bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Representative Participation in a Large-Scale Health IT Project
Authors: Zahlsen Øivind Klungseth , Svanæs Dag , Dahl Yngve
Published: December 2022

User involvement is widely recognized as best practice in the development of information technology (IT) systems. In large-scale IT projects, the involvement of users and other stakeholder groups is typically in the form of representatives, as opposed to the direct (in-person) participation characteristic for smaller projects. The potential new sharing of power that representative participation entails vis-à-vis direct stakeholder involvement, and the implications of such a shift, are an important discussion in the context of participatory design. This paper extends and adds to previous work on this subject. Drawing on stakeholder interviews conducted as part of a case study of an electronic health record implementation project in Norway, this paper seeks to describe and analyze problems that can arise with representative participation in a large-scale project. Our focus is on an observed decline of interaction between health professionals participating actively in the project and their advisory units consisting of colleagues without a formal project role. The paper describes how the project’s structural arrangements might explain this decline. The paper also describes how the participating health professionals’ involvement of the advisory units at regular intervals early in the project (broad involvement) was replaced by more ad hoc and competence-oriented approaches (narrow involvement). We further use the organizational structure of democracies as the basis for two analogies, (I) participants-as-political-representatives and (II) participants-as-technocrats. The observed decline in interaction between the participating health professionals and their advisory units can be seen as a transition in role from user representative to technocrat. Generalizing from the case, we suggest that (1) a project’s structure strongly affects the possibilities of participating users to consult other users (e.g., non-participating colleagues) about issues concerning the design solution, (2) a project’s structure conditions the role of participating users and who, or what, they represent, and (3) representative participation requires rethinking a project’s structure.
Emergency remote teaching technology and pedagogy at covid outbreak: different perspectives of students, parents, and teachers in Hong kong
Authors: Hau Kit-Tai , Wu Wen Jie , Chung Wing Tung , Chan Sze Ching , Ng Ming Ho
Published: December 2022

With the COVID-19 outbreak, emergency remote teaching – an unprepared distant mode of education became the only possible alternative for schools. The present large-scale survey with 3,672 Grade 3 and 9 students, their parents, and 863 teachers/principals was conducted in the metropolitan city of Hong Kong after half a year of school lockdown. Results showed teachers, principals, and parents were worried about students’ inability to concentrate and learn without teachers’ explanations. In contrast, students, particularly younger ones, were less affected. They perceived their academic achievement was not worsened and they were more lively. Generally, lack of computers and stable internet was not seen as problems. Notably, socially disadvantaged students were not different in their perceived challenges, affects, life satisfaction, or perceived academic achievement. For cities with adequate provision of computers and internet facilities, the pandemic probably forced a positive and giant leap in using advanced technologies and pedagogies.
Does communicating within a team influence individuals’ reasoning and decisions?
Authors: Arad Ayala , Grubiak Kevin P. , Penczynski Stefan P.
Published: December 2022

In recent years, experimental economics has seen a rise in the collection and analysis of choice-process data, such as team communication transcripts. The main purpose of this paper is to understand whether the collection of team communication data influences how individuals reason and behave as they enter the team deliberation process, i.e. before any communication exchange. Such an influence would imply that team setups have limited validity to speak to individual reasoning processes. Our treatment manipulations allow us to isolate the effects of (1) belonging to a team, (2) actively suggesting an action to the team partner, and (3) justifying the suggestion in a written text to the team partner. Across three different tasks, we find no systematic evidence of changed suggestions and altered individual sophistication due to changes in aspects (1)–(3) of our experimental design. We thus find no threat to said validity of team setups. In addition to investigating how the team setup affects individual behavior before communication, we also investigate the sophistication of decisions after the communication. We find that sophisticated strategies are more persuasive than unsophisticated strategies, especially when communication includes written justifications, thereby explaining why teams are more sophisticated and proving rich communication to be fruitful.
Two steps to high absolutive syntax: Austronesian voice and agent focus in Mandar
Authors: Brodkin Dan
Published: December 2022

The westernmost languages of the Austronesian family show verbal alternations that are traditionally referred to as avoicesystem. This paper investigates the syntax of the voice system in Mandar, a language of the South Sulawesi subfamily. It argues that this alternation tracks alternations in argument structure, determines patterns of Case-Licensing in thevoicep, and positions a single argument, the pivot, to raise to the highesta-position in the clause. The process that positions the pivot is decomposed into two steps: first, a process of Object Shift that moves definite arguments out of thevpand second, a process that places the pivot inspec,tpas the result of Case-Licensing byt0. Evidence for this analysis is drawn from contexts where the external argument undergoes$${\bar{\textsc {a}}}$$A¯-extraction and the internal argument is definite. In that context, the language employs a special construction which allows the external argument to be the pivot, allows the internal argument to undergo Object Shift, and provides the means to Case-License it within thevp. I refer to this construction as the Agent Focus and argue that it has a syntax similar to the analogous construction in the Mayan languages of the Q’anjob’alan subfamily.
Data Assimilation Predictive GAN (DA-PredGAN) Applied to a Spatio-Temporal Compartmental Model in Epidemiology
Authors: Silva Vinicius L. S. , Heaney Claire E. , Li Yaqi , Pain Christopher C.
Published: December 2022

We propose a novel use of generative adversarial networks (GANs) (i) to make predictions in time (PredGAN) and (ii) to assimilate measurements (DA-PredGAN). In the latter case, we take advantage of the natural adjoint-like properties of generative models and the ability to simulate forwards and backwards in time. GANs have received much attention recently, after achieving excellent results for their generation of realistic-looking images. We wish to explore how this property translates to new applications in computational modelling and to exploit the adjoint-like properties for efficient data assimilation. We apply these methods to a compartmental model in epidemiology that is able to model space and time variations, and that mimics the spread of COVID-19 in an idealised town. To do this, the GAN is set within a reduced-order model, which uses a low-dimensional space for the spatial distribution of the simulation states. Then the GAN learns the evolution of the low-dimensional states over time. The results show that the proposed methods can accurately predict the evolution of the high-fidelity numerical simulation, and can efficiently assimilate observed data and determine the corresponding model parameters.
Faster randomized block sparse Kaczmarz by averaging
Authors: Tondji Lionel , Lorenz Dirk A.
Published: December 2022

The standard randomized sparse Kaczmarz (RSK) method is an algorithm to compute sparse solutions of linear systems of equations and uses sequential updates, and thus, does not take advantage of parallel computations. In this work, we introduce a parallel (mini batch) version of RSK based on averaging several Kaczmarz steps. Naturally, this method allows for parallelization and we show that it can also leverage large overrelaxation. We prove linear expected convergence and show that, given that parallel computations can be exploited, the method provably provides faster convergence than the standard method. This method can also be viewed as a variant of the linearized Bregman algorithm, a randomized dual block coordinate descent update, a stochastic mirror descent update, or a relaxed version of RSK and we recover the standard RSK method when the batch size is equal to one. We also provide estimates for inconsistent systems and show that the iterates converges to an error in the order of the noise level. Finally, numerical examples illustrate the benefits of the new algorithm.
Can Extracellular Vesicles as Drug Delivery Systems Be a Game Changer in Cardiac Disease?
Authors: Okamura Akihiko , Yoshioka Yusuke , Saito Yoshihiko , Ochiya Takahiro
Published: December 2022

Cardiac diseases such as myocardial infarction and heart failure have been the leading cause of death worldwide for more than 20 years, and new treatments continue to be investigated. Heart transplantation, a curative treatment for severe cardiac dysfunction, is available to only a small number of patients due to the rarity of donors and high costs. Cardiac regenerative medicine using embryonic stem cells and induced pluripotent stem cells is expected to be a new alternative to heart transplantation, but it has problems such as induction of immune response, tumor formation, and low survival rate of transplanted cells. On the other hand, there has been a focus on cell-free therapy using extracellular vesicles (EVs) due to their high biocompatibility and target specificity. Exosomes, one type of EV, play a role in the molecular transport system in vivo and can be considered a drug delivery system (DDS) innate to all living things. Exosomes contain nucleic acids and proteins, which are transported from secretory cells to recipient cells. Molecules in exosomes are encapsulated in a lipid bilayer, which allows them to exist stably in body fluids without being affected by nuclease degradation enzymes. Therefore, the therapeutic use of exosomes as DDSs has been widely explored and is being used in clinical trials and other clinical settings. This review summarizes the current topics of EVs as DDSs in cardiac disease.
Quadrature Domains for the Helmholtz Equation with Applications to Non-scattering Phenomena
Authors: Kow Pu-Zhao , Larson Simon , Salo Mikko , Shahgholian Henrik
Published: December 2022

In this paper, we introduce quadrature domains for the Helmholtz equation. We show existence results for such domains and implement the so-called partial balayage procedure. We also give an application to inverse scattering problems, and show that there are non-scattering domains for the Helmholtz equation at any positive frequency that have inward cusps.
Influence of Surface Roughness on Press Fits
Authors: Persson B. N. J.
Published: December 2022

A press fit, also known as interference fit or friction fit, is a form of fastening between two tight fitting mating parts (usually two bodies with cylinder or conical surfaces) that produces a joint which is held together by friction after the parts are pushed together. I discuss the influence of surface roughness on the design of press fits. This topic has been addressed in the engineering community but only on an empirical level without a scientific backup. Here, I will apply the Persson contact mechanics theory to show how to include the surface roughness in the design criteria. I argue that one should use what I denote as the cylinder “stylus width” rather than the “caliper width” when determining the influence of the surface roughness of the compression (also denoted as the interference). In the classical approach using the caliper width, the compression is assumed to be independent of the elastic properties of the solids, but in the more accurate approach presented here using the stylus width the compression depends on the elastic properties and on the surface roughness power spectra of the involved solids. A detailed discussion of the relation between the root-mean-square roughness amplitude $$h_{\mathrm{rms}}$$

h
rms

and the maximum asperity height $$h_{\mathrm{max}}$$

h
max

, of interest in its own right, is also presented as it is needed for determining the relation between the stylus and caliper derived compression’s.

Graphical Abstract
Topsoil Carbon Stocks in Urban Greenspaces of The Hague, the Netherlands
Authors: Kortleve Anniek J. , Mogollón José M. , Heimovaara Timo J. , Gebert Julia
Published: December 2022

Urbanization influences soil carbon (C) stocks and flows, which, in turn, affect soil-derived ecosystem services. This paper explores soil C storage in urban greenspaces in the Dutch city of The Hague along a transect from the suburban seaside towards the city centre, reflecting a toposequence from dune to peaty inland soils. C storage and C mineralisation potential were evaluated in relation to soil type and greenspace categories. Several soil-quality characteristics were measured, including dissolved organic C, pH, electrical conductivity, nitrogen, phosphorus, sulphur, calcium carbonate, and the water-holding capacity of the soil to evaluate what drives soil C storage in the urban context. The total SOC storage of the upper 30 cm of the greenspaces in The Hague (20.8 km2 with 37% greenspace) was estimated at 78.4 kt, which was significantly higher than assumed given their soil types. Degradability of soil organic matter in laboratory batch tests varied between 0.2 and 3 mg C gSOC−1 day−1. Degradability was highest in the seaside dune soils; however, extrapolated to the topsoil using the bulk density, topsoil C mineralization was higher in the urban forest. Soils beneath shrubs appeared to be hotspots for C storage, accounting for only 13% of the aerial cover but reflecting 24% of the total C storage. Land ownership, land use, greenspaces size, litter management and soil type did not result in significantly different C stocks, suggesting that processes driving urban soil C storage are controlled by different factors, namely land cover and the urbanization extent.
Influencing factors on ureolytic microbiologically induced calcium carbonate precipitation for biocementation
Authors: Erdmann N. , Strieth D.
Published: December 2022

Microbiologically induced calcium carbonate precipitation (MICP) is a technique that has received a lot of attention in the field of geotechnology in the last decade. It has the potential to provide a sustainable and ecological alternative to conventional consolidation of minerals, for example by the use of cement. From a variety of microbiological metabolic pathways that can induce calcium carbonate (CaCO3) precipitation, ureolysis has been established as the most commonly used method. To better understand the mechanisms of MICP and to develop new processes and optimize existing ones based on this understanding, ureolytic MICP is the subject of intensive research. The interplay of biological and civil engineering aspects shows how interdisciplinary research needs to be to advance the potential of this technology. This paper describes and critically discusses, based on current literature, the key influencing factors involved in the cementation of sand by ureolytic MICP. Due to the complexity of MICP, these factors often influence each other, making it essential for researchers from all disciplines to be aware of these factors and its interactions. Furthermore, this paper discusses the opportunities and challenges for future research in this area to provide impetus for studies that can further advance the understanding of MICP.
Urolithin A reduces amyloid-beta load and improves cognitive deficits uncorrelated with plaque burden in a mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease
Authors: Ballesteros-Álvarez Josué , Nguyen Wynnie , Sivapatham Renuka , Rane Anand , Andersen Julie K.
Published: December 2022

In the present study, we investigated the effects of urolithin A (UA), a metabolite generated from ellagic acid via its metabolism by gut bacteria, as an autophagy activator with potential neuroprotective activity. WT and 3xTg-AD mice were administered long-term intermittent dietary supplementation with UA. UA was found to prevent deficits in spatial memory, cued fear response, and exploratory behavior in this model. It also decreased the Aβ plaque burden in areas of the hippocampus where these protein deposits are prominent in the model. Interestingly, correlation analyses demonstrate that Aβ plaque burden positively correlates with enhanced spatial memory in 3xTg-AD mice on a control diet but not in those supplemented with UA. In contrast, Aβ42 abundance in cortical and hippocampal homogenates negatively correlate with spatial memory in UA-fed mice. Our data suggest that plaque formation may be a protective mechanism against neurodegeneration and cognitive decline and that targeting the generation of proteotoxic Aβ species might be a more successful approach in halting disease progression. UA was also found to extend lifespan in normal aging mice. Mechanistically, we demonstrate that UA is able to induce autophagy and to increase Aβ clearance in neuronal cell lines. In summary, our studies reveal UA, likely via its actions as a autophagy inducer, is capable of removing Aβ from neurons and its dietary administration prevents the onset of cognitive deficits associated with pathological Aβ deposition in the 3xTg-AD mouse model as well as extending lifespan in normal aging mice.
Biodegradable Mg Electrodes for Iontophoretic Transdermal Drug Delivery
Authors: Jeong Goeen , Han Hyung-Seop , Jeon Hojeong , Kim Yu-Chan , Jang Ho Won , Ok Myoung-Ryul
Published: December 2022

Biodegradable metals have received limited attention for application in transdermal drug delivery, although metallic microneedles (MNs) and iontophoresis have been thoroughly researched for this purpose. Here, we present Mg as a salient candidate for an MN electrode. Its metallic properties enable the application of voltage to enhance the diffusion of charged drug molecules, while hydrogen gas generated during Mg corrosion prevents its application to electrodes. The Mg MN electrode was fabricated using a nanosecond laser, and the amount of hydrogen gas were measured with applied potential during iontophoresis. Accordingly, an appropriate potential window for iontophoresis was established based on the combined effect of enhanced drug diffusion by applied electric potential and impediment from hydrogen generation. The dye permeation tests of the Mg MN on the porcine skin demonstrated the combined effect of the Mg MN and iontophoresis. The dye migration decreased at higher voltages due to excess hydrogen generation and the corrosion of needle tips, both making the diffusion of charged dye molecules along the Mg MN surface harder. These results demonstrate optimal potential range of Mg MN electrodes for transdermal drug delivery with an electric field and bubble generation during iontophoresis.

Graphical Abstract
Bohemicardia hainense (Maurer) revisted: insights into ontogeny and variability of a Devonian hippocardiid rostroconch (Conocardiida: Hippocardiidae)
Authors: Friedel Julia C. , Amler Michael R. W. , Balik Berna
Published: December 2022

Re-examination of type material and abundant specimens enable the reinstatement of ‘Conocardium hainense Maurer, 1885’, a species erroneously synonymised with Babinicardia clathrata by Rogalla and Amler. Based on the completely reconstructed morphology, C. hainense can be assigned to the genus Bohemicardia within the Hippocardiidae of the Hippocardioidea. About 600 specimens from a single locality available for study including a wide range of ontogenetic stages allow documentation of allometric growth, with shell width increasing faster than shell height. Protoconchs are not preserved, leaving the development from larval stages to early juveniles unrecorded. The large number of specimens confirms a rather narrow range of morphological variation within the taxon. Based on the preservation of the rarely observed external shell layer, conclusions on shell shape, presence of a hood and external shell ornamentation of the taxon are possible. The material confirms that recognising different shell layer architecture in conocardiid rostroconchs is a prerequisite for specific identification and basic taxonomy.
The Potential of Prairie Pothole Wetlands as an Agricultural Conservation Practice: A Synthesis of Empirical Data
Authors: Ross Caryn D. , McKenna Owen P.
Published: December 2022

Nutrient pollution causing harmful algal blooms and eutrophication is a major threat to aquatic systems. Throughout North America, agricultural activities are the largest source of excess nutrients entering these systems. Agricultural intensification has also been a driver in the historical removal of depressional wetlands, contributing to increased hydrological connectivity across watersheds, and moving more nutrient runoff into terminal waterbodies such as the Laurentian Great Lakes and Gulf of Mexico. The Prairie Pothole Region of North America (PPR) supports grassland, cropland, wetland, and riverine systems that connect to the Missouri, Mississippi, and Red River Basins. There is a need to synthesize scientific understanding to guide more targeted conservation efforts and better understand knowledge gaps. We reviewed 200 empirical studies and synthesized results from across a minimum of 9 and maximum of 43 wetland basins (depending on the variable data available). We found an average wetland removal rate of nitrate and phosphate of 53% and 68%, respectively. Literature also showed sedimentation rates to be twice as high in wetland basins situated within croplands compared to grasslands. Our synthesis enhances understanding of nutrient processing in wetlands of the PPR and highlights the need for more empirical field-based studies throughout the region.
Expression of estrogen receptors, PELP1, and SRC in human spermatozoa and their associations with semen quality
Authors: Skibińska Izabela , Andrusiewicz Mirosław , Jendraszak Magdalena , Żbikowska Aleksandra , Jędrzejczak Piotr , Kotwicka Małgorzata
Published: December 2022

Sperm cells are target cells for both estrogens and xenoestrogens. Due to the specific structure of spermatozoa, these hormonal compounds may act on sperm in a non-genomic mechanism only. However, the ESR-mediated signaling pathways are still poorly understood. In this study, we obtained 119 samples from male participants of Caucasian descent who donated semen for standard analysis. We analyzed gene expression of estrogen receptors (ESR1andESR2) and their coregulators—proline-, glutamic acid-, and leucine-rich protein 1 (PELP1), and cellular kinase c-Src (SRC). RNA level was established using reverse-transcribed RNA as a template, followed by a polymerase chain reaction. Proteins’ presence was confirmed by western blot and immunocytochemistry techniques. “Normal” values of semen parameters were defined as follows: > 32% sperm with progressive motility, > 4% sperm cells with normal morphology, > 15 × 106sperm per mL, > 58% live spermatozoa and leukocyte amount < 106cells per mL, according to WHO 2010 reference. Semen parameters that deviated from these “normal” values were labeled as “abnormal”. Gene expression ratios revealed significant, moderate, and negative correlations forESR1/ESR2and weak, negativeESR2/PELP1correlations in the subgroup of patients with abnormal values of semen parameters. In addition, SRC/PELP1 was moderately and positively correlated in the subgroup with parameters within the reference values established by WHO 2010. Our study showed that both PELP1 scaffolding protein and SRC kinase might influence semen quality via ESRs. It seems that not the expression of a single gene may affect the sperm quality, but more gene-to-gene mutual ratio. Characterization of estrogen-signaling pathway-related genes’ modulated expression in sperm cells could aid in better understanding sperm biology and quality.
Development of a new correlation for pre-dry out evaporative heat transfer coefficient of R290 in a microchannel
Authors: Ghazali Muhammad Aliff Haikal , Mohd-Yunos Yushazaziah , Pamitran Agus Sunjarianto , Jong-Taek Oh , Mohd-Ghazali Normah
Published: December 2022

Although many correlations have and are being developed for two-phase heat transfer coefficient correlation in microchannels, none has the desired accuracy yet. This paper presents prospective improvements in the convective heat transfer coefficient correlation accuracy for the dry-out conditions; when the heat transfer coefficient drops at a certain vapor quality. An accurate heat transfer coefficient forecast is needed to minimize over or under design, conserve energy and material, and maximize the performance. R290 has been reported to be more energy efficient than R22. A new correlation relevant for R290 across 831 sets of experimental data points in a microchannel was generated by optimizing six variables in the nucleate boiling suppression factor, S, and force convective factor, F, of a selected superposition type correlation. The new correlation was optimized for saturation temperature ranging between 5 and 25 °C, diameter ranging between 1.0 and 6.0 mm, heat flux ranging between 2.5 and 60 kW/m2, and mass flux ranging between 50 and 500 kg/m2s. The MAE was reduced from 21.84 to 17.02% for pre-dry out data. The new correlation may be utilized to estimate the heat transfer coefficient of R290 in heat transfer analysis in a microchannel under the investigated operating conditions. The optimization approach utilized here has the potential of continuously improving the MAE of any heat transfer correlation for any refrigerants considered.
Multi‐Year CALIPSO Observations of Ubiquitous Elevated Aerosol Layer in the Free Troposphere Over South Asia: Sources and Formation Mechanism
Authors: Kumar G. , Madhavan B. L. , Sahu L. K. , Kumar Y. B. , Vernier J.‐P. , Liu H. , Zhang B. , Pandit A. K. , Manchanda R. K. , Dadhwal V. K. , Sinha P. R.
Published: December 2022

The vertical distribution of aerosols in the lower troposphere is critically important for assessing their impact on Earth's radiation budget and modulation of cloud microphysics. This study analyzed cloud‐free aerosol extinction coefficient (βext), aerosol subtypes, and particulate depolarization ratios obtained from CALIOP (Cloud‐Aerosol Lidar with Orthogonal Polarization) over the six regions of India during 2008–2018. We investigated unprecedented climatology of the physical and optical characteristics of elevated aerosol layers (EALs) along with their source and formation mechanism. The key findings include: (a) EALs over the Indian region were persistent between 4 and 6 km during all seasons, (b) geometrical layer thickness of EALs increased up to 36.7% and 25% from the annual mean during summer and fall seasons, respectively, compared to that of spring and winter, (c) dust and polluted dust accounted for up to 50%–80% from near‐surface to 6 km and up to 80%–90% of the EALs between 4 and 6 km, respectively for all the seasons and regions, (d) we anticipated that locally confined recirculation coupled with stratified stable layer capped within turbulent layers could be a possible mechanism of formation of stratified EALs between 4 and 6 km during winter‐spring‐fall, while in summer, vertical transport of pollutants from the PBL to mid‐troposphere due to enhanced deep convection served as a key formation mechanism of the EALs, (e) the second Modern‐Era Retrospective analysis for Research and Applications Global Modeling Initiative model reasonably simulated the shape and vertical gradient of βext with significant differences in magnitude below 4 km; however, it fails to reproduce EALs for all seasons and regions during the study period.
Water Availability and Land Management Control Catchment‐Scale Agricultural Nitrogen and Phosphorous Use Efficiencies
Authors: Scaini Anna , Vico Giulia , Thorslund Josefin , Hugelius Gustaf , Manzoni Stefano
Published: December 2022

In arable systems, large amounts of nutrients, particularly of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P), are not efficiently converted into harvestable products and are lost from agricultural systems, with negative consequences for agricultural productivity and the environment. These nutrient losses are mediated by hydroclimatic processes causing nutrient leaching and volatilization. We quantify over the period 1987–2012 how water availability through the evaporative ratio (actual evapotranspiration divided by precipitation) and irrigation, agricultural practices, and edaphic conditions jointly affect nutrient use efficiencies in 110 agricultural catchments in the United States. We consider N and P use efficiencies (nitrogen use efficiency [NUE] and phosphorous use efficiency [PUE]) defined as ratios of catchment‐scale N and P in harvested products over their respective inputs, as well as the NUE/PUE ratio, as an indication of catchment‐scale N and P imbalance. Both efficiencies increase through time because of changes in climate and agronomic practices. Setting all else at the median value of the data set, NUE and PUE increased with evaporative ratio by 0.5% and 0.2% when increasing the evaporative ratio by 20% and by 4.9% and 18.8% in the presence of irrigation. NUE was also higher in catchments where maize and soybean were dominant (increasing by 2.3% for a 20% increase in maize and soybean fractional area). Soil properties, represented by mineral soil texture and organic matter content, had only small effects on the efficiencies. Our results show that both climatic conditions and crop choice are important drivers of nutrient use efficiencies in agricultural catchments.
Seeking Repeating Anthropogenic Seismic Sources: Implications for Seismic Velocity Monitoring at Fault Zones
Authors: Sheng Y. , Mordret A. , Brenguier F. , Boué P. , Vernon F. , Takeda T. , Aoki Y. , Taira T. , Ben‐Zion Y.
Published: December 2022

Seismic velocities in rocks are highly sensitive to changes in permanent deformation and fluid content. The temporal variation of seismic velocity during the preparation phase of earthquakes has been well documented in laboratories but rarely observed in nature. It has been recently found that some anthropogenic, high‐frequency (>1 Hz) seismic sources are powerful enough to generate body waves that travel down to a few kilometers and can be used to monitor fault zones at seismogenic depth. Anthropogenic seismic sources typically have fixed spatial distribution and provide new perspectives for velocity monitoring. In this work, we propose a systematic workflow to seek such powerful seismic sources in a rapid and straightforward manner. We tackle the problem from a statistical point of view, considering that persistent, powerful seismic sources yield highly coherent correlation functions (CFs) between pairs of seismic sensors. The algorithm is tested in California and Japan. Multiple sites close to fault zones show high‐frequency CFs stable for an extended period of time. These findings have great potential for monitoring fault zones, including the San Jacinto Fault and the Ridgecrest area in Southern California, Napa in Northern California, and faults in central Japan. However, extra steps, such as beamforming or polarization analysis, are required to determine the dominant seismic sources and study the source characteristics, which are crucial to interpreting the velocity monitoring results. Train tremors identified by the present approach have been successfully used for seismic velocity monitoring of the San Jacinto Fault in previous studies.
Inflammation and cognition in severe mental illness: patterns of covariation and subgroups
Authors: Sæther Linn Sofie , Ueland Thor , Haatveit Beathe , Maglanoc Luigi Angelo , Szabo Attila , Djurovic Srdjan , Aukrust Pål , Roelfs Daniel , Mohn Christine , Ormerod Monica Bettina Elkjaer Greenwood , Lagerberg Trine Vik , Steen Nils Eiel , Melle Ingrid , Andreassen Ole Andreas , Ueland Torill
Published: December 2022

A potential relationship between dysregulation of immune/inflammatory pathways and cognitive impairment has been suggested in severe mental illnesses (SMI), such as schizophrenia (SZ) and bipolar (BD) spectrum disorders. However, multivariate relationships between peripheral inflammatory/immune-related markers and cognitive domains are unclear, and many studies do not account for inter-individual variance in both cognitive functioning and inflammatory/immune status. This study aimed to investigate covariance patterns between inflammatory/immune-related markers and cognitive domains and further elucidate heterogeneity in a large SMI and healthy control (HC) cohort (SZ = 343, BD = 289, HC = 770). We applied canonical correlation analysis (CCA) to identify modes of maximum covariation between a comprehensive selection of cognitive domains and inflammatory/immune markers. We found that poor verbal learning and psychomotor processing speed was associated with higher levels of interleukin-18 system cytokines and beta defensin 2, reflecting enhanced activation of innate immunity, a pattern augmented in SMI compared to HC. Applying hierarchical clustering on covariance patterns identified by the CCA revealed a high cognition—low immune dysregulation subgroup with predominantly HC (24% SZ, 45% BD, 74% HC) and a low cognition—high immune dysregulation subgroup predominantly consisting of SMI patients (76% SZ, 55% BD, 26% HC). These subgroups differed in IQ, years of education, age, CRP, BMI (all groups), level of functioning, symptoms and defined daily dose (DDD) of antipsychotics (SMI cohort). Our findings suggest a link between cognitive impairment and innate immune dysregulation in a subset of individuals with severe mental illness.
Tuneable Gaussian entanglement in levitated nanoparticle arrays
Authors: Chauhan Anil Kumar , Černotík Ondřej , Filip Radim
Published: December 2022

Optically levitated nanoparticles emerged as an interesting platform for probing fundamental physics. Quantum control of their motion (including potential shaping) predisposes them for emulating various physical systems and studying quantum phenomena with massive objects. Extending these capabilities to quantum many-body systems requires feasible strategies to couple and entangle nanoparticles directly or via an optical bus. We propose a variable, deterministic scheme to generate Gaussian entanglement in the motional steady state of levitated nanoparticles using coherent scattering. Coupling multiple nanoparticles to a common cavity mode allows cooling of a collective Bogoliubov mode; cooling multiple Bogoliubov modes (by trapping each nanoparticle in multiple tweezers, each scattering into a separate cavity mode) removes most thermal noise, leading to strong entanglement. Numerical simulations for three nanoparticles show great tuneability of entanglement with realistic experimental parameters. Our proposal paves the way towards complex motional quantum states for advanced quantum sensing protocols and many-body quantum simulations.
Targeted degradation via direct 26S proteasome recruitment
Authors: Bashore Charlene , Prakash Sumit , Johnson Matthew C. , Conrad Ryan J. , Kekessie Ivy A. , Scales Suzie J. , Ishisoko Noriko , Kleinheinz Tracy , Liu Peter S. , Popovych Nataliya , Wecksler Aaron T. , Zhou Lijuan , Tam Christine , Zilberleyb Inna , Srinivasan Rajini , Blake Robert A. , Song Aimin , Staben Steven T. , Zhang Yingnan , Arnott David , Fairbrother Wayne J. , Foster Scott A. , Wertz Ingrid E. , Ciferri Claudio , Dueber Erin C.
Published: December 2022

Engineered destruction of target proteins by recruitment to the cell’s degradation machinery has emerged as a promising strategy in drug discovery. The majority of molecules that facilitate targeted degradation do so via a select number of ubiquitin ligases, restricting this therapeutic approach to tissue types that express the requisite ligase. Here, we describe a new strategy of targeted protein degradation through direct substrate recruitment to the 26S proteasome. The proteolytic complex is essential and abundantly expressed in all cells; however, proteasomal ligands remain scarce. We identify potent peptidic macrocycles that bind directly to the 26S proteasome subunit PSMD2, with a 2.5-Å-resolution cryo-electron microscopy complex structure revealing a binding site near the 26S pore. Conjugation of this macrocycle to a potent BRD4 ligand enabled generation of chimeric molecules that effectively degrade BRD4 in cells, thus demonstrating that degradation via direct proteasomal recruitment is a viable strategy for targeted protein degradation.
Corn planting and harvest scheduling under storage capacity and growing degree units uncertainty
Authors: Khalilzadeh Zahra , Wang Lizhi
Published: December 2022

Planting and harvest scheduling is a crucial part of crop production due to its significant impact on other factors such as balancing the capacities for harvest, yield potential, sales price, storage, and transportation. Corn planting and harvest scheduling is challenging because corn hybrids have different planting windows, and, subsequently, inaccurate planting and harvest scheduling can result in inconsistent and unpredictable weekly harvest quantities and logistical and productivity issues. In the 2021 Syngenta Crop Challenge, participants were given several large datasets including recorded historical daily growing degree units (GDU) of two sites and provided with planting windows, required GDUs, and harvest quantities of corn hybrids planted in these two sites, and were asked to schedule planting and harvesting dates of corn hybrids under two storage capacity cases so that facilities are not over capacity in harvesting weeks and have consistent weekly harvest quantities. The research problem includes determining the planting and harvest scheduling of corn hybrids under two storage capacity cases: (1) given the maximum storage capacity, and (2) without maximum storage capacity to determine the lowest storage capacity for each site. To help improve corn planting and harvest scheduling, we propose two mixed-integer linear programming (MILP) models and a heuristic algorithm to solve this problem for both storage capacity cases. Daily GDUs are required for planting and harvest scheduling, but they are unknown at the beginning of the growing season. As such, we use recurrent neural networks to predict the weekly GDUs of 70 weeks and consider this as the predicted GDU scenario to solve this problem. In addition, we solve this problem considering all given 10 historical GDU scenarios from 2010 to 2019 together for both storage capacity cases to include historical GDUs directly to our model rather than using predicted GDUs. Our extensive computational experiments and results demonstrate the effectiveness of our proposed methods, which can provide optimal planting and harvest scheduling considering deterministic GDU scenario and uncertainties in historical GDU scenarios for both storage capacity cases to provide consistent weekly harvest quantities that are below the maximum capacity.
Active learning for ordinal classification based on expected cost minimization
Authors: He Deniu
Published: December 2022

To date, a large number of active learning algorithms have been proposed, but active learning methods for ordinal classification are under-researched. For ordinal classification, there is a total ordering among the data classes, and it is natural that the cost of misclassifying an instance as an adjacent class should be lower than that of misclassifying it as a more disparate class. However, existing active learning algorithms typically do not consider the above ordering information in query selection. Thus, most of them do not perform satisfactorily in ordinal classification. This study proposes an active learning method for ordinal classification by considering the ordering information among classes. We design an expected cost minimization criterion that imbues the ordering information. Meanwhile, we incorporate it with an uncertainty sampling criterion to impose the query instance more informative. Furthermore, we introduce a candidate subset selection method based on the k-means algorithm to reduce the computational overhead led by the calculation of expected cost. Extensive experiments on nine public ordinal classification datasets demonstrate that the proposed method outperforms several baseline methods.
Distinct blood inflammatory biomarker clusters stratify host phenotypes during the middle phase of COVID-19
Authors: Blair Paul W. , Brandsma Joost , Chenoweth Josh , Richard Stephanie A. , Epsi Nusrat J. , Mehta Rittal , Striegel Deborah , Clemens Emily G. , Alharthi Sultanah , Lindholm David A. , Maves Ryan C. , Larson Derek T. , Mende Katrin , Colombo Rhonda E. , Ganesan Anuradha , Lalani Tahaniyat , Colombo Christopher J. , Malloy Allison A. , Snow Andrew L. , Schully Kevin L. , Lanteri Charlotte , Simons Mark P. , Dumler John S. , Tribble David , Burgess Timothy , Pollett Simon , Agan Brian K. , Clark Danielle V. ,   the EPICC COVID-19 Cohort Study Group, Cowden J. , Darling M. , Merritt T. , Wellington T. , Rutt A. , Conlon C. , Faestel P. , Mount C. , Smith A. , Tant R. , Warkentien T. , Berjohn C. , Utz G. , Madar C. , Uyehara C. , Chung K. , English C. , Fox C. , Grother M. , Hickey P. , Laing E. , Livezey J. , Parmelee E. , Rozman J. , Sanchez M. , Scher A. , Chao T. , Chapleau R. , Fries A. , Reynolds K. , Hostler D. , Hostler J. , Lago K. , Maldonado C. , Hunter T. , Mody R. , Wayman M. , Huprikar N.
Published: December 2022

The associations between clinical phenotypes of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and the host inflammatory response during the transition from peak illness to convalescence are not yet well understood. Blood plasma samples were collected from 129 adult SARS-CoV-2 positive inpatient and outpatient participants between April 2020 and January 2021, in a multi-center prospective cohort study at 8 military hospitals across the United States. Plasma inflammatory protein biomarkers were measured in samples from 15 to 28 days post symptom onset. Topological Data Analysis (TDA) was used to identify patterns of inflammation, and associations with peak severity (outpatient, hospitalized, ICU admission or death), Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI), and body mass index (BMI) were evaluated using logistic regression. The study population (n = 129, 33.3% female, median 41.3 years of age) included 77 outpatient, 31 inpatient, 16 ICU-level, and 5 fatal cases. Three distinct inflammatory biomarker clusters were identified and were associated with significant differences in peak disease severity (p < 0.001), age (p < 0.001), BMI (p < 0.001), and CCI (p = 0.001). Host-biomarker profiles stratified a heterogeneous population of COVID-19 patients during the transition from peak illness to convalescence, and these distinct inflammatory patterns were associated with comorbid disease and severe illness due to COVID-19.
Molecular of Anaplasma marginale Theiler (Rickettsiales: Anaplasmataceae) in horseflies (Diptera: Tabanidae) in Uruguay
Authors: Rodrigues Gratchela D. , Lucas Martín , Ortiz Hadassa Gabriela , dos Santos Gonçalves Laís , Blodorn Eduardo , Domingues William Borges , Nunes Leandro Silva , Saravia Anderson , Parodi Pablo , Riet-Correa Franklin , Menchaca Alejo , Campos Vinicius Farias , Krolow Tiago Kütter , Krüger Rodrigo Ferreira
Published: December 2022

Anaplasma marginaleis transmitted biologically by infected ticks or mechanically by biting flies and contaminated fomites. In tick-free areas, such as southern Uruguay, horseflies could be the principal vectors of this pathogen for bovines, causing anaplasmosis. The objective of this work was to detect the presence ofA. marginaleby MSP-5 PCR and Sanger sequencing in the most prevalent species of horseflies obtained using different collection methods in Colonia, Tacuarembó and Paysandú, Uruguay. Eight horsefly species were tested (Dasybasis missionum,Poeciloderas lindneri, Tabanus campestris,T. claripennis, T. fuscofasciatus, T. platensis,T. tacuaremboensisandT. triangulum); four species were found to be positive forA. marginale, withD. missionumandP. lindnerihaving the most frequent infections, while only one individual each ofT. fuscofasciatusandT. tacuaremboensiswas positive. BothD. missionumandP. lindneriwere positive forA. marginalein tick-free areas, and the implications are discussed in this report.
Analysis of clinical presentations, lip transepidermal water loss and associated dermatological conditions in patients with chronic cheilitis
Authors: Wang Yuanyuan , Lin Liqi , Wang Yuhong , Wei Minghui , Wei Jiao , Cui Yuan , Ren Yanfang , Wang Xinwen
Published: December 2022

Chronic cheilitis (CC) is a spectrum of inflammatory changes of unknown etiology that affect the vermilion of the lips. This study aimed to describe the epidemiology, clinical presentations and risk factors of CC. Patients with CC were recruited from the National Clinical Research Center for Oral Disease of China. A convenience sample of inhabitants who live in the same geographical region were recruited as the control group. The lip skin transepidermal water loss (TEWL) and capacitance of CC patients were compared with that of age- and gender-matched controls. Our results demonstrated that of the 109 patients with CC, 72 (66.1%; 95% CI: 57.0–75.1%) were female. The common clinical presentations of CC consisted of desquamation (n = 99; 90.8%), and/or chapping (n = 81; 74.3%), and/or pruritus (n = 64; 58.7%). Multivariable analysis showed that allergic dermatologic diseases (P < 0.001; OR: 4.5; 95% CI: 2.4–8.4), anemia (P = 0.001; OR: 3.3; 95% CI: 1.5–7.5), and indoor/outdoor alternate working environment (P < 0.001; OR: 2.1; 95% CI: 1.5–2.8) were the significant risk factors for CC. The mean lip skin TEWL was found to be significantly higher, while the capacitance was lower in CC patients compared to that of control individuals. This study provides insights into the etiopathogenesis of CC and may help clinicians to identify the most effective management strategies.
Observing short-range orientational order in small-molecule liquids
Authors: Gradišek Anton , Apih Tomaž , Beira Maria J. , Cruz Carlos , Fernandes Susete N. , Godinho Helena M. , Sebastião Pedro J.
Published: December 2022

Local molecular ordering in liquids has attracted a lot of interest from researchers investigating crystallization, but is still poorly understood on the molecular scale. Classical nucleation theory (CNT), a macroscopic thermodynamic description of condensation, has shortcomings when dealing with clusters consisting of tens of molecules. Cluster formation and local order fluctuations in liquid media are difficult to study due to the limited spatial resolution of electron- and photon-imaging methods. We used NMR relaxometry to demonstrate the existence of dynamic clusters with short-range orientational order in nominally isotropic liquids consisting of elongated molecules. We observed clusters in liquids where the local ordering is driven by polar, steric, and hydrogen-bond interactions between the molecules. In the case of a liquid crystal, measuring the local orientational order fluctuations allowed us to observe the size of these clusters diverging when approaching the phase transition from the isotropic to the nematic phase. These fluctuations are described in terms of rotational elasticity as a consequence of the correlated reorientations of the neighbouring molecules. Our quantitative observations of the dynamic clusters in liquids, numbering about ten or fewer molecules, indicate that this is a general phenomenon in various types of liquids.
Ni(ii) and Co(ii) complexes for the selective adsorption of anionic dyes from aqueous solutions
Authors: Cai He-Qun , Xin Yu , Jiang Shan , Bai Feng-Ying , Xing Yong-Heng
Published: December 2022

Nowadays, selective removal of cationic or anionic organic dyes from aqueous solution has become a new research focus.