts for three electrochemical processes that are critical to sustainable energy applications, oxygen reduction reactions, water oxidation reactions, and CO2 reduction reactions. We illustrate how CMD provides a powerful and efficient method for understanding underlying reaction mechanisms as well as predicting and optimizing catalyst properties. Furthermore, we demonstrate how this strategic approach has enabled researchers to effectively navigate the vast chemical space of potential catalysts and rapidly identify novel materials possessing desirable electronic structures and catalytic activity.
A systemic approach to analyzing post-collapse adaptations in the Bay of Biscay anchovy fishery
Authors: Beckensteiner Jennifer , Villasante Sebastian , Charles Anthony , Petitgas Pierre , Le Grand Christelle , Thébaud Olivier
Published: March 2024

The Bay of Biscay anchovy fishery system has undergone important transformations following a closure from 2005 to 2010. Through a multidisciplinary and systemic approach, combining analyses of fisheries and market data with interviews with key stakeholders, we analyze adaptive responses of the main system components in France and Spain, considering how the fishing sector and fishery management institutions have adapted to changes. Focusing on the question “what has been lost and gained following the collapse?”, we find that while the anchovy stock has recovered, the fishery system has not returned to its pre-collapse status with important socio-economic features having been lost. We highlight the need for holistic consideration of multiple system components and diverse stakeholders’ perspectives. The perceived losses and gains from the anchovy fishery collapse and aftermath are found to vary across the players in the fishery system, depending as well on the management objectives and scales being considered. Such retrospective analysis can serve as a basis for understanding the long-term responses to social-ecological changes in fisheries and identifying the role of governance mechanisms in supporting adaptations that maintain sustainable fishery systems in the face of future potential shocks.
Local oscillator port integrated resonator for Rydberg atom-based electric field measurement enhancement
Authors: Wu Bo , Liao Dunwei , Ding Zhenke , Yang Kai , Liu Yi , Sang Di , An Qiang , Fu Yunqi
Published: March 2024

Rydberg atom-based superheterodyne with additional local oscillator (LO) signal is a novel approach to detect electric field with high measured sensitivity. However, the LO signal is often supplied to the atomic vapor cell by free-space illumination, which lacks mobility and integration for practical applications. Here, we present a LO port integrated split-ring resonator for realizing high sensitivity-enhanced electric field measurements. The LO signal is sent directly to the resonator through a parallel-plate waveguide, which is shown to achieve a sensitivity enhancement of 32 dB. The integrated resonator has an electrical size of 0.088λ and the feed port S11 reaches −38.2 dB.
Volume preserving mean curvature flow of L2-almost umbilical hypersurfaces in hyperbolic space
Authors: Li Shiyang , Xu Hongwei , Zhao Entao
Published: March 2024

In this paper, we study the stability of the volume preserving mean curvature flow of closed hypersurfaces in the hyperbolic space. We prove that an [Formula: see text]-almost umbilical hypersurface will be deformed to a totally umbilical hypersurface along the flow. Our result removes the assumption on the mean curvature in the theorems of Huang-Lin-Zhang [Peking J. Math. (2023)] and Leng-Xu-Zhao [Int. J. Math. (2014)].
Compatible Spanning Circuits Visiting Each Vertex Exactly a Specified Number of Times in Graphs with Generalized Transition Systems
Authors: Guo Zhiwei , Chen Xiaoxia
Published: March 2024

A transition in a graph refers to a pair of adjacent edges. A generalized transition system [Formula: see text] over a graph [Formula: see text], which can be regarded as a generalization of a partition system or an edge-coloring of [Formula: see text], defines a set of transitions over [Formula: see text]. A compatible spanning circuit in a graph [Formula: see text] with a generalized transition system [Formula: see text] refers to a spanning circuit in which no two consecutive edges form a transition defined by [Formula: see text]. In this paper, we present sufficient conditions for the existence of compatible spanning circuits that visit each vertex exactly [Formula: see text] times in some specific graphs on [Formula: see text] vertices with generalized transition systems, where [Formula: see text] denotes a function of a positive integer [Formula: see text], for every feasible [Formula: see text]. Moreover, as corollaries, we also obtain analogous conclusions for the above mentioned graphs that are assigned partition systems and edge-colorings, respectively.
Efficient Construction of Practical Python Call Graphs with Entity Knowledge Base
Authors: Cao Yulu , Chen Lin , Chen Zhifei , Zhong Jiacheng , Zhang Xiaowei , Wang Linzhang
Published: March 2024

Call graphs facilitate various tasks in software engineering. However, for the dynamic language Python, the complex language features and external library dependencies pose enormous challenges for building the call graphs of real projects. Some program analysis techniques used for call graph construction in other languages are impractical for Python. In this paper, we present STAR, a practical technique for the construction of Python static call graphs. We reformulate call graph construction as an entity identification task. STAR leverages inter-module summary and cross-project dependencies to construct a fine-grained entity knowledge base to identify the possible nodes and edges of the call graph in the code, and then construct the call graph. Our evaluation of three benchmarks shows that (1) STAR improves recall in three benchmarks compared to three baseline tools. Especially, STAR improves the recall of reachable nodes and reachable edges compared with the state-of-the-art tool by 11.3% and 9.8%, respectively; (2) STAR achieves comparable performance as three baseline tools in execution time and memory usage and is more efficient in large projects; (3) STAR can be effectively used for the task of detecting vulnerability propagation with real-world cases. We expect our results will attract more exploration of practical methods and improve the application of Python call graphs.
Selection of the Span Length of an Analogic Finite Beam to Simulate the Infinite Beam Resting on Viscoelastic Foundation Under a Harmonic Moving Load
Authors: Yang Y. B. , Gao S. Y. , Shi K. , Mo X. Q. , Yuan P. , Wang H. Y.
Published: March 2024

Continuous rails are often modeled as infinite beams. In this paper, closed-form solution is newly derived by the residue theorem and Green’s function for the dynamic response of an infinite beam resting on viscoelastic foundation under a harmonic moving load. The most suitable span length will be determined for the analogic finite beam (which can be more conveniently used in practice) to best represent the deflection of the infinite beam for practical reasons. Starting from the equations of motion, closed-form solution is firstly derived for the infinite beam. Then, it is verified by the finite element method (FEM) using semi-infinite elements to simulate the infinite boundary conditions. The deflection curves of the infinite beam and analogic finite beam are compared for various parameters. It is concluded that: (1) a larger span length should be adopted for the finite beam under higher load speeds or with foundations of softer stiffness or larger damping; typically, for load speeds [Formula: see text][Formula: see text]m/s (324[Formula: see text]km/h); (2) typically, a span length of 50 m can be adopted for the analogic beam for UIC rails resting on foundations with stiffness [Formula: see text] and damping coefficient [Formula: see text]; (3) the peak deflection of the infinite and analogic finite beams occurs after the moving load for foundations with larger damping; and (4) the shape and amplitude of the deflection curve vary as the load frequency and amplitude varies, but the difference between the two beams is insignificant for moving loads with high frequencies.
A New Approach to Structural Damage Identification Based on Power Spectral Density and Convolutional Neural Network
Authors: Fang Youliang , Li Chanpeng , Wu Sixiang , Yan Menghao
Published: March 2024

In the field of structural health monitoring, vibration-based damage identification remains a formidable challenge. Key to this challenge is the establishment of a reliable association between observed vibration characteristics and the actual state of structural damage (e.g. stiffness reduction). This association not only accurately indicates the presence of damage, but also the location and severity of the damage. To solve this complex pattern identification problem, a large number of approaches, including deep learning, have emerged in recent years. In this paper, we propose a new structural damage identification method that utilizes the vibration information of the structure and a convolutional neural network based on Alex NET improvement. The method consists of calculating the acceleration response power spectral density of damaged and undamaged structures under impact loading separately, and then making a difference between the two power spectral data, and subsequently introducing these power spectral difference data into the convolutional neural network for training. The use of power spectral density analysis as a preprocessing step converts the time-domain signals into frequency-domain signals, and this conversion allows the convolutional neural network to capture and learn from the specific frequency characteristics of the data, thus facilitating the learning process of the neural network model. In this paper, the effectiveness of the method is critically evaluated through numerical simulation and experimental validation, and 3% and 5% noise are added to the numerical study to test the robustness of the method. During the convolution neural network training process, the optimal training mean squared error (MSE) is [Formula: see text] in the case of no noise addition; the optimal training MSE is [Formula: see text] in the case of noise addition. Both the results of simulations and experiments confirm the high accuracy and good robustness of the method in localizing structural damage.
The most probable transition pathway of a predator–prey system under noise
Authors: Wang Hui , Zheng Miaolei , Chen Xi
Published: March 2024

Stochastic population dynamics plays a crucial role in biological systems. The number and distribution of biological populations often affect the stability of ecosystems, and even lead to the transition of ecosystems from one steady-state to another. The transition between different states of a population has a significant impact on both population dynamics and biological evolution. In this paper, we examined a stochastic population model and used Onsager–Machlup action functional and neural shooting method to obtain the most probable transition pathway between different states. Moreover, we analyzed the influence of noise intensity, maximum harvest rate [Formula: see text] and time [Formula: see text] on most probable transition pathway in two different parameter scenarios. Our research may provide a better understanding of evolutionary process such as genetic variation in populations and the evolution of species adaptation, meanwhile, may provide a theoretical guidance for species conservation and management in real world.
On finite groups all of whose non-abelian maximal invariant subgroups of order divisible by p are TI-subgroups
Authors: Shi Jiangtao , Shan Mengjiao
Published: March 2024

Let [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] be finite groups such that [Formula: see text] acts coprimely on [Formula: see text] by automorphisms. For any fixed prime divisor [Formula: see text] of [Formula: see text], we provide a complete characterization of the structure of group [Formula: see text] all of whose non-abelian maximal [Formula: see text]-invariant subgroups of order divisible by [Formula: see text] are TI-subgroups.
Inclusion properties of generalized inverses in rings
Authors: Lu Qi , Wang Long
Published: March 2024

In this paper, we investigate inclusion properties in a ∗-ring. It is proven that for two [Formula: see text]-invertible elements [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] in a ∗-ring, [Formula: see text] if and only if [Formula: see text]. For two [Formula: see text]-invertible elements [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text] if and only if [Formula: see text]. Moreover, we give a characterization of [Formula: see text]-inverses, and the absorption law for [Formula: see text]-inverses is studied.
Wilf inequality is preserved under gluing of semigroups
Authors: Singh Srishti , Srinivasan Hema
Published: March 2024

Wilf Conjecture on numerical semigroups is a question posed by Wilf in 1978 and is an inequality connecting the Frobenius number, embedding dimension and the genus of the semigroup. The conjecture is still open in general. We prove that this Wilf inequality is preserved under gluing of numerical semigroups. If the numerical semigroups minimally generated by [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] satisfy the Wilf inequality, then so does their gluing which is minimally generated by [Formula: see text]. We discuss the extended Wilf’s Conjecture in higher dimensions for certain affine semigroups and prove an analogous result.
Some results in Zinbiel H-pseudoalgebras
Authors: Yao Rui , Wu Zhixiang
Published: March 2024

We define a Zinbiel [Formula: see text]-pseudoalgebra over a cocommutative Hopf algebra [Formula: see text], and characterize the annihilation algebra of Zinbiel [Formula: see text]-pseudoalgebra. The relation between Zinbiel [Formula: see text]-pseudoalgebra and its annihilation algebra is also studied. It is proved that every Zinbiel [Formula: see text]-pseudoalgebra of rank one is trivial. We study weak current Zinbiel [Formula: see text]-pseudoalgebras which are very close to current Zinbiel [Formula: see text]-pseudoalgebras and give the classification of nul-filiform and filiform weak current Zinbiel [Formula: see text]-pseudoalgebras of finite rank. Moreover, the classification of weak current Zinbiel [Formula: see text]-pseudoalgebras of rank under four is also determined.
Rap-Densenet Framework for Network Attack Detection and Classification
Authors: Silivery Arun Kumar , Rao Kovvur Ram Mohan , Kumar Suresh L. K.
Published: March 2024

Cybersecurity is becoming increasingly important with the rise in Internet usage. The two most frequent cyberattacks that can seriously harm a website or a server and render them inaccessible to other customers are denial of service (DoS) and distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks. These attacks are so common and take many different forms, it is difficult to identify and respond to them with previous methods. Furthermore, computational complexity, inconsistency, and irrelevant data are problems for traditional intrusion detection methods. As a result, a powerful deep learning-based technique is applied in this study for the identification and categorisation of DoS and DDoS attacks. Refined Attention Pyramid Network (RAPNet)-based feature extraction is used in this proposed framework to extract features from the input data. Then, Binary Pigeon Optimisation Algorithm (BPOA) is used to determine the best features. After choosing optimal characteristics, Densenet201-based deep learning is deployed to categorise the assaults in Bot-IoT, CICIDS2017, and CICIDS2019 datasets. Furthermore, the Conditional Generative Adversarial Network (CGAN) is used to provide extra data samples for minority classes to address the issue of imbalanced data. The findings show that the proposed model can precisely identify and categorise DoS and DDoS assaults in comparison to the existing intrusion detection approaches with 99.43%, 99.26%, and 99.38% accuracy for CICIDS2019, CICIDS2017, and BoT-IoT correspondingly.
Grammatical versus Spelling Error Correction: An Investigation into the Responsiveness of Transformer-Based Language Models Using BART and MarianMT
Authors: Raju Rohit , Pati Peeta Basa , Gandheesh SA , Sannala Gayatri Sanjana , Suriya KS
Published: March 2024

Text continues to remain a relevant form of representation for information. Text documents are created either in digital native platforms or through the conversion of other media files such as images and speech. While the digital native text is invariably obtained through physical or virtual keyboards, technologies such as OCR and speech recognition are utilised to transform the images and speech signals into text content. All these variety of mechanisms of text generation also introduce errors into the captured text. This project aims at analysing different kinds of errors that occur in text documents. The work employs two of the advanced deep neural network-based language models, namely, BART and MarianMT, to rectify the anomalies present in the text. Transfer learning of these models with available dataset is performed to finetune their capacity for error correction. A comparative study is conducted to investigate the effectiveness of these models in handling each of the defined error categories. It is observed that while both models can bring down the erroneous sentences by 20+%, BART can handle spelling errors far better (24.6%) than grammatical errors (8.8%).
Social Recommendation Framework: A Case Study of Chinese Long-Stayers in Chiang Mai
Authors: Khamaksorn Achara , Pongpatcharatorntep Danaitun , Santirojanakul Sirikorn , Hu Die
Published: March 2024

Chiang Mai (CNX), a popular city in northern Thailand, has attracted an increasing number of Chinese visitors to stay for a long term for diverse purposes, which facilitates local economic and cultural development. As social networks (SNs) are widely used to disseminate information and accelerate problem-solving, social recommendations (SRs) can be generated correspondingly to address the diverse and dynamic long-term residential demands of Chinese users in a multicultural context. This research aims to develop an SN-based recommendation framework for Chinese long-stayers in CNX to address the social recommendation problems for target long-stay users in a cross-cultural context. This paper employed a mixed-method research design based on the knowledge management processes to acquire, store, share and apply knowledge needed for SN analysis. The results showed that the proposed framework effectively provides filtering and efficient SRs that enable Chinese users to make decisions and formulate strategies during their long-term residence in CNX. The preliminary work also illustrates the positive impact of individual demographic and SN characteristics on the performance of SRs that researchers and practitioners need to develop innovative business and management strategies regarding Chinese long-stayers in a cross-cultural context. Further studies are required to identify additional factors to enhance the effectiveness and utility of SRs for Chinese long-term residents in a cross-cultural environment.
A Filter-Based Improved Multi-Objective Equilibrium Optimizer for Single-Label and Multi-Label Feature Selection Problem
Authors: Wang Wendong , Li Yu , Liu Jingsen , Zhou Huan
Published: March 2024

Effectively reducing the dimensionality of big data and retaining its key information has been a research challenge. As an important step in data pre-processing, feature selection plays a critical role in reducing data size and increasing the overall value of the data. Many previous studies have focused on single-label feature selection, however, with the increasing variety of data types, the need for feature selection on multi-label data types has also arisen. Unlike single-labeled data, multi-labeled data with more combinations of classifications place higher demands on the capabilities of feature selection algorithms. In this paper, we propose a filter-based Multi-Objective Equilibrium Optimizer algorithm (MOEO-Smp) to solve the feature selection problem for both single-label and multi-label data. MOEO-Smp rates the optimization results of solutions and features based on four pairs of optimization principles, and builds three equilibrium pools to guide exploration and exploitation based on the total scores of solutions and features and the ranking of objective fitness values, respectively. Seven UCI single-label datasets and two Mulan multi-label datasets and one COVID-19 multi-label dataset are used to test the feature selection capability of MOEO-Smp, and the feature selection results are compared with 10 other state-of-the-art algorithms and evaluated using three and seven different metrics, respectively. Feature selection experiments and comparisons with the results in other literatures show that MOEO-Smp not only has the highest classification accuracy and excellent dimensionality reduction on single-labeled data, but also performs better on multi-label data in terms of Hamming loss, accuracy, dimensionality reduction, and so on.
Analysis for Time-Dependent Behavior of Soft Rock Through a Reinforced Learning Fusion Constitutive Model
Authors: Tan Xu-Yan , Chen Weizhong , Tian Hongming , Wang Luyu
Published: March 2024

The long-term stability of tunnel structures is significantly influenced by the time-dependent behavior of the surrounding rock. Existing constitutive models often deviated from surrounding deformation due to the anisotropic nature of rock mass. In response, this study introduces a novel reinforced learning fusion constitutive model to accurately capture the time-dependent behaviors of soft rock. The framework and methodologies are first outlined, followed by the instantiation of the constitutive model of Burgers and creep parameters using laboratory testing data. To enhance accuracy, an XGBoost model is trained to reinforce the results of the constitutive model. The reliability of the proposed model is then validated against the original constitutive model and other representative machine learning models. Experimental findings demonstrate the superior characterization ability and stability of the presented reinforced model, where the calculation error reduces by 7.2E−06 at least, and [Formula: see text] score is improved by at least 1% to others. Consequently, the proposed model is reliable, offering a promising approach to capturing the actual time-dependent behaviors of tunnel surroundings in practical field applications.
Cross-Crack Interaction and Initiation Mechanism Under Hydro-Mechanical Coupling
Authors: Shen Qingqing , Zhang Quan , Rao Qiuhua , Yi Wei
Published: March 2024

In this paper, the equation for computing the maximum Stress Intensity Factor (SIF) of cross-crack under hydraulic-mechanical coupling was derived by the dislocation method and the integral equation, and the influence of cross-crack geometric parameters (branch-crack length, pinch angle, inclination angle) on the interacting SIF was analyzed, and its influence law was obtained. Using the maximum shear and tensile SIF ratio criterion as a basis, the fracture criterion of hydraulic-mechanical coupling cross-crack was established, and the initiation process of hydraulic-mechanical coupled red sandstone cross-crack was predicted (including the cross-crack initiation angle, initiation load, and initiation mechanism). Results showed that for cross-crack with the inclination angle fixed ([Formula: see text]), [Formula: see text] of crack tip C decreases slowly. For cross-crack with change of [Formula: see text]. [Formula: see text] of crack tip A increases, and crack tip C decreases with [Formula: see text]. For the cross-crack hydraulic-mechanical coupling test, as the cross-crack angle [Formula: see text] grows, the fracture initiation stress first reduces before increasing. Initiation mechanisms are Mode I fracture and initiation angles are usually negative. The hydraulic-mechanical coupling cross-crack initiation criterion is validated by the experimental findings, which align with the expected outcomes.
Synchronous Dynamical Systems on Directed Acyclic Graphs: Complexity and Algorithms
Authors: Rosenkrantz Daniel J. , Marathe Madhav V. , Ravi S.S. , Stearns Richard E.
Published: March 2024

Discrete dynamical systems serve as useful formal models to study diffusion phenomena in social networks. Several recent articles have studied the algorithmic and complexity aspects of some decision problems on synchronous Boolean networks, which are discrete dynamical systems whose underlying graphs are directed, and may contain directed cycles. Such problems can be regarded as reachability problems in the phase space of the corresponding dynamical system. Previous work has shown that some of these decision problems become efficiently solvable for systems on directed acyclic graphs (DAGs). Motivated by this line of work, we investigate a number of decision problems for dynamical systems whose underlying graphs are DAGs. We show that computational intractability (i.e.,
PSPACE
-completeness) results for reachability problems hold even for dynamical systems on DAGs. We also identify some restricted versions of dynamical systems on DAGs for which reachability problem can be solved efficiently. In addition, we show that a decision problem (namely, Convergence), which is efficiently solvable for dynamical systems on DAGs, becomes
PSPACE
-complete for Quasi-DAGs (i.e., graphs that become DAGs by the removal of a
single
edge). In the process of establishing the above results, we also develop several structural properties of the phase spaces of dynamical systems on DAGs.
A Stable High-Potential Na7V4(P2O7)4(PO4) Cathode for Sodium-Ion Batteries Developed from a Water-Based Slurry
Authors: Gong Ruihao , Maroni Fabio , Marinaro Mario
Published: March 2024

The sodium mixed-phosphate polyanionic compound Na7V4(P2O7)4PO4 (NVPP) is an attractive high-potential cathode material for sodium-ion batteries. In this study, a water-soluble binder, namely polyacrylic acid (PAA), was used to successfully process NVPP-based electrodes. In the absence of toxic and expensive organic solvents, the fabrication scenario of our NVPP-PAA electrode appears as a more sustainable and cost-effective approach for slurry processing and electrode production. Supported by detailed electrochemical investigations, we highlight the excellent electrochemical performance of the NVPP-PAA electrodes, which show capacity retention of ∼97% after 200 cycles at a high current density (3 C) in addition to its attractive rate capability with minimal electrode polarization up to 5 C rate.
Effect of Eucalyptus globulus Plantations on Soil Physicochemical Properties in the Upper Blue Nile, Ethiopia
Authors: Yimam Abdurohman , Mekuriaw Asnake , Assefa Dessie , Bewket Woldeamlak
Published: March 2024

In recent years, there has been a substantial conversion of croplands and grasslands to short rotation Eucalyptus globulus plantations in the northern highlands of Ethiopia. This has raised concerns among researchers, policymakers, and environmentalists regarding potential adverse effects on soil fertility. To address these concerns, a study was conducted to evaluate the impact of Eucalyptus globulus plantations on selected soil physicochemical properties in the region. The study involved four land-use types, comprising two age groups of Eucalyptus globulus plantations (4-year-old and 9-year-old), as well as areas designated for grasslands and croplands. Soil sampling was carried out in 10 m × 10 m subplots within each experimental plot, and standard methods were employed for soil analysis. The soil laboratory results were statistically analyzed using Two-way ANOVA and Pearson’s correlation coefficients in R software version 4.1.0. The findings revealed significant variations (p<0.05) in soil bulk density, soil organic carbon, and soil pH between the 4-year-old and 9-year-old Eucalyptus globulus plantations and the grasslands. A notable difference (p<0.05) in exchangeable acidity was observed between the 4-year-old and 9-year-old E. globulus plantations, with the latter exhibiting the highest mean exchangeable acidity (6.20 ± 0.76). However, no significant differences (p<0.05) were observed between the Eucalyptus plantations and the grasslands in available phosphorus (Av.P), exchangeable calcium (Ca2+), sodium (Na+), and magnesium (Mg2+) concentrations, as well as cation exchange capacity (CEC). The study results has, therefore, implied that Eucalyptus globulus plantations induced changes in specific soil properties with varying stand ages in the study area. Nonetheless, it was emphasized that further long-term research is necessary to comprehend the effects of these plantations on soil properties.
Abstract 102: LMP1-mediated recruitment of ALIX directs exosomal PD-L1 sorting and contributes to immunosuppression in EBV+ nasopharyngeal carcinoma
Authors: He Fajian , Gong Yan , Zhou Yajuan , Xie Conghua
Published: March 2024

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is known to cause multiple cancers and plays a pivotal role in tumor immune evasion. Latent membrane protein 1 (LMP1) is a key viral oncoprotein expressed in most EBV-associated cancers and contributes to tumor microenvironment remodeling. However, the exact role of LMP1 in modulating tumor immunity remains unclear. In this study, we elucidate how LMP1 interacts with PD-L1 and ALIX to form a trimolecular complex, facilitating the selective sorting of PD-L1 into exosomes and consequently impairing CD8+ T cell function in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). Specifically, the transmembrane domain of LMP1 interacts with and stabilizes PD-L1, while the intracellular domain of LMP1 binds to ALIX, thus enabling access to the exosomal secretory pathway. This interaction leads to the formation of a trimolecular complex comprising LMP1, PD-L1, and ALIX, which is indispensable for the exosomal trafficking of PD-L1. Importantly, disrupting ALIX significantly diminishes LMP1-induced exosomal PD-L1 secretion, thereby restoring CD8+ T cell functionality. Furthermore, we found that elevated levels of LMP1/ALIX expression are positively associated with immunosuppressive characteristics and poorer outcomes in human NPC. Our findings highlight the crucial role of the LMP1/ALIX axis in exosomal PD-L1 sorting and EBV-mediated immune evasion, presenting a novel and promising target for cancer immunotherapy.

Citation Format: Fajian He, Yan Gong, Yajuan Zhou, Conghua Xie. LMP1-mediated recruitment of ALIX directs exosomal PD-L1 sorting and contributes to immunosuppression in EBV+ nasopharyngeal carcinoma [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2024; Part 1 (Regular Abstracts); 2024 Apr 5-10; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84(6_Suppl):Abstract nr 102.
Abstract 1057: A blood-based multi-omics test for multicancer early detection: Combined retrospective and prospective studies
Authors: Mao Mao , Li Shiyong , Ren Qingqi , Luan Yi , Liang Weijie , Geng Shuaipeng , Huang Dao-Ling , Zhu Dandan , Chang Yinyin , Wu Wei , Zhang Yingying , Zhang Linfeng , Wang Yan , Feng Yumin , Wei Bing , Ma Jie , Duan Chaohui , Long Guanghui
Published: March 2024

Background: Recent studies have demonstrated that blood-based multi-cancer early detection (MCED) approaches may hold promise for identifying asymptomatic cancer patients from general population. However, most studies only exploit a single aspect of cancer hallmarks, which is challenging for the biological reasons as cancer is a heterogenous disease with a wide spectrum of pathological and clinical behaviors. Here we report a multi-omics MCED assay named SeekInCare, a CE-IVD Mark blood test, which incorporates genomic hallmarks: copy number aberrations, fragment size, end motifs and oncogenic viruses via shallow whole genome sequencing from cfDNA, and seven plasma protein tumor markers in 8 ml blood.

Methods: SeekInCare was developed using several retrospective cohorts and the method has been described in a publication (DOI: 10.1016/j.jmoldx.2021.06.003) IF: 4.1 Q2.

Results: We present the validation in a retrospective cohort consisting of 584 non-cancer individuals and 617 cancer patients covering 27 cancer types. SeekInCare achieved 65.5% sensitivity at 97.9% specificity, resulting in an AUC of 0.936. The sensitivities were 46.9%, 60.0%, 68.9%, 81.8% in stage I, II, III, IV patients. The sensitivities of 10 common cancer types are as the following: breast (46.2%), stomach (46.4%), colorectum (56.5%), gallbladder (60.0%), lung (62.8%), pancreas (64.7%), lymphoma (68.5%), esophagus (70.0%), liver (77.5%), and leukemia (86.7%). These cancer types account for 73.5% of cancer incidence and 81.8% of cancer-related mortality in China. We prospectively evaluated SeekInCare in a real-world cohort consisting of 1203 individuals who received the test as a laboratory developed test (median follow-up time: 753 days) in which it achieved 60.0% sensitivity, 96.1% specificity, 11.5% PPV and 99.7% NPV.

Conclusion: The performances of SeekInCare in both retrospective and prospective studies demonstrate that SeekInCare is an effective blood-based MCED test with similar performance as Grail’s Galleri test, which paves the way for clinical utility as a cancer screening test in average-risk populations.

Citation Format: Mao Mao, Shiyong Li, Qingqi Ren, Yi Luan, Weijie Liang, Shuaipeng Geng, Dao-Ling Huang, Dandan Zhu, Yinyin Chang, Wei Wu, Yingying Zhang, Linfeng Zhang, Yan Wang, Yumin Feng, Bing Wei, Jie Ma, Chaohui Duan, Guanghui Long. A blood-based multi-omics test for multicancer early detection: Combined retrospective and prospective studies [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2024; Part 1 (Regular Abstracts); 2024 Apr 5-10; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84(6_Suppl):Abstract nr 1057.
Abstract 1080: Using genome-wide CRISPR screening to develop novel combination therapies for high-risk Ewing’s sarcoma
Authors: Ravindrarajah Daenikka , Krishan Sukriti , Simpson Kayleen , Gulati Twishi , Cheung Belamy B. , Marshall Glenn M.
Published: March 2024

Ewing’s sarcoma (EWS) is an aggressive bone and soft-tissue cancer, characterized by a hallmark fusion oncoprotein comprising the amino terminus of a FET gene and the carboxy terminus of an ETS gene, most commonly (85%), the EWSR1-FLI1 t (11,22) fusion.TK-216 is a first-in-class EWSR1-FLI1 inhibitor currently in phase II clinical trials for EWS. Although TK-216 was designed to target the fusion protein interaction directly, it has demonstrated limited efficacy as a monotherapy. Thus, more effective TK-216 combination therapies are needed. We have used genome wide Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPR) Knockout screening in EWS cells treated with TK-216 to identify novel synthetic lethality. We have identified 97 genes whose deletion potentially enhances the action of TK-216 in EWS cells. We have also identified several druggable targets, such as USP9X and the oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) pathway as synthetic lethal interactions for TK-216. USP9X is known to deubiquitinate and stabilize the EWS-FLI1 fusion protein. USP9X and EWS-FLI1 protein expression levels were found to be positively correlated in EWS clinical specimens. USP9X siRNA-mediated gene silencing reduced EWS cell viability. Most importantly, USP9X siRNA-mediated gene silencing sensitized EWS cells to TK-216 treatment. In addition, inhibition of USP9X with a small-molecule inhibitor WP1130, led to significant cell death in EWS alone and in combination with TK-216 with wide therapeutic indices. The molecular mechanism of synergy and in vivo efficacy of the novel TK-216 combination will be determined in our study for future clinical translation.

Citation Format: Daenikka Ravindrarajah, Sukriti Krishan, Kayleen Simpson, Twishi Gulati, Belamy B. Cheung, Glenn M. Marshall. Using genome-wide CRISPR screening to develop novel combination therapies for high-risk Ewing’s sarcoma [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2024; Part 1 (Regular Abstracts); 2024 Apr 5-10; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84(6_Suppl):Abstract nr 1080.
Abstract 1087: Synergistic mechanisms against pediatric bone sarcoma models: Trabectedin enhances oncolytic virotherapy intratumoral spread and antitumor immune activation
Authors: Ringwalt Emily , Currier Mark , Glaspell Andrea , Cannon Matthew V. , Chen Chun-Yu , Gross Amy C. , Cam Maren , Wang Pin-Yi , Roberts Ryan D. , Cripe Timothy P.
Published: March 2024

Osteosarcoma and Ewing sarcoma are the most common pediatric bone malignancies and, despite decades of research, efforts to treat patients with advanced disease remain dismal. To address this inadequacy, we leverage oncolytic herpes simplex virotherapy as a double-edged attack against tumors through 1) tumor cell-specific lysis and 2) antitumor immune stimulation. However, previous trials of oncolytic herpes simplex virotherapy in pediatric sarcomas displayed limited responses, likely due to the observed presence of immunosuppressive monocytes and macrophages. To improve efficacy, we combined oncolytic herpes simplex virotherapy with trabectedin, an FDA-approved DNA-binding agent known to disrupt gene expression and deplete monocytes and macrophages. Surprisingly, we found that the efficacy of this combination far surpassed our predictions, inducing complete and partial regressions in multiple models of Ewing sarcoma and osteosarcoma. To explore potential mechanisms driving this high degree of synergy, we performed single cell RNA sequencing on tumors of mice treated with monotherapy or combination therapy. Interestingly, trabectedin synergized with the oncolytic virotherapy through two unexpected mechanisms. Our analysis revealed that trabectedin increased intratumoral oncolytic virus spread by disrupting expression of the intrinsic antiviral response in human Ewing sarcoma cells. Additionally, trabectedin not only reduced immunosuppressive macrophages but also stimulated cytotoxic granzyme expression in infiltrating T and NK cells in immunocompetent osteosarcoma models. These effector NK and T cells were necessary for the regressions of osteosarcoma allografts treated with trabectedin and oncolytic virotherapy. Thus, trabectedin enhanced both the oncolytic effect of herpes simplex virotherapy and the effector function of cytotoxic lymphocytes that become activated in response to the virus. The combination of trabectedin and oncolytic herpes simplex virotherapy offers the potential to unite these mechanisms against bone tumors to achieve better outcomes for children.

Citation Format: Emily Ringwalt, Mark Currier, Andrea Glaspell, Matthew V. Cannon, Chun-Yu Chen, Amy C. Gross, Maren Cam, Pin-Yi Wang, Ryan D. Roberts, Timothy P. Cripe. Synergistic mechanisms against pediatric bone sarcoma models: Trabectedin enhances oncolytic virotherapy intratumoral spread and antitumor immune activation [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2024; Part 1 (Regular Abstracts); 2024 Apr 5-10; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84(6_Suppl):Abstract nr 1087.
Abstract 1101: A patient-derived xenograft in vitro platform identifies panobinostat as the most efficient drug to treat high-risk hepatoblastoma patients
Authors: Demir Salih , Indersie Emilie , Branchereau Sophie , Hiyama Eiso , Cairo Stefano , Kappler Roland
Published: March 2024

Hepatoblastoma is the most common pediatric liver tumor, and the treatment of patients with preoperative chemotherapy and surgical resection of the tumor has led to survival rates of up to 83%. However, resistance of the primary tumor towards chemotherapy and the persistence of metastases still represents major challenges to achieve complete remission in high-risk patients, which is associated with poor prognosis. In order to identify new treatment options, we have used a newly developed in vitro drug-testing platform comprised of conventional cell lines and cultures from dissociated patient-derived xenografts of pediatric liver cancers to test standard-of-care medications used in the current PHITT trial as well as compounds targeting a wide range of different cellular pathways. We identified histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors as a promising drug family to reduce tumor cell growth in a dose-dependent manner, with panobinostat being the most effective drug tested. Subsequent in vitro assays showed that panobinostat reduced short- and long-term proliferation, retarded three-dimensional spheroid growth and ultimately induced apoptosis of hepatoblastoma cells. RNA sequencing indicated that panobinostat results in downregulation of MYC target genes and upregulation of the dual specificity phosphatase 1. Of clinical relevance, the combination of panobinostat with doxorubicin revealed a strong synergistic effect, even stronger than the one of cisplatin and doxorubicin, which is currently given to high-risk hepatoblastoma patients. Moreover, increased expression of HDAC4 and HDAC11 in primary tumor tissues was significantly associated with metastatic disease. Our results strongly suggest panobinostat to be used in future therapeutic trials for high-risk hepatoblastoma patients, especially when combined with doxorubicin.

Citation Format: Salih Demir, Emilie Indersie, Sophie Branchereau, Eiso Hiyama, Stefano Cairo, Roland Kappler. A patient-derived xenograft in vitro platform identifies panobinostat as the most efficient drug to treat high-risk hepatoblastoma patients [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2024; Part 1 (Regular Abstracts); 2024 Apr 5-10; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84(6_Suppl):Abstract nr 1101.
Abstract 1113: USP18 impairs the sensitivity of radiotherapy for nasopharyngeal carcinoma by promoting the ubiquitination and nuclear translocation of TRIM29
Authors: Lin Jia-Yi , Zhang Wei-Wei , Li Qing-Jie , Fang Xue-Liang , Li Jun-Yan , He Shi-Wei , Li Ying-Qin , Ma Jun , Liu Na , Zhao Yin , Guo Rui
Published: March 2024

Radiotherapy is the main and preferred treatment for nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC), owing to its high sensitivity to radiation. However, there are ~20% patients suffering from tumor recurrence. Accumulating evidences show that protein ubiquitination plays a vital role in radiation caused DNA damage response. Here, we identified that the deubiquitinase USP18 is highly expressed in NPC tissues, and inversely associated with radiosensitivity of NPC cells. USP18 interacts with TRIM29 and promotes its K27-linked ubiquitination independent of its deubiquitinase activity. Further investigation reveals that USP18 acts as a scaffold to recruit the E3 ubiquitin ligase TRIM21 to directly ubiquitinate TRIM29 at Lys307, thus promoting its oligomerization and nuclear translocation, and thereby facilitates the DNA damage repair of NPC cells after irradiation. Clinically, higher expression of USP18 indicates poor response to radiotherapy and worse prognosis in NPC patients. Our findings reveal the critical role of USP18 in regulating radiosensitivity, and targeting USP18-TRIM21-TRIM29 axis maybe a novel strategy to synergize with radiotherapy for NPC patients.

Citation Format: Jia-Yi Lin, Wei-Wei Zhang, Qing-Jie Li, Xue-Liang Fang, Jun-Yan Li, Shi-Wei He, Ying-Qin Li, Jun Ma, Na Liu, Yin Zhao, Rui Guo. USP18 impairs the sensitivity of radiotherapy for nasopharyngeal carcinoma by promoting the ubiquitination and nuclear translocation of TRIM29 [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2024; Part 1 (Regular Abstracts); 2024 Apr 5-10; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84(6_Suppl):Abstract nr 1113.