bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Biosynthesis of the allelopathic alkaloid gramine in barley by a cryptic oxidative rearrangement
Authors: Dias Sara Leite , Chuang Ling , Liu Shenyu , Seligmann Benedikt , Brendel Fabian L. , Chavez Benjamin G. , Hoffie Robert E. , Hoffie Iris , Kumlehn Jochen , Bültemeier Arne , Wolf Johanna , Herde Marco , Witte Claus-Peter , D’Auria John C. , Franke Jakob
Published: March 2024

The defensive alkaloid gramine not only protects barley and other grasses from insects but also negatively affects their palatability to ruminants. The key gene for gramine formation has remained elusive, hampering breeding initiatives. In this work, we report that a gene encoding cytochrome P450 monooxygenase CYP76M57, which we name AMI synthase (AMIS), enables the production of gramine in
Nicotiana benthamiana
,
Arabidopsis thaliana
, and
Saccharomyces cerevisiae
. We reconstituted gramine production in the gramine-free barley (
Hordeum vulgare
) variety Golden Promise and eliminated it from cultivar Tafeno by Cas-mediated gene editing. In vitro experiments unraveled that an unexpected cryptic oxidative rearrangement underlies this noncanonical conversion of an amino acid to a chain-shortened biogenic amine. The discovery of the genetic basis of gramine formation now permits tailor-made optimization of gramine-linked traits in barley by plant breeding.
Molecular mechanism of dynein-dynactin complex assembly by LIS1
Authors: Singh Kashish , Lau Clinton K. , Manigrasso Giulia , Gama José B. , Gassmann Reto , Carter Andrew P.
Published: March 2024

Cytoplasmic dynein is a microtubule motor vital for cellular organization and division. It functions as a ~4-megadalton complex containing its cofactor dynactin and a cargo-specific coiled-coil adaptor. However, how dynein and dynactin recognize diverse adaptors, how they interact with each other during complex formation, and the role of critical regulators such as lissencephaly-1 (LIS1) protein (LIS1) remain unclear. In this study, we determined the cryo–electron microscopy structure of dynein-dynactin on microtubules with LIS1 and the lysosomal adaptor JIP3. This structure reveals the molecular basis of interactions occurring during dynein activation. We show how JIP3 activates dynein despite its atypical architecture. Unexpectedly, LIS1 binds dynactin’s p150 subunit, tethering it along the length of dynein. Our data suggest that LIS1 and p150 constrain dynein-dynactin to ensure efficient complex formation.
Mandating indoor air quality for public buildings
Authors: Morawska Lidia , Allen Joseph , Bahnfleth William , Bennett Belinda , Bluyssen Philomena M. , Boerstra Atze , Buonanno Giorgio , Cao Junji , Dancer Stephanie J. , Floto Andres , Franchimon Francesco , Greenhalgh Trish , Haworth Charles , Hogeling Jaap , Isaxon Christina , Jimenez Jose L. , Kennedy Amanda , Kumar Prashant , Kurnitski Jarek , Li Yuguo , Loomans Marcel , Marks Guy , Marr Linsey C. , Mazzarella Livio , Melikov Arsen Krikor , Miller Shelly L. , Milton Donald K. , Monty Jason , Nielsen Peter V. , Noakes Catherine , Peccia Jordan , Prather Kimberly A. , Querol Xavier , Salthammer Tunga , Sekhar Chandra , Seppänen Olli , Tanabe Shin-ichi , Tang Julian W. , Tellier Raymond , Tham Kwok Wai , Wargocki Pawel , Wierzbicka Aneta , Yao Maosheng
Published: March 2024

If some countries lead by example, standards may increasingly become normalized
In Other Journals
Authors: Walia Ankit , Simonti Corinne , Maroso Mattia , Ash Caroline , Osborne Ian S. , Wible Brad , Grocholski Brent
Published: March 2024

Editors’ selections from the current scientific literature
Estimation of country-specific tuberculosis resistance antibiograms using pathogen genomics and machine learning
Authors: Dixit Avika , Freschi Luca , Vargas Roger , Gröschel Matthias I , Nakhoul Maria , Tahseen Sabira , Alam S M Masud , Kamal S M Mostofa , Skrahina Alena , Basilio Ramon P , Lim Dodge R , Ismail Nazir , Farhat Maha R
Published: March 2024

Background

Global tuberculosis (TB) drug resistance (DR) surveillance focuses on rifampicin. We examined the potential of public and surveillanceMycobacterium tuberculosis(Mtb) whole-genome sequencing (WGS) data, to generate expanded country-level resistance prevalence estimates (antibiograms) using in silico resistance prediction.

Methods

We curated and quality-controlledMtbWGS data. We used a validated random forest model to predict phenotypic resistance to 12 drugs and bias-corrected for model performance, outbreak sampling and rifampicin resistance oversampling. Validation leveraged a national DR survey conducted in South Africa.

Results

Mtbisolates from 29 countries (n=19 149) met sequence quality criteria. Global marginal genotypic resistance among mono-resistant TB estimates overlapped with the South African DR survey, except for isoniazid, ethionamide and second-line injectables, which were underestimated (n=3134). Among multidrug resistant (MDR) TB (n=268), estimates overlapped for the fluoroquinolones but overestimated other drugs. Globally pooled mono-resistance to isoniazid was 10.9% (95% CI: 10.2-11.7%, n=14 012). Mono-levofloxacin resistance rates were highest in South Asia (Pakistan 3.4% (0.1–11%), n=111 and India 2.8% (0.08–9.4%), n=114). Given the recent interest in drugs enhancing ethionamide activity and their expected activity against isolates with resistance discordance between isoniazid and ethionamide, we measured this rate and found it to be high at 74.4% (IQR: 64.5–79.7%) of isoniazid-resistant isolates predicted to be ethionamide susceptible. The global susceptibility rate to pyrazinamide and levofloxacin among MDR was 15.1% (95% CI: 10.2-19.9%, n=3964).

Conclusions

This is the first attempt at globalMtbantibiogram estimation. DR prevalence inMtbcan be reliably estimated using public WGS and phenotypic resistance prediction for key antibiotics, but public WGS data demonstrates oversampling of isolates with higher resistance levels than MDR. Nevertheless, our results raise concerns about the empiric use of short-course fluoroquinolone regimens for drug-susceptible TB in South Asia and indicate underutilisation of ethionamide in MDR treatment.
Systematic review study protocol of literature from 2018 to end of 2022 of stated preference studies about HIV care and prevention services around the world
Authors: Block Ngaybe Maiya G , Ravi Priyanka , Rosales Arturo , Camarena Jose L , Madhivanan Purnima
Published: March 2024

Background

There are currently over 38 million individuals around the globe living with the HIV and AIDS. As many HIV prevention and care services emerging for public use services become available to a wider audience, there is a growing need for more information about willingness to engage in these care and services. Stated preference research methods have been shown to be useful methods to help predict factors that influence health behaviours in the future.

Research question

This is a systematic review of findings from stated preference studies regarding the choices of people living with HIV or people at risk of contracting HIV to engage in HIV prevention or care.

Methods

Our team plans to compile stated preference studies studying the choice to engage in HIV prevention or care services. Studies will be included from 1 January 2018 until 28 October 2022. There will be no restrictions on the language or location of the study. We will search databases including PubMed, PsycINFO, Embase, Scopus, Tufts CEA registry and CINAHL. Two researchers will review each article’s title, abstract, then full-text and finally extract relevant data based on a predetermined process. Data will be presented in a narrative review and in an exploratory meta-analysis by subgroups of studies.

Ethics and dissemination of research

There is no need for an ethical review process of this study since all data used is available publicly. The findings of this study will be reported in relevant conferences and submitted for publication in a peer-reviewed journal.

PROSPERO registration number

CRD42023397785.
Is LDL cholesterol associated with long-term mortality among primary prevention adults? A retrospective cohort study from a large healthcare system
Authors: Kip Kevin E , Diamond David , Mulukutla Suresh , Marroquin Oscar C
Published: March 2024

Objectives

Among primary prevention-type adults not on lipid-lowering therapy, conflicting results exist on the relationship between low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and long-term mortality. We evaluated this relationship in a real-world evidence population of adults.

Design

Retrospective cohort study.

Setting

Electronic medical record data for adults, from 4 January 2000 through 31 December 2022, were extracted from the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center healthcare system.

Participants

Adults without diabetes aged 50–89 years not on statin therapy at baseline or within 1 year and classified as primary prevention-type patients. To mitigate potential reverse causation, patients who died within 1 year or had baseline total cholesterol (T-C) ≤120 mg/dL or LDL-C <30 mg/dL were excluded.

Main exposure measure

Baseline LDL-C categories of 30–79, 80–99, 100–129, 130–159, 160–189 or ≥190 mg/dL.

Main outcome measure

All-cause mortality with follow-up starting 365 days after baseline cholesterol measurement.

Results

177 860 patients with a mean (SD) age of 61.1 (8.8) years and mean (SD) LDL-C of 119 (31) mg/dL were evaluated over a mean of 6.1 years of follow-up. A U-shaped relationship was observed between the six LDL-C categories and mortality with crude 10-year mortality rates of 19.8%, 14.7%, 11.7%, 10.7%, 10.1% and 14.0%, respectively. Adjusted mortality HRs as compared with the referent group of LDL-C 80–99 mg/dL were: 30–79 mg/dL (HR 1.23, 95% CI 1.17 to 1.30), 100–129 mg/dL (0.87, 0.83–0.91), 130–159 mg/dL (0.88, 0.84–0.93), 160–189 mg/dL (0.91, 0.84–0.98) and ≥190 mg/dL (1.19, 1.06–1.34), respectively. Unlike LDL-C, both T-C/HDL cholesterol (high-density lipoprotein cholesterol) and triglycerides/HDL cholesterol ratios were independently associated with long-term mortality.

Conclusions

Among primary prevention-type patients aged 50–89 years without diabetes and not on statin therapy, the lowest risk for long-term mortality appears to exist in the wide LDL-C range of 100–189 mg/dL, which is much higher than current recommendations. For counselling these patients, minimal consideration should be given to LDL-C concentration.
Behavioural ‘nudging’ interventions to reduce low-value care for low back pain in the emergency department (NUDG-ED): protocol for a 2×2 factorial, before-after, cluster randomised trial
Authors: Altinger Gemma , Sharma Sweekriti , Maher Chris G , Cullen Louise , McCaffery Kirsten , Linder Jeffrey A , Buchbinder Rachelle , Harris Ian A , Coiera Enrico , Li Qiang , Howard Kirsten , Coggins Andrew , Middleton Paul M , Gunja Naren , Ferguson Ian , Chan Trevor , Tambree Karen , Varshney Ajay , Traeger Adrian C
Published: March 2024

Introduction

Opioids and imaging are considered low-value care for most people with low back pain. Yet around one in three people presenting to the emergency department (ED) will receive imaging, and two in three will receive an opioid. NUDG-ED aims to determine the effectiveness of two different behavioural ‘nudge’ interventions on low-value care for ED patients with low back pain.

Methods and analysis

NUDG-ED is a 2×2 factorial, open-label, before-after, cluster randomised controlled trial. The trial includes 8 ED sites in Sydney, Australia. Participants will be ED clinicians who manage back pain, and patients who are 18 years or over presenting to ED with musculoskeletal back pain. EDs will be randomly assigned to receive (i) patient nudges, (ii) clinician nudges, (iii) both interventions or (iv) no nudge control. The primary outcome will be the proportion of encounters in ED for musculoskeletal back pain where a person received a non-indicated lumbar imaging test, an opioid at discharge or both. We will require 2416 encounters over a 9-month study period (3-month before period and 6-month after period) to detect an absolute difference of 10% in use of low-value care due to either nudge, with 80% power, alpha set at 0.05 and assuming an intra-class correlation coefficient of 0.10, and an intraperiod correlation of 0.09. Patient-reported outcome measures will be collected in a subsample of patients (n≥456) 1 week after their initial ED visit. To estimate effects, we will use a multilevel regression model, with a random effect for cluster and patient, a fixed effect indicating the group assignment of each cluster and a fixed effect of time.

Ethics and dissemination

This study has ethical approval from Southwestern Sydney Local Health District Human Research Ethics Committee (2023/ETH00472). We will disseminate the results of this trial via media, presenting at conferences and scientific publications.

Trial registration number

ACTRN12623001000695.
Study protocol for a prospective cohort study describing the injury characteristics in elite gymnasts in TeamGym: the Swedish TeamGym Injury Cohort – STIC
Authors: Höög Stefan , Arndt Anton , Tranaeus Ulrika
Published: March 2024

Introduction

Gymnastics consists of several different disciplines, whereof TeamGym is one. TeamGym is a young discipline with sparse research. The aim of the study is to investigate the injury characteristics in Swedish elite gymnasts competing in TeamGym including training load and other physical and psychological factors associated with injury.

Methods and analysis

The Swedish TeamGym Injury Cohort is a longitudinal prospective cohort study for 52 weeks that includes the junior (15–17 years) and senior (≥18 years) Swedish female and male national teams in TeamGym. A baseline questionnaire will be sent out in an online application (SmartaBase) regarding demographics, previous injuries, gymnastics-related factors, for example, time at elite level and psychosocial factors such as stress, athletic identity, coping skills, personality traits and coach–athlete relation. A weekly questionnaire will be sent out in SmartaBase every Sunday and will monitor injuries using the Oslo Sports Trauma Research Centre Overuse Questionnaire, gymnastics-related factors, for example, landing surfaces, stress, recovery and training load. A test battery for the lower extremity will be performed. Data for ankle dorsiflexion, hop tests and ankle plantarflexion strength/endurance will be collected.

Ethics and dissemination

This project was approved by the Swedish Ethical Review Authority (2023-06653-01) and is performed according to the Declaration of Helsinki. The results will be published in peer-reviewed journals, scientific conferences and shared with the Swedish Gymnastics Federation.
Experience-based Modifications of the Bed Band ReAlised through Co-dEsign (EMBRACE)
Authors: Beattie Michelle , Muirhead Kevin , Gibb Roma , Ross Fiona , Macaden Leah
Published: March 2024

Background

Upper body limitations are a common disability in neurological conditions including stroke and multiple sclerosis. Care of patients with upper body limitations while in bed involves positioning techniques to maximise comfort and independence. The Bed Band is a nurse-led innovation to support people with limited mobility to maintain a comfortable position in bed, thereby promoting comfort and independence with activities of daily living.

Aim

To co-design and implement adaptations to the Bed Band prototype with recommendations for user instructions towards enhanced product design and future development.

Methods

A co-design approach involving collaboration between academic and industry partners. Expert stakeholders provided feedback on the Bed Band via an online focus group before healthy volunteers tested the product in a healthcare simulation suite. Data were thematically analysed and findings sense checked by expert stakeholders who then prioritised adaptations to the Bed Band using a modified Delphi technique.

Results

Three themes resulted from the analysis: (1) reaction to the Bed Band; (2) potential risks and mitigation; and (3) product adaptations. Simplicity was a strength of the innovation which easily enabled positional support. Adaptations to the Bed Band informed the development of an enhanced prototype for testing in future studies.

Conclusion

Co-design of the Bed Band prototype involving experts and healthy volunteers enabled early identification of potential risks with recommendations to mitigate them and priority adaptations. Further studies are required in hospital patients and community populations with upper mobility issues to determine the efficacy of the Bed Band and optimal duration of use.
Content analysis of food and beverage marketing in global esports: sponsorships of the premier events, leagues, teams and players
Authors: Long John William , Maksi Sara Jordan , Frías Francisco Javier López , Ireland Robin , Masterson Travis D
Published: March 2024

Background

Food marketing has been implicated as a driving force of the obesity epidemic. Electronic sports, or ‘esports’, garners billions of viewership hours and is a consolidation of two major marketing outlets, online social media and sporting events, making it a focal point for food marketers and policy-makers.

Methods

The top 10 esports events and leagues were identified using data scraped between 1 January 2021 and 15 December 2021. The 10 teams within each league (90 total teams) and up to 10 players from each team (451 total players) were identified. Of the top 10 events and leagues, 6 events and 2 leagues were held or located outside the USA, reflecting the global popularity of esports. Food and beverage brands associated with each event, league, team or player were systematically identified and extracted via official websites and social media accounts. The number of sponsorships was totalled for each brand. Brands were then categorised based on product type into the following categories: energy drinks, sugar-sweetened beverages, alcohol, candy/snacks, restaurants, food delivery and stores, and supplements. The total number of brand sponsorships was then calculated for each product category.

Results

90 unique food and beverage brands were identified. Across all brands, a total of 497 food brand sponsorships were identified. For product categories, energy drink brands had the most sponsorships (181 sponsorships, 36.4%), followed by restaurants (86 sponsorships, 17.3%) and candy/snacks (64 sponsorships, 12.8%). The individual brand with the most sponsorships was Monster Energy (47 sponsorships, 9.4%), followed by Jack Links (44 sponsorships, 8.8%) and Red Bull (42 sponsorships, 8.4%).

Conclusion

Despite its nascent character, the esports industry is already heavily saturated by food and beverage marketing. There is a need to consider policies to appropriately regulate food and beverage marketing within esports communities to safeguard the health of viewers.
Can real-time surveillance systems of suspected suicide accurately reflect national suicide rates? Age-specific and sex-specific findings from the first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic in England: an observational study
Authors: Turnbull Pauline , Ibrahim Saied , Tham Su-Gwan , Rodway Cathryn , Kapur Nav , Appleby Louis
Published: March 2024

Introduction

‘Real-time surveillance’ (RTS) systems of suspected suicide showed no overall rise in the early COVID-19 pandemic several months before official statistics reported the same. There has to date been no national examination of suicide recorded by RTS systems by sex or age group during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods

We used data from established RTS systems of suspected suicides in England, in 10 areas covering a total population ~13 million, to examine overall suicide numbers and rates from the pre-pandemic months of January–March 2020, to the end of 2021, by sex and by age group, through different phases of the pandemic.

Results

From January 2020 to December 2021, there were 2923 suspected suicides recorded by RTS systems in the 10 areas providing data. Using the pre-pandemic period as the baseline, we found a lower rate of suicide in the remainder of 2020 compared with the pre-pandemic period (0.80–0.99). This fall reflected lower numbers of deaths in men aged 25–44 between April and December 2020. Though there was no significant fall in 2021, there were lower rates in people aged 45–64 during this time. A month-by-month breakdown showed no change during periods of lockdown or social restrictions.

Conclusions

Our findings demonstrate the viability of RTS to provide timely information on suicide rates at a national level and were later confirmed by official statistics. While suicide rates have not increased, continued vigilance is needed given ongoing effects of the pandemic in the context of current economic pressures. Early data on suspected suicides collected by local systems can be instrumental in reflecting national trends, and in aiding a rapid response in times of crisis.
Visualisation of $$C\!P$$-violation effects in decay-time-dependent analyses of multibody B-meson decays
Authors: Gershon Tim , Latham Thomas , Morris Andy , Qian Wenbin , Whitehead Mark , Xu Ao
Published: March 2024

Decay-time-dependent $$C\!P$$

C

P

-violation effects in transitions of neutral B mesons to $$C\!P$$

C

P

-eigenstates can be visualised by oscillations in the asymmetry, as a function of decay time, between decay yields from mesons tagged as initially having $${\hspace{0.0pt}\overline{\hspace{0.0pt}{B}}} $$

B

¯

or B flavour. Such images, for example for $$B^0 \rightarrow {{{J} \hspace{-1.66656pt}/\hspace{-1.111pt}\uppsi }} {{{K}} ^0_{\textrm{S}}} $$

B
0

→

J

/

ψ

K

S
0

decays where the magnitude of the oscillation is proportional to $$\sin (2\beta )$$

sin
(
2
β
)

with $$\beta $$
β
being an angle of the Cabibbo–Kobayashi–Maskawa Unitarity Triangle, provide a straightforward illustration of the underlying physics. Until now there has been no comparable method to provide visualisation for the case of decays to multibody final states that are not $$C\!P$$

C

P

-eigenstates, where interference between $$C\!P$$

C

P

-even and -odd amplitudes provides additional physics sensitivity. A method is proposed to weight the data so that the terms of interest can be projected out and used to obtain asymmetries that visualise the relevant effects. Application of the weighting to $${{B}} ^0_{\textrm{s}} $$

B

s
0

decays, where effects due to non-zero width difference are not negligible, provides a novel method to observe $$C\!P$$

C

P

violation in interference between mixing and decay without tagging the production flavour.
Thermal energy enhancement in blood conveying gold nanoparticles with temperature-dependent viscosity
Authors: Gangadhar Kotha , Reddy K. Shashidhar , Wakif Abderrahim
Published: March 2024

Cancer is one of the universal popular healthcare problems, and there is a struggle to find advanced fresh medicines andidentify superior ways of distributing medications. Cancer is harmful and deadly to maximum of its patients. Cytotoxic agents are carried by cancer cells, to increase efficacy and protection. This reminds us that nanotechnology can be utilized for medicine. This current allegation has built into gold nanomaterials which could conquer and heal — it being the material considered like gold (atomic number 79). It gives a large amount of heat and contributes to the therapy of malignant tumors. Therefore, it is urgent to investigate the flow of blood-based gold nanoparticles over the porous medium for injection/suction effects. Time-dependent viscosity was used in Reynolds exponential model. The existence of magnetic field and nonlinear thermal radiation was integrated into the system. Ensuing equations were interpreted by its nondimensional model by applying comparison renovation. This Lobatto IIIA formula (known as bvp4c) was working to acquire multiple solutions. This findings indicate that temperature increases due to magnetic and radiation effects. Temperature and velocity profiles by injection are greater although related to the suction phenomenon. Further, the temperature and velocity augment by the inclusion of gold nanoparticles into blood flow.
Electrically conducting mixed convective nanofluid flow past a nonlinearly slender Riga plate subjected to viscous dissipation and activation energy
Authors: Ali Bilal , Jubair Sidra , Mahmood Zafar , Siddiqui Md Irfanul Haque
Published: March 2024

This paper reports the mass and energy transmission characteristics of an electrically conducting mixed convective nanofluid flow past a stretching Riga plate. An additional effect of viscous dissipation, Arrhenius activation energy and heat source is also studied. The energy and mass transmissions are evaluated by a zero-mass flux of nanoparticle and convective boundary conditions. Buongiorno’s relations are proposed for the Brownian motion and thermophoretic diffusion. The similarity substitutions are employed to derive the non-dimensional set of modeled equations. The obtained set of equations is numerically processed via parametric continuation method (PCM). Several flow factors affecting the velocity, energy, and mass distributions are graphically discussed. It has been perceived that the fluid velocity field declines with the influence of velocity power index (m), while improves with the upshot of modified Hartmann number (Q). The effect of Schmidt number and chemical reaction diminishes the concentration profile [Formula: see text]. Furthermore, the energy curve enhances with the effect of thermophoresis factor, Biot and Eckert number.
Robust Authentication System with Privacy Preservation for Hybrid Deep Learning-Based Person Identification System Using Multi-Modal Palmprint, Ear, and Face Biometric Features
Authors: Jadhav Sharad B. , Deshmukh N. K. , Pawar Sahebrao B.
Published: March 2024

Conventional biometric systems are vulnerable to a range of harmful threats and privacy violations, putting the users who have registered with them in grave danger. Therefore, there is a need to develop a Privacy-Preserving and Authenticating Framework for Biometric-based Systems (PPAF-BS) that allows users to access multiple applications while also protecting their privacy. There are various existing works on biometric-based systems, but most of them do not address privacy concerns. Conventional biometric systems require the storage of biometric data, which can be easily accessed by attackers, leading to privacy violations. Some research works have used differential privacy techniques to address this issue, but they have not been widely applied in biometric-based systems. The existing biometric-based systems have a significant privacy concern, and there is a lack of privacy-preserving techniques in such systems. Therefore, there is a need to develop a PPAF-BS that can protect the user’s privacy and maintain the system’s efficiency. The proposed method uses Hybrid Deep Learning (HDL) with palmprint, ear, and face biometric features for person identification. Additionally, Discrete Cosine Transform (DCT) feature transformation and Lagrange’s interpolation-based image transformation are used as part of the authentication scheme. Sensors are used to record three biometric traits: palmprint, ear, and face. The combination of biometric characteristics provides an accuracy of 96.4% for the [Formula: see text] image size. The proposed LI-based image transformation lowers the original [Formula: see text] pixels to an [Formula: see text] hidden pattern. This drastically decreases the database size, thereby reducing storage needs. The proposed method offers a safe authentication system with excellent accuracy, a fixed-size database, and the privacy protection of multi-modal biometric characteristics without sacrificing overall system efficiency. The system achieves an accuracy of 96.4% for the [Formula: see text] image size, and the proposed LI-based picture transformation significantly reduces the database size, which is a significant achievement in terms of storage requirements. Therefore, the proposed method can be considered an effective solution to the privacy and security concerns of biometric-based systems.
Development and Design of an Innovative and Lightweight Reconnaissance Rover Using Composite Materials
Authors: Solazzi Luigi , Danzi Nicola , Pasinetti Michelangelo
Published: March 2024

Modern planetary rovers are based on aluminum chassis, but thanks to carbon fiber composites, the weight of such mobility platforms can be dramatically lowered. This paper describes the design of a 6-wheeled rover with a rocker-bogie suspension, adopting carbon fiber laminates and short-fiber-reinforced polymers. This last feature is an innovative approach that fits well with the use of additive manufacturing, allowing for both highly optimized parts and rapid fabrication of spares in future manned missions on the Lunar surface. The structural design was validated against a set of boundary conditions (static analyses) and requirements of launch and space environments (dynamic analyses) as prescribed by European Cooperation for Space Standardization standards. The composite rover was designed to lighten the structure itself and increase the payload-to-total-mass ratio: the composite solution offers a ratio three times higher than the typical rover (ratio from 0.12 to 0.38).
Trajectory Planning for Autonomous Formation of Wheeled Mobile Robots via Modified Artificial Potential Field and Improved PSO Algorithm
Authors: Bouaziz Nour el Islem , Mechali Omar , Besseghieur Khadir Lakhdar , Achour Nouara
Published: March 2024

This paper addresses two substantial aspects in the field of robotics: trajectory planning and trajectory tracking for multi-robot systems. The collective movement of the multi-wheeled mobile robots is based on a formation control with a leader–follower strategy. To ensure safe navigation toward the destination within a workspace containing multiple obstacles, we skillfully combine the Modified Artificial Potential Field (MAPF) method and the Improved Particle Swarm Optimization (IPSO) algorithm for a group of nonholonomic mobile robots. A global planner based on IPSO algorithm is assigned to the leader robot, to find the optimal collision-free path. Compared to recent nature-inspired methodologies, the improvement suggested enhance the search capabilities of the algorithm, resulting in a 2% reduction in path length and a 29% decrease in computation time. Simultaneously, the follower robot has the ability to employ either a formation policy or a local planner using MAPF. The proposed modifications address the primary limitations of the conventional method, notably the susceptibility to local minima and the challenge of reaching goals near obstacles. Furthermore, this local planner is adept at evading both static and dynamic obstacles. Extensive real hardware experiments are conducted within multiple scenarios using the mobile robot Qbot-2e to corroborate the obtained simulation results and validate the effectiveness of the proposed approaches both in tracking the desired trajectories, finding the optimal feasible collision-free path and avoiding static and dynamic obstacles for multi-robot systems.
Analysis of Deep-Water Low-Frequency Sound Multipath Arrivals and Interference Striation Patterns
Authors: Ma Zhikang , Zhang Haigang , Gong Lijia , Xie Jinhuai , Zhou Jianbo
Published: March 2024

The deep-water sound multipath arrivals and interference striation patterns not only vary with range and depth but also with frequency. The first two cases can be solved using a ray-mode method in the high-frequency limit. However, this method may cause unsatisfactory results in treating low-frequency sounds (as low as tens of Hertz) because of the Wentzel-Kramers-Brillouin (WKB) high-frequency approximation assumption. To overcome this problem, the authors exploited phase information to modify the ray parameters, such as the propagation range, the time delay, and the group velocity. Following that, a waveguide invariant (WI) expression was derived to address low-frequency sound interference problems. Numerical investigations demonstrated that the physical mechanism of the frequency dependence of the multipath arrivals and interference striation patterns could be better understood using this modified ray-mode method. In addition, the influence of bottom sound speed on multipath interference structures is also considered.
Application of Hybrid Image Processing Based on Artificial Intelligence in Interactive English Teaching
Authors: Xin Dou , Shi Cuiping
Published: March 2024

Primary school English teaching resources play an important role in primary school English teaching. The information age requires that primary school English teaching should strengthen the use of multimedia resources and gradually realize the diversification of teaching content. Expanded reality innovation is a sort of mixture picture handling innovation, which is one of the significant innovations that would influence the improvement of fundamental schooling in the following five years. It can seamlessly output virtual objects to the real environment, which is convenient for this paper to obtain and absorb information. It can also help students to participate in exploration and cultivate their creativity and imagination. It can strengthen the cooperation between students and teachers and create various learning environments. It has an immeasurable prospect of development in the field of education. The primary school English teaching resources based on augmented reality create a realistic learning situation from two-dimensional plane to three-dimensional three-dimensional display, and enrich the presentation of primary school English teaching content. It can stimulate students’ interest in learning English and promote the transformation of English teaching methods. It is a useful attempt in the field of education. This paper made statistics on the test results of the experimental class and the control class. Most of the scores of the experimental group were between 71 and 100, a total of 27, accounting for 67.5%. The score distribution of the control class was relatively balanced, with the highest number between 61-70, and the number was 10, accounting for 25%. Therefore, it can be seen that hybrid image processing technology is important for interactive English teaching.
Taming the Elephants: Affordable Flow Length Prediction in the Data Plane
Authors: Azorin Raphael , Monterubbiano Andrea , Castellano Gabriele , Gallo Massimo , Pontarelli Salvatore , Rossi Dario
Published: March 2024

Machine Learning (ML) shows promising potential for enhancing networking tasks by providing early traffic predictions. However, implementing an ML-enabled system is a challenging task due to network devices limited resources. While previous works have shown the feasibility of running simple ML models in the data plane, integrating them into a practical end-to-end system is not an easy task. It requires addressing issues related to resource management and model maintenance to ensure that the performance improvement justifies the system overhead. In this work, we propose DUMBO, a versatile end-to-end system to generate and exploit early flow size predictions at line rate. Our system seamlessly integrates and maintains a simple ML model that offers early coarse-grain flow size prediction in the data plane. We evaluate the proposed system on flow scheduling, per-flow packet inter-arrival time distribution, and flow size estimation using real traffic traces, and perform experiments using an FPGA prototype running on an AMD(R)-Xilinx(R) Alveo U280 SmartNIC. Our results show that DUMBO outperforms traditional state-of-the-art approaches by equipping network devices data planes with a lightweight ML model. Code is available at https://github.com/cpt-harlock/DUMBO.
Quantum Algorithms
Authors: Lewis Ted G.
Published: March 2024

This essay was written for computer scientists seeking to understand quantum computing from an algorithmic point of view. It sacrifices rigorous physics so anyone with a computer science background can understand it. Note that it is about algorithms, not machines. This is intentional.
CuMONITOR: Continuous Monitoring of Microarchitecture for Software Task Identification and Classification
Authors: Langehaug Tor , Graham Scott
Published: March 2024

The interactions between software and hardware are increasingly important to computer system security. This research collected microprocessor control signal sequences to develop machine learning models that identify software tasks. In contrast with prior work that relies on hardware performance counters to collect data for task identification, this research is based on creating additional digital logic to record sequences of control signals inside a processor’s microarchitecture. The proposed approach considers software task identification in hardware as a general problem, with attacks treated as a subset of software tasks. Three lines of effort are presented. First, a data collection approach is described to extract sequences of control signals labeled by task identity during actual (i.e., non-simulated) system operation. Second, experimental design selects hardware and software configurations to train and evaluate machine learning models. The machine learning models significantly outperform a naïve classifier based on Euclidean distances from class means. Various experiment configurations produced a range of balanced accuracy scores. Third, task classification is addressed using decision boundaries defined with thresholds chosen by an optimization strategy to develop non-neural network classifiers. When implemented in hardware, the non-neural network classifiers could require less digital logic to implement compared to neural network models.
Learn More Manchu Words with A New Visual-Language Framework
Authors: Wang Zhiwei , Lu Siyang , Wei Xiang , Su Run , Qi Yingjun , Lu Wei
Published: March 2024

Manchu language, a minority language of China, is of significant historical and research value. An increasing number of Manchu documents are digitized into image format for better preservation and study. Recently, many researchers focused on identifying Manchu words in digitized documents. In previous approaches, a variety of Manchu words are recognized based on visual cues. However, we notice that visual-based approaches have some obvious drawbacks. On one hand, it is difficult to distinguish between similar and distorted letters. On the other hand, portions of letters obscured by breakage and stains are hard to identify. To cope with these two challenges, we propose a visual-language framework, namely the Visual-Language framework for Manchu word Recognition (VLMR), which fuses visual and semantic information to accurately recognize Manchu words. Whenever visual information is not available, the language model can automatically associate the semantics of words. The performance of our method is further enhanced by introducing a self-knowledge distillation network. In addition, we created a new handwritten Manchu word dataset named (HMW), which contains 6,721 handwritten Manchu words. The novel approach is evaluated on WMW and HMW. The experiments show that our proposed method achieves state-of-the-art performance on both datasets.
Where Are the Values? A Systematic Literature Review on News Recommender Systems
Authors: Bauer Christine , Bagchi Chandni , Hundogan Olusanmi A. , van Es Karin
Published: March 2024

In the recommender systems field, it is increasingly recognized that focusing on accuracy measures is limiting and misguided. Unsurprisingly, in recent years, the field has witnessed more interest in the research of values “beyond accuracy.” This trend is particularly pronounced in the news domain where recommender systems perform parts of the editorial function, required to uphold journalistic values of news organizations. In the literature, various values and approaches have been proposed and evaluated. This article reviews the current state of the proposed news recommender systems (NRS). We perform a systematic literature review, analyzing 183 papers. The primary aim is to study the development, scope, and focus of value-aware NRS over time. In contrast to previous surveys, we are particularly interested in identifying the range of values discussed and evaluated in the context of NRS and embrace an interdisciplinary view. We identified a total of 40 values, categorized into five value groups. Most research on value-aware NRS has taken an algorithmic approach, whereas conceptual discussions are comparably scarce. Often, algorithms are evaluated by accuracy-based metrics, but the values are not evaluated with respective measures. Overall, our work identifies research gaps concerning values that have not received much attention. Values need to be targeted on a more fine-grained and specific level.
TVMS Calculation and Dynamic Analysis of Cracked Gear considering Oil Film Stiffness
Authors: Wu Jiateng , Du Zhenqi , Tong Chengbiao
Published: March 2024

A time‐varying meshing stiffness (TVMS) model that includes oil film stiffness in the elastohydrodynamic lubrication (EHL) line contact is proposed for tooth root cracking. This model employs the oil film thickness to estimate the stiffness of the oil film in gear contact by considering the profile variation of the oil film induced by tooth root cracks, to provide the evolution principle of TVMS in EHL line contact to study the effects of oil film stiffness of cracked gear on the TVMS. The results of the analysis reveal that the overall result of TVMS decreases owing to the stiffness of the oil film, whereas the combined TVMS depends mainly on the rotation speed of the gear system because the thickness of the oil film in the tooth crack is affected by the velocity of the entrainment. Furthermore, a six‐degree‐of‐freedom (DOF) dynamic model is introduced to analyze the vibration behavior of the gear system using the combined TVMS results for different crack levels, and the influence of the combined TVMS on the vibration response of the tooth root crack is exhibited from the time‐domain analysis, frequency‐domain analysis, and statistical indicator analysis.
Effects of Heat Transfer Characteristics of R32 and R1234yf with Al2O3 Nanoparticle through U‐Bend Tube Evaporator
Authors: Islam Latifur , Mondal Dipayan , Islam Md. Ashraful , Das Palash
Published: March 2024

This study used the Ansys Fluent® computational fluid dynamics code in conjunction with a volume of fluid multiphase model and phase‐change model to analyze the flow boiling evaporation heat transfer coefficient and flow patterns of R32 and R1234yf with Al2O3 nanoparticle through the U‐bend tube with a curvature ratio for downward‐oriented flow. The volume of fluid (VOF) model was used to follow the patterns at the interface, while the SST k‐omega model was used to simulate the gas‐liquid flow. This work has been validated by utilizing a R134a refrigerant. Simulations were performed at various mass fluxes, vapor qualities, and temperatures to determine the effects of these variables on heat transfer and frictional pressure decrease in the tube. R1234yf shows much better performance than the other pure refrigerants in terms of heat transfer and vaporization. The addition of nanoparticle Al2O3 with the refrigerants R32 and R1234yf significantly improved the heat transfer coefficient and increased the vapor fraction. The frictional pressure drop increases with increasing mass flux and decreases with increasing vapor quality due to a significant decrease in the liquid film thickness. The heat transfer coefficient, on the other hand, increases with increasing mass flux and decreases with vapor quality up to a point. There are certain changes in the heat transfer coefficient at the bend. After the bend, the frictional pressure drop increased at a higher rate than before the bend, and the vapor fraction increased at a higher rate.
Figure S3 from MARCH2, a Novel Oncogene-regulated SNAIL E3 Ligase, Suppresses Triple-negative Breast Cancer Metastases
Authors: Ito Koichi , Harada Ibuki , Martinez Criseyda , Sato Katsutoshi , Lee EunJee , Port Elisa , Byerly Jessica H. , Nayak Anupma , Tripathi Ekta , Zhu Jun , Irie Hanna Y.
Published: March 2024

Figure S3 shows validation of Proximity Ligation Assay to detect protein ubiquitination
Ensino de iluminação: análise comparativa do panorama internacional e nacional por meio de revisão sistemática de literatura
Authors: Sousa Juliana Andrade Borges de , Daltrozo Jenifer Godoy , Amorim Claudia Naves David , Martau Betina Tschiedel
Published: March 2024

Ante los avances científicos relacionados con la luz y com la iluminación en la arquitectura, es cada vez más importante considerar el papel de la instrucción de estos conceptos, especialmente a aquellos que trabajan o que van a trabajar en ocupaciones relacionadas con el entorno construido. Este artículo tiene como objetivo promover la comprensión del panorama general de la educación en iluminación, centrándose especialmente en la educación superior. La investigación se basa en una revisión sistemática de la literatura dividida en dos secciónes contexto internacional y nacional. La investigación se realizó en las bases de datos Scopus, Web of Science, Scielo y Periódicos Capes. Los resultados permitieron identificar categorías teóricas comunes, que reflejan los temas abordados en los artículos: análisis sobre educación en iluminación, informe de experiencia en la enseñanza, y evaluaciones de la calidad de la educación en iluminación. A partir de esas categorias, se identificaron problemas y desafíos relacionados con el tema, tales como: dificultad para establecer el contenido básico a enseñar y para integrarlo con la práctica del diseño, deficiencias de aprendizaje, y necesidad de promover habilidades multidisciplinares en los estudiantes. Al comparar las diferentes realidades, fue posible establecer diferencias y similitudes en el enfoque y en los objetivos de la enseñanza, así como identificar temas que aún no se discuten en las investigaciones sobre educación en iluminación en el contexto brasileño.
Conservação, eleição e projetação de mobiliário urbano em praças históricas do Rio Grande do Sul
Authors: Miranda Adriana Eckert
Published: March 2024

Os processos de requalificação de praças em centros históricos tombados enfrentam dificuldades diversas para o encaminhamento de suas ações. Dentre essas ações se encontram, necessariamente, a tomada de decisão sobre a conservação, eleição e/ou a projetação de mobiliário urbano. Isso porque, para além do valor histórico, esse tipo de espaço público detém características intrínsecas à cidade e região a que pertence, tais como aspectos de identidade, memória e cultura. Este trabalho sobre as iniciativas de conservação, eleição e projetação de mobiliário urbano parte da discussão de autores que tratam do objeto mobiliário urbano e sua inserção em centros históricos. A discussão é ampliada nas Cartas Patrimoniais, que abordam espaços públicos históricos e a inclusão de mobiliário urbano como patrimônio cultural. A seguir, são analisados casos de duas praças históricas em perímetros tombados no Rio Grande do Sul que passaram por requalificação, bem como a definição do seu mobiliário urbano a partir de diferentes abordagens do problema. Assim, esses casos contribuíram com diferentes resultados. Verificamos, pela discussão e análise de casos, que é fundamental uma pesquisa bibliográfica e documental que embase a elaboração de diretrizes tanto para as permanências (conservação) quanto para as novas inserções do mobiliário urbano (eleição e projetação).