bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Evaporation and information puzzle for 2D nonsingular asymptotically flat black holes
Authors: Cadoni M. , Oi M. , Sanna A. P.
Published: July 2023

Abstract

We investigate the thermodynamics and the classical and semiclassical dynamics of two-dimensional (2D), asymptotically flat, nonsingular dilatonic black holes. They are characterized by a de Sitter core, allowing for the smearing of the classical singularity, and by the presence of two horizons with a related extremal configuration. For concreteness, we focus on a 2D version of the Hayward black hole. We find a second order thermodynamic phase transition, separating large unstable black holes from stable configurations close to extremality. We first describe the black-hole evaporation process using a quasistatic approximation and we show that it ends in the extremal configuration in an infinite amount of time. We go beyond the quasistatic approximation by numerically integrating the field equations for 2D dilaton gravity coupled to N massless scalar fields, describing the radiation. We find that the inclusion of large backreaction effects (N ≫ 1) allows for an end-point extremal configuration after a finite evaporation time. Finally, we evaluate the entanglement entropy (EE) of the radiation in the quasistatic approximation and construct the relative Page curve. We find that the EE initially grows, reaches a maximum and then goes down towards zero, in agreement with previous results in the literature. Despite the breakdown of the semiclassical approximation prevents the description of the evaporation process near extremality, we have a clear indication that the end point of the evaporation is a regular, extremal state with vanishing EE of the radiation. This suggests that the nonunitary evolution, which commonly characterizes the evaporation of singular black holes, could be traced back to the presence of the singularity.
The graviton four-point function in de Sitter space
Authors: Bonifacio James , Goodhew Harry , Joyce Austin , Pajer Enrico , Stefanyszyn David
Published: July 2023

Abstract

We compute the tree-level late-time graviton four-point correlation function, and the related quartic wavefunction coefficient, for Einstein gravity in de Sitter spacetime. We derive this result in several ways: by direct calculation, using the in-in formalism and the wavefunction of the universe; by a heuristic derivation leveraging the flat space wave-function coefficient; and by using the boostless cosmological bootstrap, in particular the combination of the cosmological optical theorem, the amplitude limit, and the manifestly local test. We find agreement among the different methods.
On egalitarian values for cooperative games with level structures
Authors: Alonso-Meijide J. M. , Costa J. , García-Jurado I. , Gonçalves-Dosantos J. C.
Published: July 2023

In this paper we extend the equal division and the equal surplus division values for transferable utility cooperative games to the more general setup of transferable utility cooperative games with level structures. In the case of the equal surplus division value we propose three possible extensions, one of which has already been described in the literature. We provide axiomatic characterizations of the values considered, apply them to a particular cost sharing problem and compare them in the framework of such an application.
Metabolic Profiling of Endophytic Bacteria in Relation to Their Potential Application as Components of Multi-Task Biopreparations
Authors: Woźniak Małgorzata , Tyśkiewicz Renata , Siebielec Sylwia , Gałązka Anna , Jaroszuk-Ściseł Jolanta
Published: July 2023

Agricultural crops are exposed to various abiotic and biotic stresses that can constrain crop productivity. Focusing on a limited subset of key groups of organisms has the potential to facilitate the monitoring of the functions of human-managed ecosystems. Endophytic bacteria can enhance plant stress resistance and can help plants to cope with the negative impacts of stress factors through the induction of different mechanisms, influencing plant biochemistry and physiology. In this study, we characterise endophytic bacteria isolated from different plants based on their metabolic activity and ability to synthesise 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid deaminase (ACCD), the activity of hydrolytic exoenzymes, the total phenolic compounds (TPC) and iron-complexing compounds (ICC). Test GEN III MicroPlate indicated that the evaluated endophytes are highly metabolically active, and the best used substrates were amino acids, which may be important in selecting potential carrier components for bacteria in biopreparations. The ACCD activity of strain ES2 (Stenotrophomonas maltophilia) was the highest, whereas that of strain ZR5 (Delftia acidovorans) was the lowest. Overall, the obtained results indicated that ∼91.3% of the isolates were capable of producing at least one of the four hydrolytic enzymes. In addition, most of the tested strains produced ICC and TPC, which play a significant role in reducing stress in plants. The results of this study suggest that the tested endophytic bacterial strains can potentially be used to mitigate climate change-associated stresses in plants and to inhibit plant pathogens.

Graphical Abstract
Public Attitudes Toward Policy Instruments for Flood Risk Management
Authors: Raikes Jonathan , Henstra Daniel , Thistlethwaite Jason
Published: July 2023

Effective flood risk management (FRM) requires a mix of policy instruments that reduces, shares, and manages flood risk. The social acceptability of these policy instruments—the degree of public support or opposition to their use—is an important consideration when designing an optimal mix to achieve FRM objectives. This paper examines public attitudes toward FRM policy instruments based on a national survey of Canadians living in high-risk areas. Respondents were asked their views on flood maps, disaster assistance, flood insurance, flood risk disclosure and liability, and property buyouts. The results indicate that all five policy instruments have high social acceptability, but they must be calibrated to ensure access to flood risk information and achieve a fair distribution of FRM costs among key stakeholders.
Loose Edge-Connection of Graphs
Authors: Brause Christoph , Jendrol’ Stanislav , Schiermeyer Ingo
Published: July 2023

In the last years, connection concepts such as rainbow connection and proper connection appeared in graph theory and obtained a lot of attention. In this paper, we investigate the loose edge-connection of graphs. A connected edge-coloured graph G is loose edge-connected if between any two of its vertices there is a path of length one, or a bi-coloured path of length two, or a path of length at least three with at least three colours used on its edges. The minimum number of colours, used in a loose edge-colouring of G, is called the loose edge-connection number and denoted $${{\,\textrm{lec}\,}}(G)$$

lec

(
G
)

. We determine the precise value of this parameter for any simple graph G of diameter at least 3. We show that deciding, whether $${{\,\textrm{lec}\,}}(G) = 2$$

lec

(
G
)
=
2

for graphs G of diameter 2, is an NP-complete problem. Furthermore, we characterize all complete bipartite graphs $$K_{r,s}$$

K

r
,
s

with $${{\,\textrm{lec}\,}}(K_{r,s}) = 2$$

lec

(

K

r
,
s

)
=
2

.
Hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) plus systemic chemotherapy versus systemic chemotherapy alone in locally advanced gastric cancer after D2 radical resection: a randomized-controlled study
Authors: Yu Pengfei , Huang Xingmao , Huang Ling , Dai Gaiguo , Xu Qi , Fang Jingquan , Ye Zeyao , Chai Tengjiao , Du Yian
Published: July 2023

Background

Currently, there is a lack of an effective strategy for the prevention of peritoneal metastasis (PM) from locally advanced gastric cancer (AGC). This randomized-controlled study aimed to evaluate the outcome of D2 radical resection with hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) plus systemic chemotherapy versus systemic chemotherapy alone in locally AGC patients.

Methods

All enrolled patients were randomly assigned to receive HIPEC plus systemic chemotherapy (HIPEC group) or systemic chemotherapy alone (non-HIPEC group) after radical gastrectomy. HIPEC was performed intraperitoneally with cisplatin (40 mg/m2) within 72 h after surgery, while systemic chemotherapy based on the SOX regimen (S-1 combined with oxaliplatin) was administered 4–6 weeks after radical surgery. Patterns of recurrence, adverse events, 3-year disease-free survival (DFS), and overall survival (OS) were analyzed.

Results

A total of 134 patients were enrolled in the present study. The 3-year DFS rate was 73.8% in the HIPEC group, which was significantly higher than that in the non-HIPEC group (61.2%, P = 0.031). The 3-year OS rate was 73.9% in the HIPEC group and 77.6% in the non-HIPEC group, with no significant difference (P = 0.737). PM was the most common distant metastasis in both groups. The occurrence rate of PM in the HIPEC group was statistically lower than that in the non-HIPEC group (20.9% vs. 40.3%, P = 0.015). Grade 3 or 4 adverse events occurred in 19 (14.2%) patients, and there was no significant difference between the two groups.

Conclusion

Radical surgery followed by HIPEC combined with systemic chemotherapy is a safe and feasible strategy for locally AGC patients and could effectively improve DFS and reduce the occurrence of PM. However, more prospective randomized studies with a large sample size are warranted.

Trial registration

This study was registered with www.medresman.org.cn as ChiCTR2200055966 on 10/12/2016.
Perfectly Packing a Square by Squares of Nearly Harmonic Sidelength
Authors: Tao Terence
Published: July 2023

A well-known open problem of Meir and Moser asks if the squares of sidelength 1/n for $$n\ge 2$$

n
≥
2

can be packed perfectly into a rectangle of area $$\sum _{n=2}^\infty n^{-2}=\pi ^2/6-1$$

∑

n
=
2

∞

n

-
2

=

π
2

/
6
-
1

. In this paper we show that for any $$1/2<t<1$$

1
/
2
<
t
<
1

, and any $$n_0$$

n
0

that is sufficiently large depending on t, the squares of sidelength $$n^{-t}$$

n

-
t

for $$n\ge n_0$$

n
≥

n
0

can be packed perfectly into a square of area $$\sum _{n=n_0}^\infty n^{-2t}$$

∑

n
=

n
0

∞

n

-
2
t

. This was previously known (if one packs a rectangle instead of a square) for $$1/2<t\le 2/3$$

1
/
2
<
t
≤
2
/
3

(in which case one can take $$n_0=1$$

n
0

=
1

).
The Association Between Heterosexual anal Intercourse and HIV Acquisition in Three Prospective Cohorts of Women
Authors: Silhol Romain , Nordsletten Ashley , Maheu-Giroux Mathieu , Elmes Jocelyn , Staunton Roisin , Owen Branwen , Shacklett Barbara , McGowan Ian , Feliciano Kailazarid Gomez , van der Straten Ariane , Eller Leigh Anne , Robb Merlin , Marrazzo Jeanne , Dimitrov Dobromir , Boily Marie-Claude
Published: July 2023

The extent to which receptive anal intercourse (RAI) increases the HIV acquisition risk of women compared to receptive vaginal intercourse (RVI) is poorly understood. We evaluated RAI practice over time and its association with HIV incidence during three prospective HIV cohorts of women: RV217, MTN-003 (VOICE), and HVTN 907. At baseline, 16% (RV 217), 18% (VOICE) of women reported RAI in the past 3 months and 27% (HVTN 907) in the past 6 months, with RAI declining during follow-up by around 3-fold. HIV incidence in the three cohorts was positively associated with reporting RAI at baseline, albeit not always significantly. The adjusted hazard rate ratios for potential confounders (aHR) were 1.1 (95% Confidence interval: 0.8–1.5) for VOICE and 3.3 (1.6–6.8) for RV 217, whereas the ratio of cumulative HIV incidence by RAI practice was 1.9 (0.6-6.0) for HVTN 907. For VOICE, the estimated magnitude of association increased slightly when using a time-varying RAI exposure definition (aHR = 1.2; 0.9–1.6), and for women reporting RAI at every follow-up survey (aHR = 2.0 (1.3–3.1)), though not for women reporting higher RAI frequency (> 30% acts being RAI vs. no RAI in the past 3 months; aHR = 0.7 (0.4–1.1)). Findings indicated precise estimation of the RAI/HIV association, following multiple RVI/RAI exposures, is sensitive to RAI exposure definition, which remain imperfectly measured. Information on RAI practices, RAI/RVI frequency, and condom use should be more systematically and precisely recorded and reported in studies looking at sexual behaviors and HIV seroconversions; standardized measures would aid comparability across geographies and over time.
Effective data sampling strategies and boundary condition constraints of physics-informed neural networks for identifying material properties in solid mechanics
Authors: Wu W. , Daneker M. , Jolley M. A. , Turner K. T. , Lu L.
Published: July 2023

Material identification is critical for understanding the relationship between mechanical properties and the associated mechanical functions. However, material identification is a challenging task, especially when the characteristic of the material is highly nonlinear in nature, as is common in biological tissue. In this work, we identify unknown material properties in continuum solid mechanics via physics-informed neural networks (PINNs). To improve the accuracy and efficiency of PINNs, we develop efficient strategies to nonuniformly sample observational data. We also investigate different approaches to enforce Dirichlet-type boundary conditions (BCs) as soft or hard constraints. Finally, we apply the proposed methods to a diverse set of time-dependent and time-independent solid mechanic examples that span linear elastic and hyperelastic material space. The estimated material parameters achieve relative errors of less than 1%. As such, this work is relevant to diverse applications, including optimizing structural integrity and developing novel materials.
Oxidative Stress-Involved Mitophagy of Retinal Pigment Epithelium and Retinal Degenerative Diseases
Authors: Zhang Si-Ming , Fan Bin , Li Yu- Lin , Zuo Zhao-Yang , Li Guang-Yu
Published: July 2023

The retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) is a highly specialized and polarized epithelial cell layer that plays an important role in sustaining the structural and functional integrity of photoreceptors. However, the death of RPE is a common pathological feature in various retinal diseases, especially in age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and diabetic retinopathy (DR). Mitophagy, as a programmed self-degradation of dysfunctional mitochondria, is crucial for maintaining cellular homeostasis and cell survival under stress. RPE contains a high density of mitochondria necessary for it to meet energy demands, so severe stimuli can cause mitochondrial dysfunction and the excess generation of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS), which can further trigger oxidative stress-involved mitophagy. In this review, we summarize the classical pathways of oxidative stress-involved mitophagy in RPE and investigate its role in the progression of retinal diseases, aiming to provide a new therapeutic strategy for treating retinal degenerative diseases.

Graphical Abstract

The role of mitophagy in AMD and DR. In AMD, excessive ROS production promotes mitophagy in the RPE by activating the Nrf2/p62 pathway, while in DR, ROS may suppress mitophagy by the FOXO3-PINK1/parkin signaling pathway or the TXNIP-mitochondria-lysosome-mediated mitophagy.
Mapping vessel traffic patterns in the ice-covered waters of the Pacific Arctic
Authors: Kapsar Kelly , Gunn Grant , Brigham Lawson , Liu Jianguo
Published: July 2023

Recent climate change has caused declines in ice coverage which have lengthened the open water season in the Arctic and increased access to resources and shipping routes. These changes have resulted in more vessel activity in seasonally ice-covered regions. While traffic is increasing in the ice-free season, the amount of vessel activity in the marginal ice zone (ice concentration 15–80%) or in pack ice (>80% concentration) remains unclear. Understanding patterns of vessel activities in ice is important given increased safety challenges and environmental impacts. Here, we couple high-resolution ship tracking information with sea ice thickness and concentration data to quantify vessel activity in ice-covered areas of the Pacific Arctic (northern Bering, Chukchi, and western Beaufort Seas). This region is a geo-strategically critical area that contains globally important commercial fisheries and serves as a corridor for Arctic access for wildlife and vessels. We find that vessel traffic in the marginal ice zone is widely distributed across the study area while vessel traffic in pack ice is concentrated along known shipping routes and in areas of natural resource development. Of the statistically significant relationships between vessel traffic and both sea ice concentration and thickness, over 99% are negative, indicating that increasing sea ice is associated with decreasing vessel traffic on a monthly time scale. Furthermore, there is substantial vessel traffic in areas of high concentration for bowhead whales (Balaena mysticetus), and traffic in these areas increased four-fold during the study period. Fishing vessels dominate vessel traffic at low ice concentrations, but vessels categorized as Other, likely icebreakers, are the most common vessel type in pack ice. These findings indicate that vessel traffic in areas of ice coverage is influenced by distant policy and resource development decisions which should be taken into consideration when trying to predict future vessel-ice interactions in a changing climate.
#WhatIsDemocracy: finding key actors in a Chinese influence campaign
Authors: Jacobs Charity S. , Carley Kathleen M.
Published: July 2023

The rapid increase in China’s outward digital presence on western social media platforms highlights China’s priorities for promoting pro-Chinese narratives and stories in recent years. Simultaneously, China has increasingly been accused of launching information operations using bot activity, puppet accounts, and other inauthentic activity to amplify its messaging. This paper provides a comprehensive network analysis characterization of the hashtag influence campaign China promoted against the US-hosted Summit on Democracy in December 2021, in addition to methods to identify different types of actors within this type of influence campaign. China uses layers of state-sponsored accounts, bots, and non-bot accounts to promote its messaging. Lastly, we describe how China uses localized campaigns under a more extensive umbrella campaign for information diffusion toward targeted audiences.
Volatility Spillovers and Contagion During Major Crises: An Early Warning Approach Based on a Deep Learning Model
Authors: Sahiner Mehmet
Published: July 2023

This paper contributes to the ongoing debate on the nature and characteristics of the volatility transmission channels of major crash events in international stock markets between 03 July 1997 and 09 March 2021. Using dynamic conditional correlations (DCC) for conditional correlations and volatility clustering, GARCH-BEKK for the direction of transmission of disturbances, and the Diebold-Yilmaz spillover index for the level of volatility contagion, the paper finds that the climbs in external shock transmissions have long-lasting impacts in domestic markets due to the contagion effect during crisis periods. The findings also reveal that the heavier magnitude of financial stress is transmitted between Asian countries via the Hong Kong stock market. Additionally, the degree of volatility spillovers between advanced and emerging equity markets is smaller compared to the pure spillovers between advanced markets or emerging markets, offering a window of opportunity for international market participants in terms of portfolio diversification and risk management applications. Furthermore, the study introduces a novel early warning system created by integrating DCC correlations with a state-of-the-art deep learning model to predict the global financial crisis and COVID-19 crisis. The experimental analysis of long short-term memory network finds evidence of contagion risk by verifying bursts in volatility spillovers and generating signals with high accuracy before the 12-month crisis period. This provides supplementary information that contributes to the decision-making process of practitioners, as well as offering indicative evidence that facilitates the assessment of market vulnerability for policymakers.
Discrimination and adherence in a cross-sectional study of Latino sexual minority men with HIV: Coping with discrimination as a mediator and coping self-efficacy as a moderator
Authors: Barreras Joanna L. , Bogart Laura M. , MacCarthy Sarah , Klein David J. , Pantalone David W.
Published: July 2023

Discrimination is associated with antiretroviral therapy non-adherence and reduced well-being among people with HIV. We examined the potential for coping to mediate the associations between intersectional discrimination and non-adherence and coping self-efficacy (confidence in one’s ability to cope with discrimination) as a moderator that may buffer the negative effects of discrimination on non-adherence in a cross-sectional convenience sample of 82 Latino sexual minority men with HIV. In bivariate linear regressions, discrimination targeting Latino ethnic origin, undocumented residency status, and sexual orientation were each significantly associated with lower self-reported antiretroviral therapy non-adherence (percentage of prescribed doses taken in the last month) and greater use of disengagement coping (denial, substance use, venting, self-blame, behavioral disengagement). Associations between discrimination targeting Latino ethnicity and non-adherence, and discrimination targeting undocumented residency status and non-adherence, were each mediated by disengagement coping responses. Moderation analyses highlighted significant discrimination by coping self-efficacy interaction effects—both coping self-efficacy for problem solving and stopping unpleasant emotions/thoughts each moderated the associations between Latino discrimination and adherence, between undocumented residency status discrimination and adherence, and between HIV discrimination and adherence. Coping self-efficacy for getting social support moderated the association between undocumented residency status discrimination and adherence. Further, the interaction coefficients across models indicated that the negative effects of discrimination on adherence were attenuated at higher levels of coping self-efficacy. Findings highlight the need for structural interventions that reduce—and ultimately eliminate—discrimination, and interventions that address the harmful effects of discrimination and adherence improvement interventions to enhance coping skills among people faced with intersectional discrimination.
Can a 5-to-90-day Mortality Predictor Perform Consistently Across Time and Equitably Across Populations?
Authors: Handler Jonathan , Lee Olivia J. , Chatrath Sheena , McGarvey Jeremy , Fitch Tyler , Jose Divya , Vozenilek John
Published: July 2023

Advance care planning (ACP) facilitates end-of-life care, yet many die without it. Timely and accurate mortality prediction may encourage ACP. However, performance of predictors typically differs among sub-populations (e.g., rural vs. urban) and worsens over time (“concept drift”). Therefore, we assessed performance equity and consistency for a novel 5-to-90-day mortality predictor across various demographies, geographies, and timeframes (n = 76,812 total encounters). Predictions were made for the first day of included adult inpatient admissions on a retrospective dataset. AUC-PR remained at 29% both pre-COVID (throughout 2018) and during COVID (8 months in 2021). Pre-COVID-19 recall and precision were 58% and 25% respectively at the 12.5% certainty cutoff, and 12% and 44% at the 37.5% cutoff. During COVID-19, recall and precision were 59% and 26% at the 12.5% cutoff, and 11% and 43% at the 37.5% cutoff. Pre-COVID, compared to the overall population, recall was lower at the 12.5% cutoff in the White, non-Hispanic subgroup and at both cutoffs in the rural subgroup. During COVID-19, precision at the 12.5% cutoff was lower than that of the overall population for the non-White and non-White female subgroups. No other significant differences were seen between subgroups and the corresponding overall population. Overall performance during COVID was unchanged from pre-pandemic performance. Although some comparisons (especially precision at the 37.5% cutoff) were underpowered, precision at the 12.5% cutoff was equitable across most demographies, regardless of the pandemic. Mortality prediction to prioritize ACP conversations can be provided consistently and equitably across many studied timeframes and sub-populations.
Conservation of all Lipkin’s zilches from symmetries of the standard electromagnetic action and a hidden algebra
Authors: Letsios Vasileios A.
Published: July 2023

In 1964, Lipkin discovered the zilches, a set of conserved quantities in free electromagnetism. Among the zilches, optical chirality was identified by Tang and Cohen in 2010, serving as a measure of the handedness of light and leading to investigations into light’s interactions with chiral matter. While the symmetries underlying the conservation of the zilches have been examined, the derivation of zilch conservation laws from symmetries of the standard free electromagnetic (EM) action using Noether’s theorem has only been addressed in the case of optical chirality. We provide the full answer by demonstrating that the zilch symmetry transformations of the four-potential, $$A_{\mu }$$

A
μ

, preserve the standard free EM action. We also show that the zilch symmetries belong to the enveloping algebra of a “hidden” invariance algebra of free Maxwell’s equations. This “hidden” algebra is generated by familiar conformal transformations and certain “hidden” symmetry transformations of $$A_{\mu }$$

A
μ

. Generalizations of the “hidden” symmetries are discussed in the presence of a material four-current, as well as in the theory of a complex Abelian gauge field. Additionally, we extend the zilch symmetries of the standard free EM action to the standard interacting action (with a non-dynamical four-current), allowing for a new derivation of the continuity equation for optical chirality in the presence of electric charges and currents. Furthermore, new continuity equations for the remaining zilches are derived.
Identification of potential Akt activators: a ligand and structure-based computational approach
Authors: Kumar Harish B. , Manandhar Suman , Rathi Ekta , Kabekkodu Shama Prasada , Mehta Chetan Hasmukh , Nayak Usha Yogendra , Kini Suvarna G. , Pai K. Sreedhara Ranganath
Published: July 2023

The Akt pathway plays a significant role in various diseases like Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and Diabetes. Akt is the central protein whose phosphorylation controls many downstream pathways. Binding of small molecules to the PH domain of Akt facilitates its phosphorylation in the cytoplasm and upregulates the Akt pathway. In the current study, to identify Akt activators, ligand-based approaches like 2D QSAR, shape, and pharmacophore-based screening were used, followed by structure-based approaches such as docking, MM-GBSA, ADME prediction, and MD simulation. The top twenty-five molecules from the Asinex gold platinum database found to be active in most 2D QSAR models were used for shape and pharmacophore-based screening. Later docking was performed using the PH domain of Akt1 (PDB: 1UNQ), and 197105, 261126, 253878, 256085, and 123435 were selected based on docking score and interaction with key residues, which were druggable and formed a stable protein–ligand complex. MD simulations of 261126 and 123435 showed better stability and interactions with key residues. To further investigate the SAR of 261126 and 123435, derivatives were downloaded from PubChem, and structure-based approaches were employed. MD simulation of derivatives 12289533, 12785801, 83824832, 102479045, and 6972939 was performed, in which 83824832 and 12289533 showed interaction with key residues for a longer duration of time, proving that they may act as Akt activators.
Long non-coding RNA HOTTIP exerts an oncogenic function by regulating HOXA13 in nasopharyngeal carcinoma
Authors: Feng Huajun , Zhao Feipeng , Luo Jian , Xu Shengen , Liang Zhuoping , Xu Wei , Bao Yilin , Qin Gang
Published: July 2023

Background

The long non-coding RNA HOXA transcript at the distal tip (HOTTIP) and homeobox A13 (HOXA13) have been identified as oncogenes that play a pivotal role in tumorigenesis. However, their specific mechanisms of action in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) progression remain unclear.

Methods and results

In the present study, RT-qPCR was employed to quantify RNA expression in NPC cells and tissues. Flow cytometry, MTT, CCK8 and colony formation assays were utilized to assess cell apoptosis and proliferation. Transwell assay was conducted to evaluate migration and invasion while Western blotting was performed for protein expression analysis. Our findings revealed that the expression of HOTTIP was significantly upregulated in NPC cell lines. Inhibition of HOTTIP could induce apoptosis and suppress proliferation, clonogenicity, invasion and metastasis in NPC cells. Knockdown of HOTTIP led to downregulation of HOXA13 expression, which subsequently inhibited the proliferation and metastasis in NPC cells. The inhibitory effects on cell proliferation and metastasis caused by HOTTIP silencing were rescued by HOXA13 overexpression. Additionally, there was a significant positive correlation between HOTTIP and HOXA13, which were found to be elevated in NPC tissues compared to normal tissues.

Conclusions

We have determined that LncRNA HOTTIP facilitates tumorigenesis by modulating the expression of HOXA13 in NPC cells. Targeting HOTTIP/HOXA13 may be a promising therapeutic strategy for NPC.
Palmprint enhancement network (PEN) for robust identification
Authors: Mehmood Ahmed Bilal , Taj Imtiaz A. , Ghafoor Mubeen
Published: July 2023

Despite being reliable, palmprints have not received as much attention as other biometrics such as fingerprints, face or iris. Amount of information provided by high resolution palmprints and the fact that they have huge forensic value makes them a preferred biometric choice for large scale identification systems. In palmprints, extraction of reliable features for identification is still a challenging task especially because most of palmprints found in the real world, e.g., in crime scenes, are of poor quality. This makes palmprint enhancement a crucial pre cursor to identification. Errors during enhancement result in extraction of un-reliable features which deteriorate identification accuracy. Recent works in palmprints have focused more on matching algorithms and limited novelty has been introduced in enhancement. Enhancement techniques used on high resolution palmprints recently are either borrowed from fingerprint techniques or are built on the high-risk assumption that palm ridge pattern is stationary or smooth in a local area. Large size and abruptly changing ridge pattern of palmprints dictates the need for a more robust enhancement scheme. This paper proposes a novel deep learning based high resolution palmprint enhancement approach that is able to process large areas of palmprint without making the assumption that underlying ridge pattern is stationary. We have tested proposed enhancement approach on a renowned high resolution palmprint dataset which shows that proposed technique performs favourably in comparison to state of the art.
Non-trivial solutions and their stability in a two-degree-of-freedom Mathieu–Duffing system
Authors: Barakat Ahmed A. , Weig Eva M. , Hagedorn Peter
Published: July 2023

The Mathieu–Duffing equation represents a basic form for a parametrically excited system with cubic nonlinearities. In multi-degree-of-freedom systems, parametric resonances and the associated limit cycles take place at both principal and combination resonance frequencies. Furthermore, using asynchronous parametric excitation of coupling terms leads to a broadband destabilization of the trivial solution and the appearance of limit cycles at non-resonant frequencies. Regarding applications, the utilization of this excitation method has its significant importance in micro- and nanosystems. On the one hand, cubic nonlinearities are found to be abundant in these systems. On the other hand, parametric excitation is preferably utilized in these systems for better amplification leading to an enhanced sensitivity and for squeezing thermal noise, and thus, proved to be significantly useful in mechanical, optical and microwave systems. Therefore, this theoretical investigation should be of relevant importance to those small-scaled systems. Accordingly, a general two-degree-of-freedom Mathieu–Duffing system is studied. The non-trivial solutions are obtained at different parametric resonance conditions. A bifurcation analysis is carried out using the multiple scales method, followed by investigating the effect of the asynchronous parametric excitation on the existence of limit cycles at resonant and non-resonant frequencies.
Agronomic management strategies to increase soil organic carbon in the short-term: evidence from on-farm experimentation in the Veneto region
Authors: Giannini Vittoria , Raimondi Giorgia , Toffanin Arianna , Maucieri Carmelo , Borin Maurizio
Published: July 2023

Background and aims

Organic fertilizers and cover crops (CC) are considered crucial strategies to pursue the objective of increasing soil organic carbon (SOC). The present research focuses on an ‘on farm experimentation’ to assess the combined effects of organic fertilization with different biomasses, CC and irrigation on SOC stock.

Methods

A 4-year on-farm experimentation was co-developed with local farmers and a land reclamation authority in north-eastern Italy on a biennial maize-soybean rotation. We examined the effects of two organic fertilizers (compost or digestate), three CC treatments (a fixed cover crop species – x triticosecale; a succession of cover crop species – Sinapis alba and Lolium multiflorum; no CC) under rainfed and irrigated conditions on the SOC content and stock, and crops yields.

Results

All these integrated practices – except when digestate was applied in the field in the absence of a CC under rainfed conditions – determined a significant increase of the SOC stock after 4 years, matching the goals set by the ‘4 per mille’ initiative. The highest SOC increase was observed under irrigated management and compost fertilization, regardless of the presence or absence of a CC (range: 9.3–10.3 Mg ha−1 in the first 0–40 cm of soil). Soybean grain yields were comparable with those obtained in farms of the same rural district under business as usual, but maize grain yields were lower.

Conclusion

SOC accumulation is achievable in the short term with abundant applications of organic biomass, but the strategy might lead to economic loss such as lower maize productivity.
On the Individuation of Laws and the Interpretation-Construction Distinction
Authors: Matczak Marcin
Published: July 2023

The problem of the individuation of laws, identified by Bentham, is dismissed as irrelevant to legal philosophy by some commentators. This paper presents individuation as crucial for understanding the cognitive processes underlying legal interpretation. It draws on the work of Maciej Zieliński and Teun van Dijk to show that legal interpretation is based on deriving legal rules qua semantic macrostructures from a legal text treated as a complex discourse. The Zieliński/van Dijk model also lends theoretical support to the interpretation-construction distinction by explaining, in linguistic terms, the processes that take place during construction.
Evaluation of Toxicological Effects of ZnO and CuO Nanoparticles with Taraxacum officinale as Bioindicator
Authors: Abrica-González Paulina , Gómez-Arroyo Sandra , Jazcilevich-Diamant Arón , Sotelo-López Antonio , Flores-Márquez Ana Rosa , Cortés-Eslava Josefina
Published: July 2023

Nanoparticles are rising worries because of recent reports about potential toxicity amid the incorporation of these emerging materials into consumer products, and industrial and scientific applications. New developments in the automotive industry are incorporating novel materials, which have increased the emission of nanoparticles into the atmosphere. To overcome the difficulty of detecting and characterizing atmospheric nanoparticles, alternative methods have been proposed, just as the indirect detection and characterization with bioindicators. We report the use of Taraxacum officinale as a sentinel organism to describe the effects of atmospheric nanostructured pollutants. ZnO and CuO nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs, CuO-NPs) were selected for this study, as they are two of the most present nanomaterials in the emerging automotive industry. The physiological effect on Taraxacum officinale exposure to ZnO-NPs and CuO-NPs was evaluated through growth rate, and total chlorophyll content; and comet assay was performed to evaluate the DNA damage. The exposure of plants was made by nebulizing dispersions of the nanoparticles. The exposure to ZnO-NPs presented the maximum DNA damage at a concentration of 100 mg/L. The DNA damage by both studied nanoparticles showed a significant difference against its bulk counterparts. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) micrographs showed an accumulation of nanoparticles near the stomata. The study demonstrated the feasibility of T. officinale as a bioindicator of air-related nanoparticles toxicity, and the high sensitivity of the comet assay for this approach.
Correlating the succession of microbial communities from Nigerian soils to petroleum biodegradation
Authors: Iturbe-Espinoza Paul , Bonte Matthijs , Weedon James T , Braster Martin , Brandt Bernd W , van Spanning Rob JM
Published: July 2023

Whilst biodegradation of different hydrocarbon components has been widely demonstrated to occur by specialist oil-degrading bacteria, less is known about the impact on microbial communities as a function of oil composition by comparing the biodegradation of chemically complex fuels to synthetic products. The objectives of this study were (i) to assess the biodegradation capacity and succession of microbial communities isolated from Nigerian soils in media with crude oil or synthetic oil as sole sources of carbon and energy, and (ii) to assess the temporal variability of the microbial community size. Community profiling was done using 16 S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing (Illumina), and oil profiling using gas chromatography. The biodegradation of natural and synthetic oil differed probably due to the content of sulfur that may interfere with the biodegradation of hydrocarbons. Both alkanes and PAHs in the natural oil were biodegraded faster than in the synthetic oil. Variable community responses were observed during the degradation of alkanes and more simple aromatic compounds, but at later phases of growth they became more homogeneous. The degradation capacity and the size of the community from the more-contaminated soil were higher than those from the less-contaminated soil. Six abundant organisms isolated from the cultures were found to biodegrade oil molecules in pure cultures. Ultimately, this knowledge may contribute to a better understanding of how to improve the biodegradation of crude oil by optimizing culturing conditions through inoculation or bioaugmentation of specific bacteria during ex-situ biodegradation such as biodigesters or landfarming.
Impact of agronomic practices on physical surface crusts and some soil technical attributes of two winter wheat fields in southern Iraq
Authors: Al-Shammary Ahmed Abed Gatea , Al-Shihmani Layth Saleem Salman , Caballero-Calvo Andrés , Fernández-Gálvez Jesús
Published: July 2023

Purpose

Agricultural management as tillage systems and manure application can contribute effectively to controlling physical surface crusts (SCs), improving the soil’s technical characteristics and germination rates. While agronomic practices are generally applied to winter wheat fields in southern Iraq, no previous study has explored their impact in combination with SCs and soil physical attributes on wheat productivity (WP) under different soil textures.

Materials and methods

The impact of different agronomic management practices on the formation of soil physical surface crusts (SCs), soil compaction (measured by soil penetration resistance, SPR), soil volumetric water content (VWC), soil bulk density (ρb), mean weight diameter of aggregates (MWD), and WP was examined in two soil textures (clay loam, clay) during 2020 and 2022.

Experimental data were subjected to an identical and randomized complete block design (RCBD) under a nested-factorial experimental design, where nine treatments with three replicates each were selected. This included three tillage practices (conventional tillage system (CT), till-plant (TP), and rotational tillage (NTCT)), alongside a sub-treatment with organic fertilizers (cattle manure (CF), and wheat straw (WR)), or without added fertilizer (WT).

Results and discussion

Results showed that CT treatment increased SCs during wheat growth stages by significantly increasing aggregate stability. A significant difference in ρb and SPR and a higher distribution of VWC were seen under CT treatment when compared to TP and NTCT treatments. TP treatment showed a significantly increased in SPR and ρb, particularly in clay loam. The MWD under TP and NTCT was significantly different to CT treatment, which may be explained by an increase in soil stability due to their management practices. Additionally, both organic fertilizers (CF and WR) significantly enhanced SCs, SPR, VWC, ρb, MWD, and WP.

Conclusions

These data showed a strong relationship between SCs and ρb and between VWC and SPR, which are directly affected by the soil’s water content.
Securities transaction taxes and stock price informativeness: evidence for France and Italy
Authors: da Silva Paulo Pereira
Published: July 2023

This empirical study addresses the impact of securities transaction taxes (STTs) on price informativeness. Two specific events are assessed: the entry into force of STTs in France and Italy in 2012 and 2013, respectively. Specifically, it is gauged whether those events produced effects on the future earnings response coefficient (FERC)—a proxy for the capacity of investors to anticipate future earnings—of the stocks eligible for the STT. Our findings indicate that the new taxes on securities transactions that entered into force in France and Italy were neutral with respect to the effects on price informativeness. That is, no material changes in the FERC of affected stocks are detected in the aftermath of the STTs’ entry into force. This result applies when considering the events in France and Italy separately, and when analyzing different subsets of the sample based on the size, trading activity, and liquidity of the stocks.
28 months later: the coronavirus pandemic as an analogy for future sustainability challenges
Authors: Engler John-Oliver , von Wehrden Henrik
Published: July 2023

We combine the concepts of ‘black elephants’ and wicked problems with Roy Bhaskar’s critical realist philosophy of science and frame the current state of the coronavirus pandemic as an analogy for impending sustainability challenges. We point out and illustrate that the interaction of different ontological levels of our world as it ‘is’ will likely remain a challenge in addressing the wicked problems of our time.
Evolving and generalising morphologies for locomoting micro-scale robotic agents
Authors: Uppington Matthew , Gobbo Pierangelo , Hauert Sabine , Hauser Helmut
Published: July 2023

Designing locomotive mechanisms for micro-scale robotic systems could enable new approaches to tackling problems such as transporting cargos, or self-assembling into pre-programmed architectures. Morphological factors often play a crucial role in determining the behaviour of micro-systems, yet understanding how to design these aspects optimally is a challenge. This paper explores how the morphology of a multi-cellular micro-robotic agent can be optimised for reliable locomotion using artificial evolution in a stochastic environment. We begin by establishing the theoretical mechanisms that would allow for collective locomotion to emerge from contractile actuations in multiple connected cells. These principles are used to develop a Cellular Potts model, in order to explore the locomotive performance of morphologies in simulation. Evolved morphologies yield significantly better performance in terms of the reliability of the travel direction and the distance covered, compared to random morphologies. Finally, we demonstrate that patterns in evolved morphologies are robust to small imperfections and generalise well to larger morphologies.
Six inertial measurement unit-based components describe wheelchair mobility performance during wheelchair tennis matches
Authors: Rietveld Thomas , Vegter Riemer J. K. , van der Slikke Rienk M. A. , Hoekstra Aldo E. , van der Woude Lucas H. V. , de Groot Sonja
Published: July 2023

The aim of this explorative study was to determine the key inertial measurement unit-based wheelchair mobility performance components during a wheelchair tennis match. A total of 64 wheelchair tennis matches were played by 15 wheelchair tennis players (6 women, 5 men, 4 juniors). All individual tennis wheelchairs were instrumented with inertial measurement units, two on the axes of the wheels and one on the frame. A total of 48 potentially relevant wheelchair tennis outcome variables were initially extracted from the sensor signals, based on previous wheelchair sports research and the input of wheelchair tennis experts (coaches, embedded scientists). A principal component analysis was used to reduce this set of variables to the most relevant outcomes for wheelchair tennis mobility. Results showed that wheelchair mobility performance in wheelchair tennis can be described by six components: rotations to racket side in (1) curves and (2) turns; (3) linear accelerations; (4) rotations to non-racket side in (4) turns and (5) curves; and finally, (6) linear velocities. One or two outcome variables per component were selected to allow an easier interpretation of results. These key outcome variables can be used to adequately describe the wheelchair mobility performance aspect of wheelchair tennis during a wheelchair tennis match and can be monitored during training.