bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Variable stiffness structure inspired by seashells
Authors: Pagliarani Niccolò , Arleo Luca , Luca Giovanna De , Pozzi Jasmine , Cianchetti Matteo
Published: January 2024

Variable stiffness is typically employed in soft robotics to address the trade-off between compliance and the ability to generate stability when required. Among the several approaches investigated, jamming transition systems show remarkable stiffness performance and fast response. Building upon the preliminary study on a seashell bioinspired variable stiffness structure, here we extend the design space through a parametric study supported by a finite element model based on commercially available software. The study allows establishing the relationship between the design parameters and the stiffness performance. Moreover, the optimal configuration in terms of performance to energy consumption is identified and compared to previous similar approaches. Finally, the low computational cost of the finite element model demonstrated to be an effective tool for the analysis of complex geometries, thereby establishing a foundation for the development of cost-effective and lightweight soft robotic devices empowered by variable stiffness capabilities (e.g. a wearable device for assistance).
Bismuth sulfide/carbon black: as a pt free and efficient counter electrode in DSSC
Authors: Shaikh Rahilah S , Rajput Rekha B , Kale Rohidas B
Published: January 2024

A hydrothermal method was utilized to synthesize microstructures of bismuth sulfide (Bi2S3) across a range of reaction temperatures, spanning from 140 to 180 °C. The impact of varying reaction temperatures on the structural, morphological, and optical properties of the deposited Bi2S3 material was thoroughly examined. The x-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns confirmed the presence of an orthorhombic crystal structure. The formation of intricate three-dimensional Bi2S3 microstructures was evident under field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), with the reaction temperature playing a pivotal role in this process. Furthermore, Bi2S3-carbon black composites were employed as the counter electrode in dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) applications. The current density–voltage characteristics of the DSSCs revealed a clear correlation between photoconversion efficiency and the reaction temperature. Notably, the Bi2S3-carbon black film with a 1:1 ratio achieved a peak photoelectric conversion efficiency of 4.37 ± 0.01%. It also exhibited a short-circuit current density of 10.29 mA cm−2 and an open-circuit potential of 0.70 V. Future studies should explore the broader implications of Bi2S3-carbon black composites in various optoelectronic and photocatalytic devices. Secondly, while our findings provide valuable insights, a more in-depth understanding of the underlying mechanisms governing the enhanced photoconversion efficiency, especially with the 1:1 ratio of Bi2S3-carbon black, requires further exploration.
Investigating the physical properties of Li2AgGaX6 (X = Cl, Br, I) double perovskites using ab initio calculations
Authors: Abbas Syed Adeel , Tanveer Wasif , Noor N A , Aslam Muhammad , Mahmood Asif
Published: January 2024

The double perovskites have emerged as focal point of exploration and innovation in energy harvesting applications. In this paper, we elucidate the mechanical, optical, and transport properties of Li2AgGaX6 (X = Cl, Br, I) through the application of DFT-based simulations by employing the WIEN2K software. The calculation of formation energy has been conducted to assess thermodynamic stability. The band structures of studied halides doped double perovskites have reported values of direct band gaps. These findings have implications for a variety of optoelectronic and transport applications due to their diverse characteristics. The peaks of the absorption band are shifted toward the lower frequency spectrum, and their width increases as we shift from Cl to I. Furthermore, thermoelectric attributes such as the Seebeck coefficient (S), power factor (σS2), and figure of merit (ZT) have been evaluated across the thermal spectrum range (200–600) K Low value of thermal conductivity and substantial ZT at standard temperature (300 K) indicate their profound significance in thermoelectric developments.
Mid-range wireless power transfer: anapoles or magnetic dipoles?
Authors: Ha-Van Nam , Simovski Constantin R , Asadchy Viktar S , Tretyakov Sergei A
Published: January 2024

For short-range wireless power transfer (WPT) one recently suggested so-called anapole antennas that practically do not create fields in the far zone, eliminating radiation loss. Enhancements of power transfer efficiency (PTE) compared to traditional WPT systems based on magnetic dipole antennas were claimed for distances of the order of one-tenth of the wavelength or smaller. In this Letter, we theoretically show that a system of two properly engineered magnetic dipole antennas grants a similar PTE for this range of distances and a higher PTE for larger distances. In addition, we demonstrate that at mid-range distances, the radiation from magnetic-dipole-based WPT systems can be made drastically lower than the radiation from a single magnetic dipole antenna. This regime offers an alternative for reduction of far-field radiation.
Energy spectrum of some diatomic molecules using Nikiforov-Uvarov functional analysis
Authors: Reggab Khalid
Published: January 2024

In this present work, the Nikiforov-Uvarov functional analysis is suggested to determine the solutions of the Schrodinger equation supported by different types of potentials and employing the Greene-Aldrich approximation. The objective was to estimate the energy spectrum of some diatomic molecules (CO, NO, N2, CH) by resolving the Schrodinger equation with the collective potential model (modified Kratzer potential plus Yukawa potential). As we compared our eigenvalue outcomes with other numerical results that were acquired by other researchers for the specific case of modified Kratzer potential, we observed that this method produced satisfactory results. The present approach may be applied to similar problems in the literature.
Thermodynamics in a quantum corrected Reissner–Nordström–AdS black hole and its GUP-corrections
Authors: Song 宋 Jian-Jun 建君 , Liu 刘 Cheng-Zhou 成周
Published: January 2024

We calculate the thermodynamic quantities in the quantum corrected Reissner–Nordström–AdS (RN-AdS) black hole, and examine their quantum corrections. By analyzing the mass and heat capacity, we give the critical state and the remnant state, respectively, and discuss their consistency. Then, we investigate the quantum tunneling from the event horizon of massless scalar particle by using the null geodesic method, and charged massive boson W
± and fermions by using the Hamilton–Jacob method. It is shown that the same Hawking temperature can be obtained from these tunneling processes of different particles and methods. Next, by using the generalized uncertainty principle (GUP), we study the quantum corrections to the tunneling and the temperature. Then the logarithmic correction to the black hole entropy is obtained.
A novel variable-order fractional chaotic map and its dynamics
Authors: Tang 唐 Zhouqing 周青 , He 贺 Shaobo 少波 , Wang 王 Huihai 会海 , Sun 孙 Kehui 克辉 , Yao 姚 Zhao 昭 , Wu 吴 Xianming 先明
Published: January 2024

In recent years, fractional-order chaotic maps have been paid more attention in publications because of the memory effect. This paper presents a novel variable-order fractional sine map (VFSM) based on the discrete fractional calculus. Specially, the order is defined as an iterative function that incorporates the current state of the system. By analyzing phase diagrams, time sequences, bifurcations, Lyapunov exponents and fuzzy entropy complexity, the dynamics of the proposed map are investigated comparing with the constant-order fractional sine map. The results reveal that the variable order has a good effect on improving the chaotic performance, and it enlarges the range of available parameter values as well as reduces non-chaotic windows. Multiple coexisting attractors also enrich the dynamics of VFSM and prove its sensitivity to initial values. Moreover, the sequence generated by the proposed map passes the statistical test for pseudorandom number and shows strong robustness to parameter estimation, which proves the potential applications in the field of information security.
In situ luminescence measurements of GaN/Al2O3 film under different energy proton irradiations
Authors: Jiang 蒋 Wenli 文丽 , Ouyang 欧 Xiao 阳潇 , Qiu 仇 Menglin 猛淋 , Ying 英 Minju 敏菊 , Chen 陈 Lin 琳 , Pang 庞 Pan 盼 , Zhang 张 Chunlei 春雷 , Zhang 张 Yaofeng 耀锋 , Liao 廖 Bin 斌
Published: January 2024

Ion beam-induced luminescence (IBIL) experiments were performed to investigate the in situ luminescence of GaN/Al2O3 at varying ion energies, which allowed for the measurement of defects at different depths within the material. The energies of H+ were set to 500 keV, 640 keV and 2 MeV, the Bragg peaks of which correspond to the GaN film, GaN/Al2O3 heterojunction and Al2O3 substrate, respectively. A photoluminescence measurement at 250 K was also performed for comparison, during which only near band edge (NBE) and yellow band luminescence in the GaN film were observed. The evolution of the luminescence of the NBE and yellow band in the GaN film was discussed, and both exhibited a decrease with the fluence of H+. Additionally, the luminescence of F centers, induced by oxygen vacancies, and Cr3+, resulting from the 2E →4A2 radiative transition in Al2O3, were measured using 2 MeV H+. The luminescence intensity of F centers increases gradually with the fluence of H+. The luminescence evolution of Cr3+ is consistent with a yellow band center, attributed to its weak intensity, and it is situated within the emission band of the yellow band in the GaN film. Our results show that IBIL measurement can effectively detect the luminescence behavior of multilayer films by adjusting the ion energy. Luminescence measurement can be excited by various techniques, but IBIL can satisfy in situ luminescence measurement, and multilayer structural materials of tens of micrometers can be measured through IBIL by adjusting the energy of the inducing ions. The evolution of defects at different layers with ion fluence can be obtained.
Radiative capture of proton through the 14N(p,γ)15O reaction at low energy
Authors: Irgaziev B.F. , Kabir Abdul , Nabi Jameel-Un
Published: January 2024

The CNO cycle is the main source of energy in stars more massive than our Sun. This process defines the energy production, the duration of which can be used to determine the lifetime of massive stars. The cycle is an important tool for determining the age of globular clusters. Radiative proton capture via

, at energies of astrophysical interest, is an important process in the CNO cycle. In this project, we apply a potential model to describe both non-resonant and resonant reactions in the channels where radiative capture occurs through electric

transitions. We employed the R-matrix method to describe the ongoing reactions via

resonant transitions, when it was not possible to correctly reproduce the experimental data using the potential model. The partial components of the astrophysical S-factor are calculated for all possible electric and magnetic dipole transitions in 15O. The linear extrapolated S-factor at zero energy (S(0)) agrees well with earlier reported values for all transition types considered in this work. Based on the value of the total astrophysical S-factor, depending on the collision energy, we calculate the nuclear reaction rates for

. The computed rates agree well with the results reported in the NACRE II Collaboration and most recent existing measurements.
Reconstructing parton distribution function based on maximum entropy method*
Authors: Zhang 张 Sihan 思翰 , Wang 王 Xiaobin 晓斌 , Lin 林 Tao 涛 , Chang 常 Lei 雷
Published: January 2024

A new method based on the maximum entropy principle for reconstructing the parton distribution function (PDF) from moments is proposed. Unlike traditional methods, the new method does not require any artificial assumptions. For the case of moments with errors, we introduce Gaussian functions to soften the constraints of moments. Through a series of tests, the effectiveness and reconstruction efficiency of this new method are evaluated comprehensively, demonstrating that this method is reasonable and can achieve high-quality reconstruction with at least the first six moments as input. Finally, we select a set of lattice quantum chromodynamics (QCD) results regarding moments as input and provide reasonable reconstruction results for the pion.
A Gaussian process guide for signal regression in magnetic fusion
Authors: Michoski Craig , Oliver Todd A. , Hatch David R. , Diallo Ahmed , Kotschenreuther Mike , Eldon David , Waller Matthew , Groebner Richard , Nelson Andrew Oakleigh
Published: January 2024

Extracting reliable information from diagnostic data in tokamaks is critical for understanding, analyzing, and controlling the behavior of fusion plasmas and validating models describing that behavior. Recent interest within the fusion community has focused on the use of principled statistical methods, such as Gaussian process regression (GPR), to attempt to develop sharper, more reliable, and more rigorous tools for examining the complex observed behavior in these systems. While GPR is an enormously powerful tool, there is also the danger of drawing fragile, or inconsistent conclusions from naive GPR fits that are not driven by principled treatments. Here we review the fundamental concepts underlying GPR in a way that may be useful for broad-ranging applications in fusion science. We also revisit how GPR is developed for profile fitting in tokamaks. We examine various extensions and targeted modifications applicable to experimental observations in the edge of the DIII-D tokamak. Finally, we discuss best practices for applying GPR to fusion data.
Impact of microwave beam scattering by density fluctuations on the electron–cyclotron power deposition profile in tokamaks
Authors: Cazabonne J. , Coda S. , Decker J. , Krutkin O. , Kumar U. , Peysson Y. ,   the TCV Team
Published: January 2024

Electron–cyclotron waves are a tool commonly used in tokamaks, in particular to drive current. Their ability to drive current in a very localized manner renders them an optimal tool for MHD mode mitigation. However, such applications require high accuracy and good control of the power deposition location to efficiently target the magnetic islands. It has been indirectly observed that the suprathermal electron distribution, resulting from the wave absorption, is broader than what is expected from experimentally-constrained forward drift-kinetic modeling. The present paper explores the possibility that beam scattering through the turbulent edge of the plasma may explain this observed discrepancy. In particular, full-wave studies exhibit three beam broadening regimes, from superdiffusive to diffusive, with an intermediate regime characterized by a Lorentzian beam profile with a slightly increased full-width at half maximum with respect to the quiet plasma case. In the tokamak à configuration variable, dedicated plasma scenarios have been developed to test this hypothesis. A realistic worst-case fluctuation scenario falls into this intermediate beam broadening regime. By comparing the experimental hard x-ray emission from suprathermal electron Bremmstrahlung with the emission calculated by coupling a full-wave model to a Fokker–Planck solver, it is shown that, in the tested cases, the beam broadening is not sufficient to explain the aforementioned discrepancy between simulation and experiment and that another mechanism must play the main role in broadening the suprathermal electron distribution.
Effect of stroke plane inclination on the hovering aerodynamic performance of tandem flapping foils
Authors: Tiwari Shubham , Chandel Sunil
Published: January 2024

The four-winged form of dragonfly and damselfly allows them to fly with great agility and endurance, which are accomplished by independently controlling the kinematics of each wing. In this study, we performed numerical simulations of two tandem airfoils oscillating along an inclined stroke plane at

R
e
=
157

. We investigated the effects of the stroke plane angle (

β
)

of forefoil and hindfoil on the aerodynamic performance of dragonflies (or damselflies) hovering flight. Simulations were conducted for parallel and non-parallel stroke planes of forefoil and hindfoil oscillating with three phase differences:

ϕ
=

0

o

,

90

o

and

180

o

. For parallel stroke planes, the results show that the total lift increases with

β

, whereas the total thrust decreases in same condition. In addition, the total lift and thrust decrease with an increase in

ϕ

. The forefoil performance is affected by the flow induced by hindfoil’s leading-edge vortices, and the hindfoil interactions with forefoil’s wake vortices significantly affect the hindfoil’s performance. The findings demonstrate that non-parallel stroke planes exert detrimental effects on the total lift for

ϕ
=

0

o

and

90

o

. However, for

ϕ
=

180

o

, the lift augmentation of 46% is obtained in the case where the forefoil stroke plane angle is smaller than the hindfoil. The results obtained during this investigation can help in optimizing the wing kinematics during the micro air vehicles development.
Biochar-composting substantially reduces methane and air pollutant emissions from dairy manure
Authors: Harrison Brendan P , Moo Zeyi , Perez-Agredano Evelyn , Gao Si , Zhang Xuan , Ryals Rebecca
Published: January 2024

Dairy manure is one of the largest sources of methane (CH4) emissions and air pollution from agriculture. In a previous study, we showed that composting dairy manure with biochar substantially reduces CH4 emissions and could help the dairy industry meet climate goals. However, it remained unclear whether biochar could also mitigate the emission of air pollutants and odor during composting. Here, we conducted a full-scale composting study at a dairy farm and monitored the emission of greenhouse gases (CO2, CH4, N2O) and air pollutants (H2S, VOCs, NO
x
, NH3) from compost piles amended with or without biochar. We found that amending compost with biochar significantly reduced total CH4 emissions by 58% (±22%) and cut H2S, VOCs, and NO
x
emissions by 67% (±24%), 61% (±19%) and 70% (±22%), respectively. We attribute this reduction in emissions to improved oxygen diffusion from the porous biochar and the adsorption of gas precursors to the biochar surface. Interestingly, NO
x
fluxes from the composting dairy manure were much higher than the few values reported in the literature, suggesting that dairy manure could also be a significant source of NO
x
emissions. We estimate that biochar-composting of dairy manure would reduce the social cost of manure emissions from this farm by over $66 000 annually. Results from this study suggest that composting dairy manure with biochar, in addition to reducing CH4 emissions, may help to improve air quality and the health and wellbeing of rural communities, but further studies are needed to test the quantitative impacts.
On a family of finitely many point interaction Hamiltonians free of ultraviolet pathologies
Authors: Figari Rodolfo , Saberbaghi Hamidreza , Teta Alessandro
Published: January 2024

We re-investigate the entire family of many center point interaction Hamiltonians. Under the assumption of exchange symmetry with respect to the point positions, we show that a large sub-family of point interaction Hamiltonian operators does not become either singular or trivial when the positions of two or more scattering centers tend to coincide. In this sense, they appear to be renormalized by default as opposed to the point interaction Hamiltonians usually considered in the literature. Functions in their domains satisfy regularized boundary conditions which turn out to be very similar to the ones proposed recently in many-body quantum mechanics to define three-particle system Hamiltonians with contact interactions bounded from below. In the two-center case, we study the behavior of the negative eigenvalues as a function of the center distance. The result is used to analyze a formal Born–Oppenheimer approximation of a three-particle system with two heavy bosons and one light particle. We demonstrate that this simplified model describes a stable system (no ‘fall to the center’ problem is present). Furthermore, in the unitary limit, the energy spectrum is characterized by an infinite sequence of negative energy eigenvalues accumulating at zero according to the geometrical Efimov law.
Conformists and contrarians on spheres
Authors: Crnkić Aladin , Jaćimović Vladimir , Niu Ben
Published: January 2024

We investigate the conformists–contrarians model of identical Kuramoto oscillators evolving on a sphere. Using group-theoretic and geometric approach, we reduce the model to the dynamical system on extended Ott–Antonsen manifold. Further reduction yields the system of three scalar ODE’s for global variables. This three-dimensional dynamical system is studied analytically in order to investigate an interplay between conformists and contrarians on spheres. Our study demonstrates that conformists–contrarians models on spheres display the same types of equilibria and dynamical phenomena in all dimensions. However, critical combination of parameters, for which particular equilibrium states arise, does depend on the dimension. In particular, models on spheres exhibit traveling waves consisting of contrarians. We derive an exact formula for the relation between parameter values for which such waves arise in different dimensions. Finally, we take a closer look at trajectories of traveling waves on spheres, demonstrating subtleties of this dynamical phenomenon.
Discovering interpretable physical models using symbolic regression and discrete exterior calculus
Authors: Manti Simone , Lucantonio Alessandro
Published: January 2024

Computational modeling is a key resource to gather insight into physical systems in modern scientific research and engineering. While access to large amount of data has fueled the use of machine learning to recover physical models from experiments and increase the accuracy of physical simulations, purely data-driven models have limited generalization and interpretability. To overcome these limitations, we propose a framework that combines symbolic regression (SR) and discrete exterior calculus (DEC) for the automated discovery of physical models starting from experimental data. Since these models consist of mathematical expressions, they are interpretable and amenable to analysis, and the use of a natural, general-purpose discrete mathematical language for physics favors generalization with limited input data. Importantly, DEC provides building blocks for the discrete analog of field theories, which are beyond the state-of-the-art applications of SR to physical problems. Further, we show that DEC allows to implement a strongly-typed SR procedure that guarantees the mathematical consistency of the recovered models and reduces the search space of symbolic expressions. Finally, we prove the effectiveness of our methodology by re-discovering three models of continuum physics from synthetic experimental data: Poisson equation, the Euler’s elastica and the equations of linear elasticity. Thanks to their general-purpose nature, the methods developed in this paper may be applied to diverse contexts of physical modeling.
Origin of off-centering effect and the influence on heat transport in thermoelectrics
Authors: Xie Hongyao , Zhao Li-Dong
Published: January 2024

Recently, off-centering behavior has been discovered in a series of thermoelectric materials. This behavior indicates that the constituent atoms of the lattice displace from their coordination centers, leading to the locally distorted state and local symmetry breaking, while the material still retains its original crystallographic symmetry. This effect has been proved to be the root cause of ultralow thermal conductivity in off-centering materials, and is considered as an effective tool to regulate the thermal conductivity and improve the thermoelectric performance. Herein, we present a collection of recently discovered off-centering compounds, discuss their electronic origins and local coordination structures, and illuminate the underlying mechanism of the off-centering effect on phonon transport and thermal conductivity. This paper presents a comprehensive view of our current understanding to the off-centering effect, and provides a new idea for designing high performance thermoelectrics.
H2Opred: a robust and efficient hybrid deep learning model for predicting 2’-O-methylation sites in human RNA
Authors: Pham Nhat Truong , Rakkiyapan Rajan , Park Jongsun , Malik Adeel , Manavalan Balachandran
Published: January 2024

2’-O-methylation (2OM) is the most common post-transcriptional modification of RNA. It plays a crucial role in RNA splicing, RNA stability and innate immunity. Despite advances in high-throughput detection, the chemical stability of 2OM makes it difficult to detect and map in messenger RNA. Therefore, bioinformatics tools have been developed using machine learning (ML) algorithms to identify 2OM sites. These tools have made significant progress, but their performances remain unsatisfactory and need further improvement. In this study, we introduced H2Opred, a novel hybrid deep learning (HDL) model for accurately identifying 2OM sites in human RNA. Notably, this is the first application of HDL in developing four nucleotide-specific models [adenine (A2OM), cytosine (C2OM), guanine (G2OM) and uracil (U2OM)] as well as a generic model (N2OM). H2Opred incorporated both stacked 1D convolutional neural network (1D-CNN) blocks and stacked attention-based bidirectional gated recurrent unit (Bi-GRU-Att) blocks. 1D-CNN blocks learned effective feature representations from 14 conventional descriptors, while Bi-GRU-Att blocks learned feature representations from five natural language processing-based embeddings extracted from RNA sequences. H2Opred integrated these feature representations to make the final prediction. Rigorous cross-validation analysis demonstrated that H2Opred consistently outperforms conventional ML-based single-feature models on five different datasets. Moreover, the generic model of H2Opred demonstrated a remarkable performance on both training and testing datasets, significantly outperforming the existing predictor and other four nucleotide-specific H2Opred models. To enhance accessibility and usability, we have deployed a user-friendly web server for H2Opred, accessible at https://balalab-skku.org/H2Opred/. This platform will serve as an invaluable tool for accurately predicting 2OM sites within human RNA, thereby facilitating broader applications in relevant research endeavors.
Protein–DNA binding sites prediction based on pre-trained protein language model and contrastive learning
Authors: Liu Yufan , Tian Boxue
Published: January 2024

Protein–DNA interaction is critical for life activities such as replication, transcription and splicing. Identifying protein–DNA binding residues is essential for modeling their interaction and downstream studies. However, developing accurate and efficient computational methods for this task remains challenging. Improvements in this area have the potential to drive novel applications in biotechnology and drug design. In this study, we propose a novel approach called Contrastive Learning And Pre-trained Encoder (CLAPE), which combines a pre-trained protein language model and the contrastive learning method to predict DNA binding residues. We trained the CLAPE-DB model on the protein–DNA binding sites dataset and evaluated the model performance and generalization ability through various experiments. The results showed that the area under ROC curve values of the CLAPE-DB model on the two benchmark datasets reached 0.871 and 0.881, respectively, indicating superior performance compared to other existing models. CLAPE-DB showed better generalization ability and was specific to DNA-binding sites. In addition, we trained CLAPE on different protein–ligand binding sites datasets, demonstrating that CLAPE is a general framework for binding sites prediction. To facilitate the scientific community, the benchmark datasets and codes are freely available at https://github.com/YAndrewL/clape.
SGCAST: symmetric graph convolutional auto-encoder for scalable and accurate study of spatial transcriptomics
Authors: Li Jinzhao , Wang Jiong , Lin Zhixiang
Published: January 2024

Recent advances in spatial transcriptomics (ST) have enabled comprehensive profiling of gene expression with spatial information in the context of the tissue microenvironment. However, with the improvements in the resolution and scale of ST data, deciphering spatial domains precisely while ensuring efficiency and scalability is still challenging. Here, we develop SGCAST, an efficient auto-encoder framework to identify spatial domains. SGCAST adopts a symmetric graph convolutional auto-encoder to learn aggregated latent embeddings via integrating the gene expression similarity and the proximity of the spatial spots. This framework in SGCAST enables a mini-batch training strategy, which makes SGCAST memory-efficient and scalable to high-resolution spatial transcriptomic data with a large number of spots. SGCAST improves the overall accuracy of spatial domain identification on benchmarking data. We also validated the performance of SGCAST on ST datasets at various scales across multiple platforms. Our study illustrates the superior capacity of SGCAST on analyzing spatial transcriptomic data.
MrGPS: an m6A-related gene pair signature to predict the prognosis and immunological impact of glioma patients
Authors: Zhang Ning , Yang Fengxia , Zhao Pengfei , Jin Nana , Wu Haonan , Liu Tao , Geng Qingshan , Yang Xiaojun , Cheng Lixin
Published: January 2024

N6-methyladenosine (m6A) RNA methylation is the predominant epigenetic modification for mRNAs that regulates various cancer-related pathways. However, the prognostic significance of m6A modification regulators remains unclear in glioma. By integrating the TCGA lower-grade glioma (LGG) and glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) gene expression data, we demonstrated that both the m6A regulators and m6A-target genes were associated with glioma prognosis and activated various cancer-related pathways. Then, we paired m6A regulators and their target genes as m6A-related gene pairs (MGPs) using the iPAGE algorithm, among which 122 MGPs were significantly reversed in expression between LGG and GBM. Subsequently, we employed LASSO Cox regression analysis to construct an MGP signature (MrGPS) to evaluate glioma prognosis. MrGPS was independently validated in CGGA and GEO glioma cohorts with high accuracy in predicting overall survival. The average area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) at 1-, 3- and 5-year intervals were 0.752, 0.853 and 0.831, respectively. Combining clinical factors of age and radiotherapy, the AUC of MrGPS was much improved to around 0.90. Furthermore, CIBERSORT and TIDE algorithms revealed that MrGPS is indicative for the immune infiltration level and the response to immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy in glioma patients. In conclusion, our study demonstrated that m6A methylation is a prognostic factor for glioma and the developed prognostic model MrGPS holds potential as a valuable tool for enhancing patient management and facilitating accurate prognosis assessment in cases of glioma.
Neutrophil infiltration in allergic contact dermatitis to nickel
Authors: Funch Anders B , Ahlström Malin Glindvad , Johansen Jeanne D , Geisler Carsten , Bonefeld Charlotte M
Published: January 2024

Allergic contact dermatitis (ACD) is traditionally recognized as a T-cell-mediated delayed-type hypersensitivity reaction. However, many patients with ACD have been reported to experience rapid-onset ACD reactions within hours of re-exposure on skin areas previously exposed to the contact allergen. In this study, three nickel-allergic patients were patch tested for nickel twice at the same skin site over 21 days. The results demonstrated that neutrophils are rapidly recruited to the skin sites previously exposed to nickel, leading to the rapid onset of ACD. Considering that many patients with ACD are frequently re-exposed to contact allergens on the same skin areas in their daily lives, we propose that mechanisms involved in neutrophil recruitment could be potential targets for future ACD treatment.
As serious as Sézary
Authors: Murphy Lisa , Quigley Claire , Long Amy , Barry Rory , Timoney Irene , Diong Sophie , O’Gorman Susan
Published: January 2024

Sézary syndrome is a rare condition, with a very poor prognosis. This case highlights how important it is for clinicians to be cognizant of the impact that this condition and the various treatment regimens can have on patients’ lives.
A content-aware chatbot based on GPT 4 provides trustworthy recommendations for Cone-Beam CT guidelines in dental imaging
Authors: Russe Maximilian Frederik , Rau Alexander , Ermer Michael Andreas , Rothweiler René , Wenger Sina , Klöble Klara , Schulze Ralf K W , Bamberg Fabian , Schmelzeisen Rainer , Reisert Marco , Semper-Hogg Wiebke
Published: January 2024

Objectives

To develop a content-aware chatbot based on GPT-3.5-Turbo and GPT-4 with specialized knowledge on the German S2 Cone-Beam CT (CBCT) dental imaging guideline and to compare the performance against humans.

Methods

The LlamaIndex software library was used to integrate the guideline context into the chatbots. Based on the CBCT S2 guideline, 40 questions were posed to content-aware chatbots and early career and senior practitioners with different levels of experience served as reference. The chatbots’ performance was compared in terms of recommendation accuracy and explanation quality. Chi-square test and one-tailed Wilcoxon signed rank test evaluated accuracy and explanation quality, respectively.

Results

The GPT-4 based chatbot provided 100% correct recommendations and superior explanation quality compared to the one based on GPT3.5-Turbo (87.5% vs. 57.5% for GPT-3.5-Turbo; P = .003). Moreover, it outperformed early career practitioners in correct answers (P = .002 and P = .032) and earned higher trust than the chatbot using GPT-3.5-Turbo (P = 0.006).

Conclusions

A content-aware chatbot using GPT-4 reliably provided recommendations according to current consensus guidelines. The responses were deemed trustworthy and transparent, and therefore facilitate the integration of artificial intelligence into clinical decision-making.
A Love Triangle? Mapping Interactions between International Human Rights Institutions, Meta and Its Oversight Board
Authors: Tiedeke Anna Sophia , Fertmann Martin
Published: January 2024

Three years ago, the Oversight Board commenced its work ‘to make principled, independent, and binding decisions … based on respect for freedom of expression and human rights’ for Meta’s platforms Facebook and Instagram. From the very beginning, the vocabulary employed to talk about the Oversight Board was laden with court metaphors. Wary that these metaphors have stirred legal analysis into a specific direction, we move away from trying to fit the Oversight Board within established institutional categories. Instead, we shift the focus from institutions to interactions – that is, to the ‘in-between’. Rather than continuing to debate what the Oversight Board is, we focus on what the Oversight Board does. Our study maps different stages and modes of interaction between Meta, the Oversight Board and international human rights institutions. We show how different actors carefully craft entry points for constructing their respective semantic authority and what kind of strategies they pursue to contest semantic authority of others. Thereby, we uncover the first traces of emerging conversations between Meta, the Oversight Board and international human rights institutions and highlight who is included and excluded and who refuses to participate or to respond. With our intervention, we intend to offer empirically grounded insights into the dynamics at play and paint a more detailed picture of the various roles that novel actors, such as Meta and the Oversight Board, are beginning to assume in the protection of international human rights online.
Transforming nursing with large language models: from concept to practice
Authors: Woo Brigitte , Huynh Tom , Tang Arthur , Bui Nhat , Nguyen Giang , Tam Wilson
Published: January 2024

Large language models (LLMs) such as ChatGPT have emerged as potential game-changers in nursing, aiding in patient education, diagnostic assistance, treatment recommendations, and administrative task efficiency. While these advancements signal promising strides in healthcare, integrated LLMs are not without challenges, particularly artificial intelligence hallucination and data privacy concerns. Methodologies such as prompt engineering, temperature adjustments, model fine-tuning, and local deployment are proposed to refine the accuracy of LLMs and ensure data security. While LLMs offer transformative potential, it is imperative to acknowledge that they cannot substitute the intricate expertise of human professionals in the clinical field, advocating for a synergistic approach in patient care.
Chromosome-Level Genome Assembly and Annotation of a Periodical Cicada Species: Magicicada septendecula
Authors: Bush Jonas , Webster Cynthia , Wegrzyn Jill , Simon Chris , Wilcox Edward , Khan Ruqayya , Weisz David , Dudchenko Olga , Aiden Erez Lieberman , Frandsen Paul
Published: January 2024

We present a high-quality assembly and annotation of the periodical cicada species, Magicicada septendecula (Hemiptera: Auchenorrhyncha: Cicadidae). Periodical cicadas have a significant ecological impact, serving as a food source for many mammals, reptiles, and birds. Magicicada are well known for their massive emergences of 1 to 3 species that appear in different locations in the eastern United States nearly every year. These year classes (“broods”) emerge dependably every 13 or 17 yr in a given location. Recently, it has become clear that 4-yr early or late emergences of a sizeable portion of a population are an important part of the history of brood formation; however, the biological mechanisms by which they track the passage of time remain a mystery. Using PacBio HiFi reads in conjunction with Hi-C proximity ligation data, we have assembled and annotated the first whole genome for a periodical cicada, an important resource for future phylogenetic and comparative genomic analysis. This also represents the first quality genome assembly and annotation for the Hemipteran superfamily Cicadoidea. With a scaffold N50 of 518.9 Mb and a complete BUSCO score of 96.7%, we are confident that this assembly will serve as a vital resource toward uncovering the genomic basis of periodical cicadas’ long, synchronized life cycles and will provide a robust framework for further investigations into these insects.
Major Abdominal Surgery for Pediatric Crohn’s Disease in the Anti-TNF Era: 10-Year Analysis of Data From the IBD Registry of Italian Society of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition
Authors: Alvisi Patrizia , Faraci Simona , Scarallo Luca , Congiu Marco , Bramuzzo Matteo , Illiceto Maria Teresa , Arrigo Serena , Romano Claudio , Zuin Giovanna , Miele Erasmo , Gatti Simona , Aloi Marina , Renzo Sara , Caldaro Tamara , Labriola Flavio , De Angelis Paola , Lionetti Paolo
Published: January 2024

Background

The natural history of Crohn’s disease (CD) can result in complications requiring surgery. Pediatric data are scarce about major abdominal surgery. The IBD Registry from the Italian Society of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition has been active since 2008 and collects data from major pediatric IBD centers in Italy. The aim of the present report was to explore the prevalence of major abdominal surgery among children affected by CD in an era when antitumor necrosis factor (anti-TNF-α) agents were already used so that we might appraise the incidence of surgical-related complications and identify the factors associated with postoperative disease recurrence.

Methods

We retrospectively analyzed data from patients enrolled in the registry from January 2009 to December 2018. Patients with monogenic IBD and patients undergoing surgery for perianal disease were excluded.

Results

In total, 135 of 1245 patients were identified. We report the prevalence of major abdominal surgery of 10.8%. Pediatric surgeons performed the procedure in 54.1% of cases, and a laparoscopic approach was used in 47.4% of surgical procedures. Seventeen patients (12.6%) experienced a total of 21 early postoperative complications, none of which was severe. A laparoscopic approach was the only factor negatively associated with the occurrence of postoperative complications (odds ratio, 0.22; 95% confidence interval, 0.06-0.8; P = .02). Fifty-four (40%) patients experienced postoperative endoscopic recurrence, and 33 (24.4%) of them experienced postoperative clinical recurrence. The postoperative treatment with anti-TNF-α drugs was significantly associated with a reduced risk of endoscopic recurrence (odds ratio, 0.19; 95% confidence interval, 0.05-0.79; P = .02).

Conclusion

In our cohort, the overall prevalence of major abdominal surgery was low, as well as the rate of surgical-related complications. Postoperative anti-TNF-α therapy seems be protective against endoscopic recurrence.
Supplementing vitamins and minerals to beef heifers during gestation: impacts on mineral status in the dam and offspring, and growth and physiological responses of female offspring from birth to puberty
Authors: Hurlbert Jennifer L , Baumgaertner Friederike , Menezes Ana Clara B , Bochantin Kerri A , Diniz Wellison J S , Underdahl Sarah R , Dorsam Sheri T , Kirsch James D , Sedivec Kevin K , Dahlen Carl R
Published: January 2024

We evaluated the effects of feeding a vitamin and mineral supplement to nulliparous beef heifers throughout gestation on the mineral status of the dam, calf, placenta, and colostrum; offspring growth performance; and physiological responses of offspring raised as replacement heifers. Angus-based heifers (n = 31, initial body weight [BW] = 412.5 ± 53.68 kg) were adapted to an individual feeding system for 14 d, estrus synchronized and bred with female-sexed semen. Heifers were ranked by BW and randomly assigned to receive either a basal diet (CON; n = 14) or the basal diet plus 113 g heifer−1 d−1 of the vitamin and mineral supplement (VTM; n = 17). Targeted BW gains for both treatments was 0.45 kg heifer−1 d−1. Liver biopsies were obtained from dams at breeding, days 84 and 180 of gestation. At calving, liver biopsies were taken from dams and calves; colostrum, placenta, and blood samples were collected; and calf body measurements were recorded. After calving, all cow-calf pairs received a common diet through weaning, and F1 heifer calves were managed similarly after weaning. Offspring growth performance, feeding behavior, blood metabolites, and hormones were evaluated from birth through 15 mo of age. Data were analyzed using the MIXED procedure in SAS with repeated measures where appropriate. Hepatic concentrations of Se decreased in VTM dams (P ≤ 0.05) from day 84 to calving, while concentrations of Cu decreased in VTM and CON (P ≤ 0.05) from day 84 to calving. Calf liver concentrations of Se, Cu, Zn, and Co at birth were greater for VTM than CON (P ≤ 0.05), but calf birth BW and body measurements were not different (P = 0.45). Placental Se, colostrum quantity, total Se, Cu, Zn, and Mn in colostrum were greater (P ≤ 0.04) in VTM dams than CON. Finally, offspring from VTM dams were heavier than CON (P < 0.0001) from weaning through 15 mo of age. These results were coupled with greater (P ≤ 0.04) blood glucose at birth, decreased (P ≤ 0.05) blood urea nitrogen at pasture turn out and weaning, and altered feeding behaviors in VTM offspring compared with CON. Maternal gestational vitamin and mineral supplementation enhanced mineral status in dams and F1 progeny, augmented postnatal offspring growth and blood metabolites. Consequently, in utero vitamin and mineral supplementation may exert programming outcomes on the performance and productivity of females raised as herd replacements and should be considered when developing diets for gestating cows and heifers.
Mer tyrosine kinase regulates bone metabolism, and its deficiency partially ameliorates periodontitis- and ovariectomy-induced bone loss in mice
Authors: Ryu Ka-Young , Pokhrel Nitin Kumar , Jung Hye-Jin , Kim Hyo Jeong , Seok Jiwon , Kim Tae-Young , Kim Hyung Joon , Lee Ji Hye , Kim Jae-Young , Kim Yong-Gun , Lee Youngkyun
Published: January 2024

Bone homeostasis is maintained by tightly coordinated activities of bone-forming osteoblasts and bone-resorbing osteoclasts. In the present report, the role of Mer tyrosine kinase (MerTK) in bone metabolism was investigated. The expression of MerTK decreased upon BMP2 stimulation of osteoblast precursors. The femurs of Mertk-deficient mice showed significantly increased bone volume with concomitant increase of bone formation and reduction in bone resorption. These bone phenotypes were attributed to the increased osteoblast differentiation and mineralization accounted by the enhanced β-catenin and Smad signaling in the absence of MerTK in osteoblast precursors. Although the Mertk-deficient bone marrow macrophages were predisposed to enhanced osteoclast differentiation via augmented Ca2+-NFATc1 signaling, the dramatic increase of Tnfsf11b/Tnfsf11 (Opg/Rankl) ratio in Mertk knockout bones and osteoblast precursors corroborated the reduction of osteoclastogenesis in Mertk deficiency. In ligature-induced periodontitis and ovariectomy models, the bone resorption was significantly attenuated in Mertk-deficient mice compared with wild-type control. Taken together, these data indicate novel role of MerTK in bone metabolism and suggest a potential strategy targeting MerTK in treating bone-lytic diseases including periodontitis and osteoporosis.
Peripheral canalicular branching is decreased in streptozotocin-induced diabetes and correlates with decreased whole-bone ultimate load and perilacunar elastic work
Authors: Bolger Morgan W , Tekkey Tara , Kohn David H
Published: January 2024

Osteocytes, the most abundant cell type in bone, play a crucial role in mechanosensation and signaling for bone formation and resorption. These cells reside within a complex lacuno-canalicular network (OLCN). Osteocyte signaling is reduced under diabetic conditions, and both type 1 and type 2 diabetes lead to reduced bone turnover, perturbed bone composition, and increased fracture risk. We hypothesized that this reduced bone turnover, and altered bone composition with diabetes is associated with reduced OLCN architecture and connectivity. This study aimed to elucidate: (1) the sequence of OLCN changes with diabetes related to bone turnover and (2) whether changes to the OLCN are associated with tissue composition and mechanical properties. Twelve- to fourteen-week-old male C57BL/6 mice were administered streptozotocin at 50 mg/kg for 5 consecutive days to induce hyperglycemia, sacrificed at baseline (BL), or after being diabetic for 3 (D3) and 7 (D7) wk with age-matched (C3, C7) controls (n = 10–12 per group). Mineralized femoral sections were infiltrated with rhodamine, imaged with confocal microscopy, then the OLCN morphology and topology were characterized and correlated against bone histomorphometry, as well as local and whole-bone mechanics and composition. D7 mice exhibited a lower number of peripheral branches relative to C7. The total number of canalicular intersections (nodes) was lower in D3 and D7 relative to BL (P < 0.05 for all), and a reduced bone formation rate (BFR) was observed at D7 vs C7. The number of nodes explained only 15% of BFR, but 45% of Ct.BV/TV, and 31% of ultimate load. The number of branches explained 30% and 22% of the elastic work at the perilacunar and intracortical region, respectively. Collectively, the reduction in OLCN architecture and association of OLCN measures with bone turnover, mechanics, and composition highlights the relevance of the osteocyte and the OLCN and a potential therapeutic target for treating diabetic skeletal fragility.