bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Equine herpesvirus type 1 (EHV-1) replication at the upper respiratory entry site is inhibited by neutralizing EHV-1-specific IgG1 and IgG4/7 mucosal antibodies
Authors: Eady Naya A. , Holmes Camille , Schnabel Christiane , Babasyan Susanna , Wagner Bettina
Published: May 2024

Equine herpesvirus type 1 (EHV-1) is a contagious respiratory pathogen that infects the mucosa of the upper respiratory tract (URT). Mucosal immune responses at the URT provide the first line of defense against EHV-1 and are crucial for orchestrating immunity. To define host-pathogen interactions, we characterized B-cell responses, antibody isotype functions, and EHV-1 replication of susceptible (non-immune) and clinically protected (immune) horses after experimental EHV-1 infection. Nasal secretion and nasal wash samples were collected and used for the isolation of DNA, RNA, and mucosal antibodies. Shedding of infectious virus, EHV-1 copy numbers, viral RNA expression, and host B-cell activation in the URT were compared based on host immune status. Mucosal EHV-1-specific antibody responses were associated with EHV-1 shedding and viral RNA transcription. Finally, mucosal immunoglobulin G (IgG) and IgA isotypes were purified and tested for neutralizing capabilities. IgG1 and IgG4/7 neutralized EHV-1, while IgG3/5, IgG6, and IgA did not. Immune horses secreted high amounts of mucosal EHV-1-specific IgG4/7 antibodies and quickly upregulated B-cell pathway genes, while EHV-1 was undetected by virus isolation and PCR. RNA transcription analysis reinforced incomplete viral replication in immune horses. In contrast, complete viral replication with high viral copy numbers and shedding of infectious viruses was characteristic for non-immune horses, together with low or absent EHV-1-specific neutralizing antibodies during viral replication. These data confirm that pre-existing mucosal IgG1 and IgG4/7 and rapid B-cell activation upon EHV-1 infection are essential for virus neutralization, regulation of viral replication, and mucosal immunity against EHV-1.

IMPORTANCE

Equine herpesvirus type 1 (EHV-1) causes respiratory disease, abortion storms, and neurologic outbreaks known as equine herpes myeloencephalopathy (EHM). EHV-1 is transmitted with respiratory secretions by nose-to-nose contact or via fomites. The virus initially infects the epithelium of the upper respiratory tract (URT). Host-pathogen interactions and mucosal immunity at the viral entry site provide the first line of defense against the EHV-1. Robust mucosal immunity can be essential in protecting against EHV-1 and to reduce EHM outbreaks. It has previously been shown that immune horses do not establish cell-associated viremia, the prerequisite for EHM. Here, we demonstrate how mucosal antibodies can prevent the replication of EHV-1 at the epithelium of the URT and, thereby, the progression of the virus to the peripheral blood. The findings improve the mechanistic understanding of mucosal immunity against EHV-1 and can support the development of enhanced diagnostic tools, vaccines against EHM, and the management of EHV-1 outbreaks.
WGS of intrauterine
E. coli
from cows with early postpartum uterine infection reveals a non-uterine specific genotype and virulence factors
Authors: Garzon Adriana , Basbas Carl , Schlesener Cory , Silva-del-Rio Noelia , Karle Betsy M. , Lima Fabio S. , Weimer Bart C. , Pereira Richard V.
Published: May 2024

Escherichia coli
has been attributed to playing a major role in a cascade of events that affect the prevalence and severity of uterine disease in cattle. The objectives of this project were to (i) define the association between the prevalence of specific antimicrobial resistance and virulence factor genes in
E. coli
with the clinical status related to uterine infection, (ii) identify the genetic relationship between
E. coli
isolates from cows with diarrhea, with mastitis, and with and without metritis, and (iii) determine the association between the phenotypic and genotypic antimicrobial resistance identified on the
E. coli
isolated from postpartum cattle. Bacterial isolates (
n
= 148) were obtained from a larger cross-sectional study. Cows were categorized into one of three clinical groups before enrollment: metritis, cows with purulent discharge, and control cows. For genomic comparison, public genomes (
n
= 130) from cows with diarrhea, mastitis, and metritis were included in a genome-wide association study, to evaluate differences between the drug classes or the virulence factor category among clinical groups. A distinct
E. coli
genotype associated with metritis could not be identified. Instead, a high genetic diversity among the isolates from uterine sources was present. A virulence factor previously associated with metritis (
fim
H) using PCR was not associated with metritis. There was moderate accuracy for whole-genome sequencing to predict phenotypic resistance, which varied depending on the antimicrobial tested. Findings from this study contradict the traditional pathotype classification and the unique intrauterine
E. coli
genotype associated with metritis in dairy cows.

IMPORTANCE

Metritis is a common infectious disease in dairy cattle and the second most common reason for treating a cow with antimicrobials. The pathophysiology of the disease is complex and is not completely understood. Specific endometrial pathogenic
Escherichia coli
have been reported to be adapted to the endometrium and sometimes lead to uterine disease. Unfortunately, the specific genomic details of the endometrial-adapted isolates have not been investigated using enough genomes to represent the genomic diversity of this organism to identify specific virulence genes that are consistently associated with disease development and severity. Results from this study provide key microbial ecological advances by elucidating and challenging accepted concepts for the role of Intrauterine
E. coli
in metritis in dairy cattle, especially contradicting the existence of a unique intrauterine
E. coli
genotype associated with metritis in dairy cows, which was not found in our study.
Of oranges and lemons: you are what you eat
Authors: Sangaran La Reina , Smith John-Paul , Menegotto Flavia , Ramanan Athimalaipet V
Published: May 2024

A young boy presented with increasing lower limb pain and swelling for a month. At the time of his hospitalisation, he was unable to walk. We report the patient’s clinical journey with clinical commentary throughout, highlighting the importance that uncommon diseases may be diagnosed with a high index of suspicion and thorough history taking.
Paediatric off-label use of drugs in Gansu, China: a multicentre cross-sectional study
Authors: Meng Min , Ge Bin , Lei Wenjuan , Wu Yuqiong , Tian Min , Lu Yali , Shao Tingji , Yang Yan , Luo Xufei , Luo Jiawei , Gao Yang , Li Qiu , Chen Yaolong
Published: May 2024

Objective

To examine the current prevalence and cost of paediatric off-label drug prescriptions in Gansu, China, and the potential influencing factors.

Design

The prevalence of off-label prescriptions in paediatrics was evaluated according to the National Medical Products Administration drug instructions in the China Pharmaceutical Reference (China Pharmaceutical Reference, MCDEX) database. The evidence of the prescription was determined by existing clinical practice guidelines and the Thomson Grade in the Micromedex 2021 compendium. We used logistic regression to investigate the characteristics that influence paediatric off-label drug use after single-factor regression analysis.

Setting

A multicentre cross-sectional study of outpatient paediatric prescriptions in 196 secondary and tertiary hospitals in Gansu Province, China, in March and September 2020.

Results

We retrieved 104 029 paediatric prescriptions, of which 39 480 (38.0%) contained off-label use. The most common diseases treated by off-label drugs were respiratory system diseases (n=15 831, 40.1%). A quarter of off-label prescriptions had adequate evidence basis (n=10 130, 25.6%). Unapproved indications were the most common type of off-label drug use (n=25 891, 65.6%). A total of 1177 different drugs were prescribed off-label, with multienzyme tablets being the most common drug (n=1790, 3.5%). The total cost of the prescribed off-label drugs was ¥106 116/day. Off-label prescriptions were less frequent in tertiary than in secondary hospitals. Topical preparations were more commonly prescribed off-label than other types of drugs. Senior-level clinicians prescribed drugs off-label more often than intermediate and junior clinicians.

Conclusion

Off-label drug use is widespread in paediatric practice in China. Three-quarters of the prescriptions may potentially include inappropriate medication use, resulting in a daily economic burden of about ¥81 000 in 2020 in Gansu Province with 25 million inhabitants. The management of off-label drug use in paediatrics in China needs improvement.
Association between septic shock and tracheal injury score in intensive care unit patients with invasive ventilation: a prospective single-centre cohort study in China
Authors: Zhang Pei , Yang Qilin , Yin Chunhua , Cai Zhigang , Lu Huaihai , Li Haitao , Li Liwen , Tian Ye , Bai Long , Huang Lining
Published: May 2024

Objectives

There was no evidence regarding the relationship between septic shock and tracheal injury scores. Investigate whether septic shock was independently associated with tracheal injury scores in intensive care unit (ICU) patients with invasive ventilation.

Design

Prospective observational cohort study.

Setting

Our study was conducted in a Class III hospital in Hebei province, China.

Participants

Patients over 18 years of age admitted to the ICU between 31 May 2020 and 3 May 2022 with a tracheal tube and expected to be on the tube for more than 24 hours.

Primary and secondary outcome measures

Tracheal injuries were evaluated by examining hyperaemia, ischaemia, ulcers and tracheal perforation by fiberoptic bronchoscope. Depending on the number of lesions, the lesions were further classified as moderate, severe or confluent.

Results

Among the 97 selected participants, the average age was 56.6±16.5 years, with approximately 64.9% being men. The results of adjusted linear regression showed that septic shock was associated with tracheal injury scores (β: 2.99; 95% CI 0.70 to 5.29). Subgroup analysis revealed a stronger association with a duration of intubation ≥8 days (p=0.013).

Conclusion

Patients with septic shock exhibit significantly higher tracheal injury scores compared with those without septic shock, suggesting that septic shock may serve as an independent risk factor for tracheal injury.

Trial registration number

ChiCTR2000037842, registered 03 September 2020. Retrospectively registered,https://www.chictr.org.cn/edit.aspx?pid=57011&htm=4.
Exploring opportunities to strengthen rural tuberculosis health service delivery: a qualitative study with health workers in Tibet autonomous region, China
Authors: Haldane Victoria , Zhang Zhitong , Yin Tingting , Zhang Bei , Li Yinlong , Pan Qiuyu , Dainty Katie N , Rea Elizabeth , Pasang Pande , Hu Jun , Wei Xiaolin
Published: May 2024

Objectives

This qualitative study aimed to explore opportunities to strengthen tuberculosis (TB) health service delivery from the perspectives of health workers providing TB care in Shigatse prefecture of Tibet Autonomous Region, China.

Design

Qualitative research, semi-structured in-depth interviews.

Setting

The TB care ecosystem in Shigatse, including primary and community care.

Participants

Participants: 37 semi-structured interviews were conducted with village doctors (14), township doctors and nurses (14), county hospital doctors (7) and Shigatse Centre for Disease Control staff (2).

Results

The three main themes reported include (1) the importance of training primary and community health workers to identify people with symptoms of TB, ensure TB is diagnosed and link people with TB to further care; (2) the need to engage community health workers to ensure retention in care and adherence to TB medications; and (3) the opportunity for innovative technologies to support coordinated care, retention in care and adherence to medication in Shigatse.

Conclusions

The quality of TB care could be improved across the care cascade in Tibet and other high-burden, remote settings by strengthening primary care through ongoing training, greater support and inclusion of community health workers and by leveraging technology to create a circle of care. Future formative and implementation research should include the perspectives of health workers at all levels to improve care organisation and delivery.
A rebuttal on externalism
Authors: Maung Hane Htut
Published: May 2024

In a recent paper, I argued that an externalist understanding of mental disorder from the philosophy of psychiatry presents an ethical challenge to the practice of medical assistance in dying (MAiD) for psychiatric illness, because it highlights the ways in which the suffering associated with psychiatric illness is sustained by features of the external environment wherein the person is embedded, including social barriers and injustices. In a response to my paper, Harry Hudson argues that addressing social inequality lacks relevance to the immediate permissibility of psychiatric MAiD and that the issue of psychiatric MAiD should be informed by ‘pragmatic politics’ rather than by ‘obfuscatory philosophy’. Herein, I contend that Hudson’s response misconstrues my position and ascribes to me views I neither express nor endorse. My paper does not claim that psychiatric MAiD should be denied to people who are presently in intolerable distress. Rather, it suggests that the provision of psychiatric MAiD comes along with social responsibilities of the state to attend to the barriers and injustices that sustain and exacerbate psychiatric illness, as well as ethical responsibilities of clinicians to consider a wider range of presently available psychological and social interventions which may have been neglected under a traditional internalist approach.
Epidemiology of SLE in Italy: an observational study using a primary care database
Authors: Ferrara Pietro , Antonazzo Ippazio C , Zamparini Manuel , Fornari Carla , Borrelli Cristiana , Boarino Silvia , Bettiol Alessandra , Mattioli Irene , Palladino Pasquale , Zanzottera Ferrari Elena , Emmi Giacomo , Mantovani Lorenzo G , Mazzaglia Giampiero
Published: May 2024

Objectives

To estimate the incidence and prevalence of SLE in Italy, and to describe the demographic and clinical characteristics of patients with newly diagnosed SLE.

Methods

A retrospective cohort study was conducted using The Health Improvement Network general practice database in Italy, encompassing data from 634 753 people. SLE cases were identified over the period 2017–2022, employing three alternative definitions to provide a more detailed understanding of SLE characteristics. Incidence rates were expressed as cases per 100 000 person-years and prevalence as cases per 100 000 people. Demographic and clinical characteristics of incident SLE cases were also studied.

Results

From 2017 to 2022, a total of 191 incident and 1385 prevalent cases were identified under our first definition. In 2022, the incidence rate was 6.51 cases (95% CI 6.29 to 6.74) per 100 000 person-years, and the prevalence 60.57 (95% CI 59.89 to 61.25) per 100 000 people, being the prevalence five times higher in women compared with men. Both estimates have trended upwards since 2017. A geographical variation across the country was also seen. The demographic and clinical characteristics of incident SLE cases were described, while the potential associations of SLE incidence with some pre-existing conditions were observed, such as chronic kidney disease, chronic hepatic disease, rheumatoid arthritis and Sjogren’s syndrome.

Conclusions

The results of this nationwide study, the first conducted in Italy, showed that the incidence of SLE has increased in Italy in recent years. Age, sex, and area of residence strongly correlate with the epidemiology of this condition.
The 2023 wildfire season in Québec: an overview of extreme conditions, impacts, lessons learned, and considerations for the future
Authors: Boulanger Yan , Arseneault Dominique , Bélisle Annie Claude , Bergeron Yves , Boucher Jonathan , Boucher Yan , Danneyrolles Victor , Erni Sandy , Gachon Philippe , Girardin Martin P. , Grant Eliane , Grondin Pierre , Jetté Jean-Pierre , Labadie Guillemette , Leblond Mathieu , Leduc Alain , Puigdevall Jesus Pascual , St-Laurent Martin-Hugues , Tremblay Junior A. , Waldron Kaysandra
Published: May 2024

The 2023 wildfire season in Québec set records due to extreme warm and dry conditions, burning 4.5 million hectares and indicating persistent and escalating impacts associated with climate change. This study reviews the unusual weather conditions that led to the fires, discussing their extensive impacts on the forest sector, fire management, boreal caribou habitats, and particularly the profound effects on First Nation communities. The wildfires led to significant declines in forest productivity and timber supply, overwhelming fire management resources, and necessitating widespread evacuations. First Nation territories were dramatically altered, facing severe air quality issues and disruptions. While caribou impacts were modest across the province, the broader ecological, economical, and social repercussions were considerable. To mitigate future extreme wildfire seasons, the study suggests changes in forest management practices to increase forest resilience and resistance, adapting industrial structures to changes in wood type harvested, and enhancing fire suppression and risk management strategies. It calls for a comprehensive, unified approach to risk management that incorporates the lessons learned from the 2023 fire season and accounts for ongoing climate change. The study underscores the urgent need for detailed planning and proactive measures to reduce the growing risks and impacts of wildfires in a changing climate.
Agonists, inverse agonists, and antagonists as therapeutic approaches to manipulate retinoic acid-related orphan receptors
Authors: Nematisouldaragh Darya , Nguyen Huong , Rabinovich-Nikitin Inna
Published: May 2024

Retinoic acid-related orphan receptors (RORs) serve as transcription factors that play a pivotal role in a myriad of physiological processes within the body. Their involvement extends to critical biological processes that confer protective effects in the heart, immune system, and nervous system, as well as contributing to the mitigation of several aggressive cancer types. These protective functions are attributed to ROR’s regulation of key proteins and the management of various cellular processes, including autophagy, mitophagy, inflammation, oxidative stress, and glucose metabolism, highlighting the emerging need for pharmacological approaches to modulate ROR expression. Thus, the modulation of RORs is a rapidly growing area of research aimed not only at comprehending these receptors, but also at manipulating them to attain the desired physiological response. Despite the presence of natural ROR ligands, the development of synthetic agonists with high selectivity for these receptors holds substantial therapeutic potential. The exploration and advancement of such compounds can effectively target diseases associated with ROR dysregulation, thereby providing avenues for therapeutic interventions. Herein, we provide a comprehensive examination of the multifaceted role of ROR in diverse physiological and pathophysiological conditions, accompanied by an in-depth exploration of a spectrum of ROR agonists, inverse agonists, and antagonists.
Effects of reduced pesticide use on winter wheat production in the Canadian Prairies
Authors: Wang Zhijie , Subedi Maya , Mohr Ramona M. , Geddes Charles M. , Aboukhaddour Reem , Willenborg Christian , Tidemann Breanne D. , Turkington Kelly T. , Kubota Hiroshi , Beres Brian L.
Published: May 2024

Winter wheat ( Triticum aestivum L.) is a highly competitive crop with the potential to enhance on-farm revenue and reduce reliance on crop protection inputs. The adoption of winter wheat in the Canadian Prairies has varied significantly over recent decades; however, improved weed and disease management practices could facilitate stability of hectares cultivated. To assess current and alternative pesticide management practices, we conducted a study across 15 site-years at four locations over 4 years (2018–2022). Experimental treatments included pre-plant weed management (glyphosate vs. glyphosate mixed with pyroxasulfone + carfentrazone-ethyl), in-crop weed management (no in-crop herbicide vs. fall-applied 2,4-D vs. fall-applied 2,4-D + spring-applied site-year-specific herbicides), and in-crop fungicide management (no in-crop fungicide vs. one prothioconazole + tebuconazole application at Zadoks Growth Stage (ZGS) 60 vs. two prothioconazole + tebuconazole applications at ZGS32 and ZGS60). Pre-plant glyphosate alone and glyphosate tank-mixed with pyroxasulfone + carfentrazone-ethyl exhibited comparable effects on grain yield, quality parameters, and agronomic characteristics. In-crop weed management had no significant influence on these factors compared to the no in-crop herbicide control, suggesting that in-crop herbicide applications are unnecessary due to the high competitiveness of winter wheat against weeds. However, disease mitigation was prudent as single and double application of fungicide increased grain yield while maintaining grain protein concentration levels. A high-yielding, stable system for optimal grain yield typically required pre-plant weed management coupled with two fungicide applications. These observations confirm herbicide inputs can be reduced in a winter wheat cropping system, but disease pressure requires careful cultivar selection with respect to disease resistance as multiple applications of fungicides were needed to optimize grain yield.
Conceptual model of global plants entrapping plastics
Authors: Gallitelli Luca , Scalici Massimiliano
Published: May 2024

Aquatic plants, seagrasses, macrophytes, mangroves, and riparian vegetation are responsible for some of the most important ecosystem services provided on the Earth. Given their role in trapping plastics along rivers, we propose a new ecosystem service of plastic entrapment by global plants. Although research started recently to study vegetation trapping plastics, little is known about the global patterns of plastic retention and remobilization by vegetation through different habitats. Given those gaps, we synthesize global data on plastic entrapment in plants providing a conceptual model to describe processes for plastic retention by vegetation. Our results demonstrate how vegetation has a pivotal role in entrapping plastics across spatial and temporal scales, finding the higher density of plastics on plants rather than in the adjacent water area. Furthermore, we proposed a conceptual model (i.e., Plant Plastic Pathway) of plants entrapping plastics, highlighting spatial and temporal scales of plastic retention and release processes in different habitats. Thus, we anticipate our conceptual model to be a starting point for more sophisticated future studies, putting effort into looking at plastic–vegetation dynamics. Our conceptual model may have a crucial effect if applied to plastic hotspot area detection with clean-up and mitigation actions in riverine ecosystems.
Access to Environmental Justice in Canadian environmental impact assessment
Authors: Gilmour Thomas , Stacey Jocelyn
Published: May 2024

Contemporaneous reforms to Canada and British Columbia's environmental impact assessment legislation have the potential to advance Access to Environmental Justice. Access to Environmental Justice is the ability of individuals and communities who are disproportionately and negatively impacted by environmental decisions to access legal and regulatory processes and to have their concerns heard and addressed through environmental decision-making and dispute resolution. Access to Environmental Justice connects concepts of environmental justice, public participation, the rule of law, and access to justice to provide a framework for evaluating the implementation of environmental impact assessment laws. We conducted a preliminary analysis of early implementation of legislative reforms in Canada and British Columbia. Our analysis indicates that a number of factors influence who is seeking to access environmental justice through environmental impact assessment, including geography, project type, and the availability of a legislative mechanism that allows anyone to request an assessment. Whether Canada and British Columbia's reforms are advancing Access to Environmental Justice requires continued analysis as projects continue to be assessed under the new laws.
Exploring correlations between HEFT Higgs couplings $$\kappa _V$$ and $$\kappa _{2V}$$ via HH production at $$e^+e^-$$ colliders
Authors: Dávila J. M. , Domenech D. , Herrero M. J. , Morales R. A.
Published: May 2024

In this work we explore the phenomenological implications at future $$e^+e^-$$

e
+

e
-

colliders of assuming anomalous couplings of the Higgs boson to gauge bosons HVV and HHVV$$(V=W,Z)$$

(
V
=
W
,
Z
)

given by the $$\kappa $$
κ
-modifiers with respect to the Standard Model couplings, $$\kappa _V$$

κ
V

and $$\kappa _{2V},$$

κ

2
V

,

respectively. For this study we use the Higgs Effective Field Theory (HEFT) where these two $$\kappa $$
κ
parameters are identified with the two most relevant effective couplings at leading order, concretely $$a=\kappa _V$$

a
=

κ
V

and $$b=\kappa _{2V}.$$

b
=

κ

2
V

.

Our focus is put on these two couplings and their potential correlations which we believe carry interesting information on the underlying ultraviolet theory. The particular studied process is $$e^+e^- \rightarrow HH \nu \bar{\nu },$$

e
+

e
-

→
H
H
ν

ν

¯

,

where the vector boson scattering subprocess $$WW \rightarrow HH$$

W
W
→
H
H

plays a central role, specially at the largest planned energy colliders. Our detailed study of this process as a function of the energy and the angular variables indicates that the produced Higgs bosons in the BSM scenarios will have in general a high transversality as compared to the SM case if $$\kappa _V^2 \ne \kappa _{2V}.$$

κ
V
2

≠

κ

2
V

.

In order to enhance the sensitivity to these HEFT parameters $$\kappa _V$$

κ
V

and $$\kappa _{2V}$$

κ

2
V

and their potential correlations we propose here some selected differential cross sections for the $$e^+e^- \rightarrow HH \nu \bar{\nu }$$

e
+

e
-

→
H
H
ν

ν

¯

process, where different kinematic properties of the BSM case with respect to the SM are manifested. Finally, we will focus on the dominant Higgs decays to $$b {\bar{b}}$$

b

b

¯

pairs leading to final events with 4 b-jets and missing transverse energy from the undetected neutrinos and will provide the expected accessibility to the $$(\kappa _V,\kappa _{2V})$$

(

κ
V

,

κ

2
V

)

effective couplings and their potential correlations. In our study we will consider the three projected energies for $$e^+e^-$$

e
+

e
-

colliders of 500 GeV, 1000 GeV and 3000 GeV.
Box integrals with fermion bubbles for low-energy measurements of the weak mixing angle
Authors: Böttcher Nico , Schwanemann Niklas , Weinzierl Stefan
Published: May 2024

The Moller experiment and the P2 experiment aim at measuring the weak mixing angle at low scales. The Moller experiment uses $$e^- e^- \rightarrow e^- e^-$$

e
-

e
-

→

e
-

e
-

-scattering, the P2 experiment uses $$e^- N \rightarrow e^- N$$

e
-

N
→

e
-

N

-scattering. In both cases, two-loop electroweak corrections have to be taken into account, and here in particular diagrams which give rise to large logarithms. In this paper we compute a set of two-loop electroweak Feynman integrals for point-like particles, which are obtained from a box integral by the insertion of a light fermion loop. By rationalising all occurring square roots we show that these Feynman integrals can be expressed in terms of multiple polylogarithms. We present the results in a form, which makes the large logarithms manifest. We provide highly efficient numerical evaluation routines for these integrals.
Interior solution of azimuthally symmetric case of Laplace equation in orthogonal similar oblate spheroidal coordinates
Authors: Strunz Pavel
Published: May 2024

Curvilinear coordinate systems distinct from the rectangular Cartesian coordinate system are particularly valuable in the field calculations as they facilitate the expression of boundary conditions of differential equations in a reasonably simple way when the coordinate surfaces fit the physical boundaries of the problem. The recently finalized orthogonal similar oblate spheroidal (SOS) coordinate system can be particularly useful for a physical processes description inside or in the vicinity of the bodies or particles with the geometry of an oblate spheroid. The solution of the azimuthally symmetric case of the Laplace equation was found for the interior space in the orthogonal SOS coordinates. In the frame of the derivation of the harmonic functions, the Laplace equation was separated by a special separation procedure. A generalized Legendre equation was introduced as the equation for the angular part of the separated Laplace equation. The harmonic functions were determined as relations involving generalized Legendre functions of the first and of the second kind. Several lower-degree functions are reported. Recursion formula facilitating determination of the higher-degree harmonic functions was found. The general solution of the azimuthally symmetric Laplace equation for the interior space in the SOS coordinates is reported.
Consistent Query Answering for Primary Keys on Rooted Tree Queries
Authors: Koutris Paraschos , Ouyang Xiating , Wijsen Jef
Published: May 2024

We study the data complexity of consistent query answering (CQA) on databases that may violate the primary key constraints. A repair is a maximal subset of the database satisfying the primary key constraints. For a Boolean query q, the problem fCERTAINTY(q) takes a database as input, and asks whether or not each repair satisfies q. The computational complexity of fCERTAINTY(q) has been established whenever q is a self-join-free Boolean conjunctive query, or a (not necessarily self-join-free) Boolean path query. In this paper, we take one more step towards a general classification for all Boolean conjunctive queries by considering the class of rooted tree queries. In particular, we show that for every rooted tree query q, fCERTAINTY(q) is in FO, NL-hard ∩ LPFL, or coNP-complete, and it is decidable (in polynomial time), given q, which of the three cases applies. We also extend our classification to larger classes of queries with simple primary keys. Our classification criteria rely on query homomorphisms and our polynomial-time fixpoint algorithm is based on a novel use of context-free grammar (CFG).
Generalized Core Spanner Inexpressibility via Ehrenfeucht-Fraïssé Games for FC
Authors: Thompson Sam M. , Freydenberger Dominik D.
Published: May 2024

Despite considerable research on document spanners, little is known about the expressive power of generalized core spanners. In this paper, we use Ehrenfeucht-Fraïssé games to obtain general inexpressibility lemmas for the logic FC (a finite model variant of the theory of concatenation). Applying these lemmas give inexpressibility results for FC that we lift to generalized core spanners. In particular, we give several relations that cannot be selected by generalized core spanners, thus demonstrating the effectiveness of the inexpressibility lemmas. As an immediate consequence, we also gain new insights into the expressive power of core spanners.
Verification of Unary Communicating Datalog Programs
Authors: Aiswarya C. , Calvanese Diego , Di Cosmo Francesco , Montali Marco
Published: May 2024

We study verification of reachability properties over Communicating Datalog Programs (CDPs), which are networks of relational nodes connected through unordered channels and running Datalog-like computations. Each node manipulates a local state database (DB), depending on incoming messages and additional input DBs from external services. Decidability of verification for CDPs has so far been established only under boundedness assumptions on the state and channel sizes, showing at the same time undecidability of reachability for unbounded states with only two unary relations or unbounded channels with a single binary relation. The goal of this paper is to study the open case of CDPs with bounded states and unbounded channels, under the assumption that channels carry unary relations only. We discuss the significance of the resulting model and prove the decidability of verification of variants of reachability, captured in fragments of first-order CTL. We do so through a novel reduction to coverability problems in a class of high-level Petri Nets that manipulate unordered data identifiers. We study the tightness of our results, showing that minor generalizations of the considered reachability properties yield undecidability of verification, both for CDPs and the corresponding Petri Net model.
Continual Release of Differentially Private Synthetic Data from Longitudinal Data Collections
Authors: Bun Mark , Gaboardi Marco , Neunhoeffer Marcel , Zhang Wanrong
Published: May 2024

Motivated by privacy concerns in long-term longitudinal studies in medical and social science research, we study the problem of continually releasing differentially private synthetic data from longitudinal data collections. We introduce a model where, in every time step, each individual reports a new data element, and the goal of the synthesizer is to incrementally update a synthetic dataset in a consistent way to capture a rich class of statistical properties. We give continual synthetic data generation algorithms that preserve two basic types of queries: fixed time window queries and cumulative time queries. We show nearly tight upper bounds on the error rates of these algorithms and demonstrate their empirical performance on realistically sized datasets from the U.S. Census Bureau's Survey of Income and Program Participation.
Combined Approximations for Uniform Operational Consistent Query Answering
Authors: Calautti Marco , Livshits Ester , Pieris Andreas , Schneider Markus
Published: May 2024

Operational consistent query answering (CQA) is a recent framework for CQA based on revised definitions of repairs, which are built by applying a sequence of operations (e.g., fact deletions) starting from an inconsistent database until we reach a database that is consistent w.r.t. the given set of constraints. It has been recently shown that there is an efficient approximation for computing the percentage of repairs that entail a given query when we focus on primary keys, conjunctive queries, and assuming the query is fixed (i.e., in data complexity). However, it has been left open whether such an approximation exists when the query is part of the input (i.e., in combined complexity). We show that this is the case when we focus on self-join-free conjunctive queries of bounded generelized hypertreewidth. We also show that it is unlikely that efficient approximation schemes exist once we give up one of the adopted syntactic restrictions, i.e., self-join-freeness or bounding the generelized hypertreewidth. Towards the desired approximation, we introduce a counting complexity class, called SpanTL, show that each problem in it admits an efficient approximation scheme by using a recent approximability result about tree automata, and then place the problem of interest in SpanTL.
Distinct Shortest Walk Enumeration for RPQs
Authors: David Claire , Francis Nadime , Marsault Victor
Published: May 2024

We consider the Distinct Shortest Walks problem. Given two vertices s and t of a graph database D and a regular path query, we want to enumerate all walks of minimal length from s to t that carry a label that conforms to the query. Usual theoretical solutions turn out to be inefficient when applied to graph models that are closer to real-life systems, in particular because edges may carry multiple labels. Indeed, known algorithms may repeat the same answer exponentially many times. We propose an efficient algorithm for graph databases with multiple labels. The preprocessing runs in O(DxA) and the delay between two consecutive outputs is in O(λxA), where A is a nondeterministic automaton representing the query and L is the minimal length. The algorithm can handle epsilon-transitions in A or queries given as regular expressions at no additional cost.
On the Feasibility of Forgetting in Data Streams
Authors: Pavan A. , Chakraborty Sourav , Vinodchandran N. V. , Meel Kuldeep S
Published: May 2024

In today's digital age, it is becoming increasingly prevalent to retain digital footprints in the cloud indefinitely. Nonetheless, there is a valid argument that entities should have the authority to decide whether their personal data remains within a specific database or is expunged. Indeed, nations across the globe are increasingly enacting legislation to uphold the "Right To Be Forgotten" for individuals. Investigating computational challenges, including the formalization and implementation of this notion, is crucial due to its relevance in the domains of data privacy and management.

This work introduces a new streaming model: the 'Right to be Forgotten Data Streaming Model' (RFDS model). The main feature of this model is that any element in the stream has the right to have its history removed from the stream. Formally, the input is a stream of updates of the form (a, Δ) where Δ ∈ {+, ⊥} and a is an element from a universe U. When the update Δ=+ occurs, the frequency of a, denoted as f
a
, is incremented to f
a
+1. When the update Δ=⊥, occurs, f
a
is set to 0. This feature, which represents the forget request, distinguishes the present model from existing data streaming models.

This work systematically investigates computational challenges that arise while incorporating the notion of the right to be forgotten. Our initial considerations reveal that even estimating F
1
(sum of the frequencies of elements) of the stream is a non-trivial problem in this model. Based on the initial investigations, we focus on a modified model which we call α-RFDS where we limit the number of forget operations to be at most α fraction. In this modified model, we focus on estimating F
0
(number of distinct elements) and F
1
. We present algorithms and establish almost-matching lower bounds on the space complexity for these computational tasks.
Lightweight Deep Learning for Resource-Constrained Environments: A Survey
Authors: Liu Hou-I , Galindo Marco , Xie Hongxia , Wong Lai-Kuan , Shuai Hong-Han , Li Yung-Hui , Cheng Wen-Huang
Published: May 2024

Over the past decade, the dominance of deep learning has prevailed across various domains of artificial intelligence, including natural language processing, computer vision, and biomedical signal processing. While there have been remarkable improvements in model accuracy, deploying these models on lightweight devices, such as mobile phones and microcontrollers, is constrained by limited resources. In this survey, we provide comprehensive design guidance tailored for these devices, detailing the meticulous design of lightweight models, compression methods, and hardware acceleration strategies. The principal goal of this work is to explore methods and concepts for getting around hardware constraints without compromising the model’s accuracy. Additionally, we explore two notable paths for lightweight deep learning in the future: deployment techniques for TinyML and Large Language Models. Although these paths undoubtedly have potential, they also present significant challenges, encouraging research into unexplored areas.
End-to-end codesign of Hessian-aware quantized neural networks for FPGAs
Authors: Campos Javier , Mitrevski Jovan , Tran Nhan , Dong Zhen , Gholaminejad Amir , Mahoney Michael W. , Duarte Javier
Published: May 2024

We develop an end-to-end workflow for the training and implementation of co-designed neural networks (NNs) for efficient field-programmable gate array (FPGA) hardware. Our approach leverages Hessian-aware quantization of NNs, the Quantized Open Neural Network Exchange intermediate representation, and the hls4ml tool flow for transpiling NNs into FPGA firmware. This makes efficient NN implementations in hardware accessible to nonexperts in a single open sourced workflow that can be deployed for real-time machine-learning applications in a wide range of scientific and industrial settings. We demonstrate the workflow in a particle physics application involving trigger decisions that must operate at the 40-MHz collision rate of the CERN Large Hadron Collider (LHC). Given the high collision rate, all data processing must be implemented on FPGA hardware within the strict area and latency requirements. Based on these constraints, we implement an optimized mixed-precision NN classifier for high-momentum particle jets in simulated LHC proton-proton collisions.
Blind Quality Assessment of Dense 3D Point Clouds with Structure Guided Resampling
Authors: Zhou Wei , Yang Qi , Chen Wu , Jiang Qiuping , Zhai Guangtao , Lin Weisi
Published: May 2024

Objective quality assessment of three-dimensional (3D) point clouds is essential for the development of immersive multimedia systems in real-world applications. Despite the success of perceptual quality evaluation for 2D images and videos, blind/no-reference metrics are still scarce for 3D point clouds with large-scale irregularly distributed 3D points. Therefore, in this article, we propose an objective point cloud quality index with Structure Guided Resampling (SGR) to automatically evaluate the perceptually visual quality of dense 3D point clouds. The proposed SGR is a general-purpose blind quality assessment method without the assistance of any reference information. Specifically, considering that the human visual system is highly sensitive to structure information, we first exploit the unique normal vectors of point clouds to execute regional pre-processing that consists of keypoint resampling and local region construction. Then, we extract three groups of quality-related features, including (1) geometry density features, (2) color naturalness features, and (3) angular consistency features. Both the cognitive peculiarities of the human brain and naturalness regularity are involved in the designed quality-aware features that can capture the most vital aspects of distorted 3D point clouds. Extensive experiments on several publicly available subjective point cloud quality databases validate that our proposed SGR can compete with state-of-the-art full-reference, reduced-reference, and no-reference quality assessment algorithms.
Collaborative Video Caching in the Edge Network using Deep Reinforcement Learning
Authors: Lekharu Anirban , Gupta Pranav , Sur Arijit , Patra Moumita
Published: May 2024

With the enormous growth in mobile data traffic over the 5G environment, Adaptive BitRate (ABR) video streaming has become a challenging problem. Recent advances in Mobile Edge Computing (MEC) technology make it feasible to use Base Stations (BSs) intelligently by network caching, popularity-based video streaming, and more. Additional computing resources on the edge node offer an opportunity to reduce network traffic on the backhaul links during peak traffic hours. More recently, it has been found in the literature that collaborative caching strategies between neighbouring BSs (i.e., MEC servers) make it more efficient to reduce backhaul traffic and network congestion and thus improve the viewer experience substantially. In this work, we propose a Reinforcement Learning (RL)–based collaborative caching mechanism in which the edge servers cooperate to serve the requested content from the end-users. Specifically, this research aims to improve the overall cache hit rate at the MEC, where the edge servers are clustered based on their geographic locations. This task is modelled as a multi-objective optimization problem and solved using an RL framework. In addition, a novel cache admission and eviction policy is defined by calculating the priority score of video segments in the clustered MEC mesh network.
Killing a Vortex
Authors: Thilikos Dimitrios M. , Wiederrecht Sebastian
Published: May 2024

The Graph Minors Structure Theorem of Robertson and Seymour asserts that, for every graph
H
, every
H
-minor-free graph can be obtained by clique-sums of “almost embeddable” graphs. Here a graph is “almost embeddable” if it can be obtained from a graph of bounded Euler-genus by pasting graphs of bounded pathwidth in an “orderly fashion” into a bounded number of faces, called the
vortices
, and then adding a bounded number of additional vertices, called
apices
, with arbitrary neighborhoods. Our main result is a full classification of all graphs
H
for which the use of vortices in the theorem above can be avoided. To this end, we identify a (parametric) graph

\(\mathscr{S}_{t}\)

and prove that all

\(\mathscr{S}_{t}\)

-minor-free graphs can be obtained by clique-sums of graphs embeddable in a surface of bounded Euler-genus after deleting a bounded number of vertices. We show that this result is tight in the sense that the appearance of vortices cannot be avoided for
H
-minor-free graphs, whenever
H
is not a minor of

\(\mathscr{S}_{t}\)

for some

\(t\in \mathbb {N}\)

. Using our new structure theorem, we design an algorithm that, given an

\(\mathscr{S}_{t}\)

-minor-free graph
G
, computes the generating function of all perfect matchings of
G
in polynomial time. Our results, combined with known complexity results, imply a complete characterization of minor-closed graph classes where the number of perfect matchings is polynomially computable: They are exactly those graph classes that do not contain every

\(\mathscr{S}_{t}\)

as a minor. This provides a
sharp
complexity dichotomy for the problem of counting perfect matchings in minor-closed classes.
CoolDC: A Cost-Effective Immersion-Cooled Datacenter with Workload-Aware Temperature Scaling
Authors: Min Dongmoon , Byun Ilkwon , Lee Gyu-Hyeon , Kim Jangwoo
Published: May 2024

For datacenter architects, it is the most important goal to minimize
the datacenter’s total cost of ownership for the target performance
(i.e., TCO/performance). As the major component of a datacenter is a server farm, the most effective way of reducing TCO/performance is to improve the server’s performance and power efficiency. To achieve the goal, we claim that it is highly promising to reduce each server’s temperature to its most cost-effective point (or temperature scaling).

In this article, we propose
CoolDC
, a novel and immediately applicable low-temperature cooling method to minimize the datacenter’s TCO. The key idea is to find and apply the most cost-effective sub-freezing temperature to target servers and workloads. For that purpose, we first apply the immersion cooling method to the entire servers to maintain a stable low temperature with little extra cooling and maintenance costs. Second, we define the TCO-optimal temperature for datacenter operation (e.g., 248K~273K (-25℃~0℃)) by carefully estimating all the costs and benefits at low temperatures. Finally, we propose CoolDC, our immersion-cooling datacenter architecture to run every workload at its own TCO-optimal temperature. By incorporating our low-temperature workload-aware temperature scaling, CoolDC achieves 12.7% and 13.4% lower TCO/performance than the conventional air-cooled and immersion-cooled datacenters, respectively, without any modification to existing computers.
Positive Leadership within Breast Imaging: Impact on Burnout, Intent to Leave, and Engagement
Authors: Young Amy M. , Garver Kimberly A. , Gulani Vikas
Published: May 2024

Implementing a positive leadership program among health care workers in a radiology department breast imaging unit led to 2-year improvements in leadership and workplace climate perception, engagement, burnout, and intent to leave.