bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Complex erosional response to uplift and rock strength contrasts in transient river systems crossing an active normal fault revealed by 10Be and 26Al cosmogenic nuclide analyses
Authors: Boulton Sarah J. , Rodés Ángel , Fabel Derek , Alçiçek M. Cihat , Whittaker Alexander C.
Published: February 2024

Understanding the influence of bedrock lithology on the catchment‐averaged erosion rates of normal fault‐bounded catchments and the effect that different bedrock erodibilties have on the evolution of transient fluvial geomorphology remain major challenges. To investigate this problem, we collected 18 samples for 10Be and 26Al cosmogenic nuclide analysis to determine catchment‐averaged erosion rates along the well‐constrained Gediz Fault system in western Türkiye, which is experiencing fault‐driven river incision owing to a linkage event ~0.8 Ma and has weak rocks overlying strong rocks in the footwall. Combined with existing cosmogenic data, we show that the background rate of erosion of the pre‐incision landscape can be constrained as <92 mMyr−1, and erosion rates within the transient reach vary from 16 to 1330 mMyr−1. Erosion rates weakly scale with unit stream power, steepness index and slip rate on the bounding fault, although erosion rates are an order of magnitude lower than slip rates. However, there are no clear relationships between erosion rate and relief or catchment slope. Bedrock strength is assessed using Schmidt hammer rebound and Selby Rock Mass Strength Assessments; despite a 30‐fold difference in erodibility, there is no difference in the erosion rate between strong and weak rocks. We argue that, for the Gediz Graben, the strong lithological contrast affects the ability of the river to erode the bed, resulting in a complex erosional response to uplift along the graben boundary fault. Weak covariant trends between erosion rates and various topographic factors potentially result from incomplete sediment mixing or pre‐existing topographic inheritance. These findings indicate that the erosional response to uplift along an active normal fault is a complex response to multiple drivers that vary spatially and temporally.
Pharmacist‐led intervention to reduce inappropriate continuation of targeted medications initiated in the acute care setting at hospital and ICU discharge
Authors: Patel Nandini , Dannemiller Robert E. , Kovacevic Mary P. , Dube Kevin M. , Lupi Kenneth E. , Blum Rachel C. , Crowley Kaitlin E.
Published: February 2024

Pharmacist‐led interventions may reduce the inappropriate continuation of acid‐suppressive agents and antipsychotics temporarily initiated in the intensive care unit (ICU), but limited data exist for other medications. This study evaluated the impact of a pharmacist‐led intervention on the number of medications inappropriately continued upon ICU and hospital discharge. This was a single‐center, pre‐post intervention analysis conducted in the medical and surgical ICUs at a tertiary academic medical center. The pre‐ and post‐intervention groups included adults who were newly initiated on medications used for stress ulcer prophylaxis, delirium, agitation, wakefulness, sedation, and insomnia from December 1, 2021 to January 31, 2022 and December 12, 2022 to February 13, 2023, respectively. In the post‐intervention group, pharmacists identified patients who were newly initiated on a medication of interest and documented in patients' charts via an electronic handoff tool utilizing a standardized template. The appropriateness of those medications was assessed daily, and pharmacists intervened when necessary. The number of medications inappropriately continued at ICU and hospital discharge and ICU and hospital lengths of stay were compared. Overall, 399 encounters were included in the final analysis, and a total of 459 medications were newly initiated in the ICU. There was no significant difference in the number of medications inappropriately continued at hospital discharge [22 (8.4%) vs. 10 (5.1%); p = 0.17]. Significantly fewer medications were inappropriately continued at ICU discharge in the post‐intervention group [85 (32.3%) vs. 37 (18.9%); p < 0.01]. The median ICU length of stay was significantly greater in the post‐intervention group [4 (2–8) vs. 2 (1–6) days; p < 0.01]. No significant difference was found in the median hospital length of stay [14 (7–26.5) vs. 16 (9–33.75) days; p = 0.08]. Use of an electronic handoff tool was associated with a significant reduction in the number of medications inappropriately continued at ICU discharge.
A comparative economic analysis of industrial fisheries targeting small pelagic fish in Mauritanian waters: Free license versus charter regime
Authors: Ball Abou Ciré , Kane Elimane Abou , Brehmer Patrice
Published: February 2024

Industrial fisheries targeting small pelagic fish have significant socio‐economic implications for North West African countries. This study examines the economic performance of fleets operating in Mauritania's exclusive economic zone under the free license and chartering systems. Using national production data from 1989 to 2010 and economic indicator ratios from European pelagic fishing vessels, we assess the economic performance of pelagic fisheries over one decade. Our findings show that vessel characteristics have rapidly evolved, with free‐licenced vessels having a higher average fishing capacity than chartered vessels. The nominal number of free licenses increased from under 8% in 1995; the year of free licencing began in Mauritania, to over 80% in 2010. The estimated average economic output for 2000–2010 was US$ 231 million, with free licenses contributing over 80% of the total turnover (US$ 187 million). Vessels operating under free licenses made a greater contribution to wealth creation than the chartering regime. Foreign ship owners generated US$ 40.7 million (22%) in income, while chartering yielded US$ 3.6 million (8%). However, the chartering regime was more fiscally advantageous, contributing over 68% of pelagic fisheries tax revenues (estimated at over US$ 29 million). The small pelagic fishery has been subject to a system of total allowable catches and fishing quotas since 2015. This study provides insights into the economic dynamics of the small pelagic fishery, informing decision‐making and potential strategies to enhance the sector's performance and overall economic impact.
Genetic and acquired sucrase‐isomaltase deficiency: A clinical review
Authors: Danialifar Tanaz Farzan , Chumpitazi Bruno P. , Mehta Devendra I. , Di Lorenzo Carlo
Published: February 2024

Genetic sucrase‐isomaltase deficiency (GSID) is an inherited deficiency in the ability to digest sucrose and potentially starch due to mutations in the sucrase‐isomaltase (SI) gene. Congenital sucrase‐isomaltase deficiency is historically considered to be a rare condition affecting infants with chronic diarrhea as exposure to dietary sucrose begins. Growing evidence suggests that individuals with SI variants may present later in life, with symptoms overlapping with those of irritable bowel syndrome. The presence of SI genetic variants may, either alone or in combination, affect enzyme activity and lead to symptoms of different severity. As such, a more appropriate term for this inherited condition is GSID, with a recognition of a spectrum of severity and onset of presentation. Currently, disaccharidase assay on duodenal mucosal tissue homogenates is the gold standard in diagnosing SI deficiency. A deficiency in the SI enzyme can be present at birth (genetic) or acquired later, often in association with damage to the enteric brush‐border membrane. Other noninvasive diagnostic alternatives such as sucrose breath tests may be useful but require further validation. Management of GSID is based on sucrose and potentially starch restriction tailored to the individual patients' tolerance and symptoms. As this approach may be challenging, additional treatment with commercially available sacrosidase is available. However, some patients may require continued starch restriction. Further research is needed to clarify the true prevalence of SI deficiency, the pathobiology of single SI heterozygous mutations, and to define optimal diagnostic and treatment algorithms in the pediatric population.
Optimization of Zwitterionic Polymers for Cell Cryopreservation
Authors: Kato Yui , Uto Takuya , Ishizaki Takeru , Tanaka Daisuke , Ishibashi Kojiro , Matsuda Yuya , Onoda Issei , Kobayashi Akiko , Hazawa Masaharu , Wong Richard W. , Takahashi Kenji , Hirata Eishu , Kuroda Kosuke
Published: February 2024

Cryopreservation techniques are valuable for the preservation of genetic properties in cells, and the development of this technology contributes to various fields. In a previous study, an isotonic freezing medium composed of poly(zwitterion) (polyZI) has been reported, which alleviates osmotic shock, unlike typical hypertonic freezing media. In this study, the primitive freezing medium composed of emerging polyZI is optimized. Imidazolium/carboxylate‐type polyZI (VimC3C) is the optimal chemical structure. The molecular weight and degree of ion substitution (DSion) are not significant factors. There is an impediment with the primitive polyZI freezing media. While the polyZI forms a matrix around the cell membrane to protect cells, the matrix is difficult to remove after thawing, resulting in low cell proliferation. Unexpectedly, increasing the poly(VimC3C) concentration from 10% to 20% (w/v) improves cell proliferation. The optimized freezing medium, 20% (w/v) poly(VimC3C)_DSion(100%)/1% (w/v) NaCl aqueous solution, exhibited a better cryoprotective effect.
Effects of green supplier integration and development in competing supply chains
Authors: Guo Yu , Bai Chunguang , Sun Minghe
Published: February 2024

This work develops a Cournot game model to study two competing supply chains, each consisting of one manufacturer and one supplier, producing and selling substitutable green products. The manufacturers decide whether to adopt the green supplier integration (GSI) strategy and the green supplier development (GSD) investment level to improve the product greenness degree. The interaction between the GSD decisions and the GSI strategies are analyzed with different manufacturer GSD capacities and market greenness sensitivity. The results indicate that the manufacturer with a higher GSD capacity will always adopt the GSI strategy to maximize GSD investment level or profit, and the manufacturer with a lower GSD capacity decides whether to adopt the GSI strategy by comparing the GSD capacities of the two manufacturers. The game model is extended from dedicated sourcing to diversified sourcing and hybrid sourcing to obtain optimal sourcing options jointly reached by the two manufacturers. Under these extensions, the GSI strategy always leads to higher GSD investment levels, and adopting the GSI strategies by both manufacturers becomes the only Nash equilibrium strategy combination. Manufacturers choose different sourcing options by judging the difference in their GSD capacities under different criteria, and choose hybrid sourcing when their GSD capacity gap is sufficiently large in a weakly competitive market.
Impacts of background wind on the interactions between urban breeze circulation and convective cells: Ensemble large‐eddy simulations
Authors: Hong Seong‐Ho , Jin Han‐Gyul , Baik Jong‐Jin
Published: February 2024

Urban breeze is produced by the temperature difference between urban and surrounding rural areas, and its interactions with other atmospheric phenomena are of great interest. In this study, the impacts of background wind on the interactions between urban breeze circulation (UBC) and convective cells are numerically investigated. For this, a large number of idealized ensemble simulations are performed using the Weather Research and Forecasting‐large‐eddy simulation model, where the initial background wind speed varies from 0 to 5 m·s−1 in 0.5 m·s−1 intervals. As the background wind speed increases, the location of the strongest updraft moves from the urban center to the downwind boundary of the urban area. This is associated with different interactions between the UBC and convective cells under different background wind speeds. For no background wind, the UBC is relatively strong and its center is located at the urban center, producing a strong updraft there. Convective cells are advected toward the UBC center and merge with the strong updraft, further intensifying it. For weak background wind, the UBC is relatively weak and its center is located near the downwind urban boundary. Convective cells passing the urban area merge with each other and intensify, and after they pass the downwind urban boundary, the strong vertical wind shear in the right part of the UBC tilts and weakens them. For strong background wind, the UBC is very weak and convective cells are advected mainly by the strong background wind. These changes in the characteristics of convective cells in and around the urban area with background wind speed may lead to the changes in the preferred location of cloud initiation and cloud development.
Accurate cell type annotation for single‐cell chromatin accessibility data via contrastive learning and reference guidance
Authors: Li Siyu , Tang Songming , Wang Yunchang , Li Sijie , Jia Yuhang , Chen Shengquan
Published: February 2024

Recent advances in single‐cell chromatin accessibility sequencing (scCAS) technologies have resulted in new insights into the characterization of epigenomic heterogeneity and have increased the need for automatic cell type annotation. However, existing automatic annotation methods for scCAS data fail to incorporate the reference data and neglect novel cell types, which only exist in a test set. Here, we propose RAINBOW, a reference‐guided automatic annotation method based on the contrastive learning framework, which is capable of effectively identifying novel cell types in a test set. By utilizing contrastive learning and incorporating reference data, RAINBOW can effectively characterize the heterogeneity of cell types, thereby facilitating more accurate annotation. With extensive experiments on multiple scCAS datasets, we show the advantages of RAINBOW over state‐of‐the‐art methods in known and novel cell type annotation. We also verify the effectiveness of incorporating reference data during the training process. In addition, we demonstrate the robustness of RAINBOW to data sparsity and number of cell types. Furthermore, RAINBOW provides superior performance in newly sequenced data and can reveal biological implication in downstream analyses. All the results demonstrate the superior performance of RAINBOW in cell type annotation for scCAS data. We anticipate that RAINBOW will offer essential guidance and great assistance in scCAS data analysis. The source codes are available at the GitHub website (BioX‐NKU/RAINBOW).
Land cover, stream discharge, and wastewater effluent impacts on baseflow sediment and nutrient concentrations in SW Ohio streams
Authors: Spahr Rachel E. , Lazar Jeffrey A. , Grudzinski Bartosz P. , Fisher Thomas J.
Published: February 2024

Elevated nutrient and suspended sediment concentrations often result in negative environmental impacts within freshwater environments. Studies that directly compare suspended sediment and bioavailable nutrients between predominantly agricultural and predominantly urban watersheds during baseflow conditions are largely lacking. The purpose of this study was to determine the impacts of land cover, stream discharge, and wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) discharge on nutrient and sediment concentrations, across a large land cover gradient in Southwest Ohio streams. Weekly baseflow samples were collected from eight streams over 1 year from November, 2016 through November, 2017. Total suspended sediment, nitrate, and phosphate concentrations were measured. Results indicate that agricultural land cover and WWTPs increase nitrate and phosphate concentrations in the study area. Total suspended sediment and nitrate concentrations increased with discharge, and discharge was a relatively weak predictor of phosphate concentrations. Seasonal water quality trends varied by parameter and land use also had unique impacts on seasonal water quality trends. Results suggest that to improve water quality in the study area, efforts should focus on improving WWTP effluent treatment and agricultural land management.
Distribution analysis of adult and larval Calopteryx japonica using unmanned aerial vehicle acquired water temperature distribution
Authors: Niwa Hideyuki , Kanaya Tsuyoshi
Published: February 2024

In rivers, water temperature has a significant impact on aquatic organisms. Thermal infrared sensors mounted on unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), which can measure surface temperatures over an area with high spatial resolution, provide new ways to investigate river water temperatures. Therefore, we analyzed the high‐spatial‐resolution water temperature distribution acquired by UAV as an environmental factor affecting Calopteryx japonica inhabiting the river. The study site was a 9‐km section of the Sasayama River in the Kako River system, Japan. Adult and larval C. japonicas were counted walking along the water's edge. The water temperature distribution was determined by taking UAV photographs in August, when river temperatures were estimated to be the highest of the year, and in February, when river temperatures were estimated to be the lowest in the study area. The number of adult and larval C. japonicas were used as the objective variable, and water temperature, vegetation, and water area classification were used as variables in RandomForest analysis. These findings are consistent with existing research on C. japonica ecology. The analysis revealed that the water temperature distribution acquired by UAV can be used as an environmental factor in the analysis of aquatic organisms. This method has the potential to be applied to the analysis of other aquatic organisms.
A Cyclical Magneto‐Responsive Massage Dressing for Wound Healing
Authors: Zhu Meng , Hu Zihe , Liu Nian , Yao Ke , Hong Gaoying , Li Yuanrong , Chen Yuewei , He Honghui , Wu Wenzhi , Zhou Yanyan , Shi Jue , He Yong
Published: February 2024

Tissue development is mediated by a combination of mechanical and biological signals. Currently, there are many reports on biological signals regulating repair. However, insufficient attention is paid to the process of mechanical regulation, especially the active mechanical regulation in vivo, which has not been realized. Herein, a novel dynamically regulated repair system for both in vitro and in vivo applications is developed, which utilizes magnetic nanoparticles as non‐contact actuators to activate hydrogels. The magnetic hydrogel can be periodically activated and deformed to different amplitudes by a dynamic magnetic system. An in vitro skin model is used to explore the impact of different dynamic stimuli on cellular mechano‐transduction signal activation and cell differentiation. Specifically, the effect of mechanical stimulation on the phenotypic transition of fibroblasts to myofibroblasts is investigated. Furthermore, in vivo results verify that dynamic massage can simulate and enhance the traction effect in skin defects, thereby accelerating the wound healing process by promoting re‐epithelialization and mediating dermal contraction.
Integrative analysis of tepotinib forced degradation: Combining in‐silico and liquid chromatography‐quadrupole time‐of‐flight‐tandem mass spectrometry approaches for structural elucidation
Authors: Mahajan Rupali , Bishnani Aman , Sapkal Rekha , Dikundwar Amol G. , Gananadhamu Samanthula , Asthana Amit
Published: February 2024

The present research aimed to comprehensively investigate the forced degradation of tepotinib through a combined in‐silico and experimental analysis. Tepotinib is a recently approved drug for metastatic non‐small cell lung cancer. A short and precise ultra‐high‐performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC) method utilizing a CSH C18 column (100 × 2.1 mm, 1.7 μm) was developed, using a mobile phase A as 0.1% formic acid and mobile phase B as HPLC‐grade acetonitrile. The flow rate was set at 0.2 mL/min, and detection was carried out at 260 nm. Forced degradation was carried out under acidic, basic, oxidative, and photolytic environments and also virtually with Zeneth software. Structural characterization of degradation products (DPs) was carried out using hyphenated techniques such as LC‐quadrupole time‐of‐flight‐tandem mass spectrometry in positive electrospray ionization mode. Further, toxicity was assessed with Derek and Sarah software. Analysis revealed the formation of five distinct forced DPs: DP‐1 (m/z 511), DP‐2 (m/z 527), DP‐3 (m/z 525), DP‐4 (m/z 512), and DP‐5 (m/z 509) under experimental conditions and eight in Zeneth prediction. Furthermore, nephrotoxicity alerts were observed for DP‐3 and DP‐5, whereas DP‐3 also showed mutagenicity alerts. This integrated blend of in‐silico and real experimental analyses was found to be effective in quality control for routing monitoring of degradation products of tepotinib.
Scaffolds with a Tunable Nonlinear Elastic Region Using a Corrugated Design
Authors: van Kampen Kenny A. , ten Brink Tim , Mota Carlos , Moroni Lorenzo
Published: February 2024

Elastin is the main component of arteries and is responsible for their high‐elastic high‐strain capacity. The biomechanics of biological tissues typically display a stress–strain curve characterized by a sigmoidal shape that has an initial region with low stress and high strain. Studies aimed at mimicking such biomechanical behavior focus on improving the synthesis of elastin or replicating elastin behavior, which proves to be a continuous challenge. Alternatively, scaffolds' architecture can potentially mimic the sigmoidal stress–strain curve of tissues. Hence, the aim of this study was to replicate the stress–strain curve of a carotid artery using a tailorable corrugated design. Results showed that the corrugated design unfolded during extension without generating significant stress and displayed a sigmoidal stress–strain curve that could be controlled depending on the corrugation features. Editing the amount of fibers resulted in a different Young's modulus, while the amplitude of the fibers and the amount of repeating units influenced the initial nonlinear region of the stress–strain curve. Scaffolds made of poly(ε‐caprolactone) (PCL) and poly(ethylene oxide terephthalate)/poly(butylene terephthalate (PEOT/PBT) were compared to determine the applicability of the design principles to different biodegradable polymers that normally do not have the same biomechanical behavior of soft tissues like arteries. The optimized designs had a similar stress–strain curve within the physiological range as porcine arteries. The corrugated design can serve as a biomimicry approach for vascular grafts or an alternative to vascular stents.
Tools that Talk: Scaffolding Dialogic Instruction Through Close Reading of Informational Text
Authors: Mariage Troy V. , Hicks Elizabeth A. , Reiley Sarah , Dabo Arfang
Published: February 2024

This article describes a comprehensive framework (iDISC) for the close reading of informational texts for elementary students that may need additional language, social, memory, or behavioral supports. The article introduces concrete tools that are used before, during, and after close reading, including cue‐cards, language stems, discussion behaviors, anchor posters, and graphic organizers. The tools provide teachers with instructional scaffolds that can support their students to undertake more educative discussions with peers.
Which wind turbine types are needed in a cost‐optimal renewable energy system?
Authors: Hodel Henrik , Göransson Lisa , Chen Peiyuan , Carlson Ola
Published: February 2024

Previous research has indicated that wind power plants can be designed to have less‐variable power generation, thereby mitigating the drop in economic value that typically occurs at high wind power penetration rates. This study investigates the competitiveness of adapted turbine design and the interplay with other flexibility measures, such as batteries and hydrogen storage, for managing variations. The analysis covers seven turbine designs for onshore and offshore wind generation, with different specific power ratings and hub heights. Various flexibility measures (batteries, hydrogen storage and transmission expansion) are included in the optimization of investment and dispatch of the electricity system of northern Europe. Three driving forces for turbine design selection are identified: (1) lowest cost of electricity generation; (2) annual wind production per land area and (3) improved generation profile of wind power. The results show that in regions with good wind resources and limited availability of variation management, it is cost‐efficient to reduce the variability of wind power production by adapting the turbine design. This remains the case when variation management is available in the form of batteries, hydrogen storage and transmission system expansion. Moreover, it is more cost‐effective to improve variability by changing the specific power rating rather than the turbine hub height.
Hunting constrains wintering mallard response to habitat and environmental conditions
Authors: Highway Cory J. , Blake‐Bradshaw Abigail G. , Masto Nicholas M. , Keever Allison C. , Feddersen Jamie C. , Hagy Heath M. , Combs Daniel L. , Cohen Bradley S.
Published: February 2024

The spatiotemporal allocation of activity is fundamental to how organisms balance energetic intake and predation risk. Activity patterns fluctuate daily and seasonally, and they are proximately affected by exogenous and endogenous conditions. For birds, flight activity is often necessary for relocating between foraging patches but is energetically expensive and can increase mortality risk. Hunted species may have to adjust their behavior and activity patterns to minimize anthropogenic mortality risk. We used hourly locations from 336 GPS‐marked mallards Anas platyrhynchos to examine how hunting pressure affected flight activity in response to weather conditions and habitat availability during winter in western Tennessee, USA. Mallards were more likely to fly during crepuscular times, particularly dusk, across winter months. Mallards conducted more flights after shooting hours when habitat availability increased during open hunting season; conversely, mallard flights decreased with increasing habitat availability when hunters were present on the landscape. Mallards were least active during periods open to hunting. However, indicators of approaching inclement weather (i.e. increased wind speed, precipitation, and decreasing barometric pressure) increased flights during periods open to hunting. Mallard flights decreased at lower temperatures except when hunting season was closed, wherein mallards increased nighttime flights. Flight activity was directly influenced by hunting disturbance which constrained when and how mallards reacted to environmental and habitat conditions. An understanding of the temporal shifts in waterfowl flight patterns can be used by natural resource managers to better manage stakeholder satisfaction and expectations.
Combining animal interactions and habitat selection into models of space use: a case study with white‐tailed deer
Authors: Ellison Natasha , Potts Jonathan R. , Strickland Bronson K. , Demarais Stephen , Street Garrett M.
Published: February 2024

Animals determine their daily movement trajectories in response to a network of ecological processes, including interactions with other organisms, their memories of previous events, and the changing environment. These combine to cause the emergent space use patterns observed over longer periods of time, such as a whole season. Understanding which processes cause these patterns to emerge, and how, requires a process‐based modelling approach. Individual‐based decisions can be described as a system of partial‐differential equations (PDEs) to produce a dynamic description of space use built from the underlying movement process. Here we combine PDE‐based models with step‐selection analysis to investigate the combined effects of three established ecological processes that partially shape movement and space use: 1) a heterogeneous environment; 2) the environmental markings of moving conspecifics; and 3) the memory of direct interactions with conspecifics. We apply this framework to a large GPS‐based dataset of white‐tailed deer Odocoileus virginianus in the southeastern US. We fit models at the population level to provide predictive models, then tailor these to fit individual deer. We specifically incorporate relationships between each possible pair of deer and define each animal's responses to their unique local environments using separate integrated step‐selection analyses. We show how individual movements and decisions yield emergent patterns in animal distributions, and we provide a full generalised description of the framework so that it may be applied to any species simultaneously responding to multiple potentially interacting stimuli (e.g. sociality, morphology, etc.). We found that the population of bucks had highly varied preferences for vegetation, but were shaping their space use in response to conspecific interactions, dependent on the individual relationships between two deer. We advocate for increased consideration of individual‐based movement rules as determinants of realized animal space use, and particularly how these affect emergent distributions of entire species.
Exponential stability of piezoelectric beams with delay and second sound
Authors: Lv Mengxian , Wang Junmin , Yang Jing
Published: February 2024

In this paper, we consider a fully‐dynamic piezoelectric beam model subjected to a magnetic effect, where the heat flux is given by Cattaneo's law. It is well known that, in the absence of delay, the dissipation produced by the heat conduction is strong enough to make the piezoelectric beams exponentially stable. However, time delay effects may destroy this behavior. Here, we show the existence and uniqueness of solutions through the semigroup theory. Furthermore, under a smallness condition on the delay, we prove an exponential stability result via establishing the appropriate Lyapunov functional. Finally, we numerically illustrate the asymptotic behavior of the solution.
Designing a Marketplace to Exchange AI Models for Industry 5.0
Authors: Nizamis Alexandros , Schlake Georg , Siachamis Georgios , Dimitriadis Vasileios , Patsonakis Christos , Beecks Christian , Ioannidis Dimosthenis , Votis Konstantinos , Tzovaras Dimitrios
Published: February 2024

Nowadays, the market for AI services is continuously growing and it is expected to exceed 5 trillion euros in the next 5 years. However, the sharing of knowledge is primarily achieved by the sharing of published AI-related papers. The sharing of the trained AI/ML models is still in its infancy stage and in some domains it does not even exist. In this chapter, a marketplace for exchanging AI models related to smart manufacturing and Industry 5.0 domains is introduced. The proposed AI Marketplace consists of a semantic-based repository that manages the AI models, a blockchain-based framework that adds the business logic and web-based user interfaces that enable models’ exploration and sharing, and transactions among the stakeholders. The purpose of this chapter is to present the implementation details of this AI Model Marketplace by highlighting the key concepts and technologies used along with the main supported functionalities. By using such a marketplace, the manufacturing companies are able to capitalize in a large variety of AI models to solve various problems enabling intelligent, flexible, and cost-effective production.
BPS fivebrane stars. Part I. Expectation values of observables
Authors: Martinec Emil J. , Zigdon Yoav
Published: February 2024

Abstract

We study ensembles of 1/2-BPS bound states of fundamental strings and NS-fivebranes (NS5-F1 states) in the AdS decoupling limit. We revisit a solution corresponding to an ensemble average of these bound states, and find that the appropriate duality frame for describing the near-source structure is the T-dual NS5-P frame, where the bound state is a collection of momentum waves on the fivebranes. We find that the fivebranes are generically well-separated; this property results in the applicability of perturbative string theory. The geometry sourced by the typical microstate is not close to that of an extremal non-rotating black hole; instead the fivebranes occupy a ball whose radius is parametrically much larger than the “stretched horizon” scale of the corresponding black hole. These microstates are thus better characterized as BPS fivebrane stars than as small black holes.

When members of the ensemble spin with two fixed angular potentials about two orthogonal planes, we find that the spherical ball of the non-rotating ensemble average geometry deforms into an ellipsoid. This contrasts with ring structures obtained when fixing the angular momenta instead of the angular potentials; we trace this difference of ensembles to large fluctuations of the angular momentum in the ensemble of fixed angular potential.
Collisions between kinks with long-range tails: a simple and efficient method
Authors: Campos João G. F. , Mohammadi Azadeh
Published: February 2024

Abstract

We construct initial configurations for the scattering between kinks with long-range tails. For this purpose, we exploit kink solutions in the presence of Bogomol’nyi-Prasad-Sommerfield (BPS)-preserving impurities. This approach offers a highly efficient method and effortless implementation with a negligible computational cost. Our algorithm has a much smaller complexity than the usual minimization method, becoming more than a hundred times faster in some scenarios. Consequently, conducting kink-antikink simulations becomes remarkably straightforward.
Investigating the applicability domain of the hiPSC-based PluriLum assay: an embryotoxicity assessment of chemicals and drugs
Authors: Treschow Andreas Frederik , Valente Maria João , Lauschke Karin , Holst Bjørn , Andersen Anders Reenberg , Vinggaard Anne Marie
Published: February 2024

To meet the growing demand for developmental toxicity assessment of chemicals, New Approach Methodologies (NAMs) are needed. Previously, we developed two 3D in vitro assays based on human-induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSC) and cardiomyocyte differentiation: the PluriBeat assay, based on assessment of beating differentiated embryoid bodies, and the PluriLum assay, a reporter gene assay based on the expression of the early cardiac marker NKX2.5; both promising assays for predicting embryotoxic effects of chemicals and drugs. In this work, we aimed to further describe the predictive power of the PluriLum assay and compare its sensitivity with PluriBeat and similar human stem cell-based assays developed by others. For this purpose, we assessed the toxicity of a panel of ten chemicals from different chemical classes, consisting of the known developmental toxicants 5-fluorouracil, all-trans retinoic acid and valproic acid, as well as the negative control compounds ascorbic acid and folic acid. In addition, the fungicides epoxiconazole and prochloraz, and three perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), PFOS, PFOA and GenX were tested. Generally, the PluriLum assay displayed higher sensitivity when compared to the PluriBeat assay. For several compounds the luminescence readout of the PluriLum assay showed effects not detected by the PluriBeat assay, including two PFAS compounds and the two fungicides. Overall, we find that the PluriLum assay has the potential to provide a fast and objective detection of developmental toxicants and has a level of sensitivity that is comparable to or higher than other in vitro assays also based on human stem cells and cardiomyocyte differentiation for assessment of developmental toxicity.
Defining Relations for Minimal Unitary Quantum Affine W-Algebras
Authors: Adamović Dražen , Kac Victor G. , Möseneder Frajria Pierluigi , Papi Paolo
Published: February 2024

We prove that any unitary highest weight module over a universal minimal quantum affine W-algebra at non-critical level descends to its simple quotient. We find the defining relations of the unitary simple minimal quantum affine W-algebras and the list of all their irreducible positive energy modules. We also classify all irreducible highest weight modules for the simple affine vertex algebras in the cases when the associated simple minimal W-algebra is unitary.
Average-Case Speedup for Product Formulas
Authors: Chen Chi-Fang , Brandão Fernando G. S. L.
Published: February 2024

Quantum simulation is a promising application of future quantum computers. Product formulas, or Trotterization, are the oldest and still remain an appealing method to simulate quantum systems. For an accurate product formula approximation, the state-of-the-art gate complexity depends on the number of terms in the Hamiltonian and a local energy estimate. In this work, we give evidence that product formulas, in practice, may work much better than expected. We prove that the Trotter error exhibits a qualitatively better scaling for the vast majority of input states, while the existing estimate is for the worst states. For general k-local Hamiltonians and higher-order product formulas, we obtain gate count estimates for input states drawn from any orthogonal basis. The gate complexity significantly improves over the worst case for systems with large connectivity. Our typical-case results generalize to Hamiltonians with Fermionic terms, with input states drawn from a fixed-particle number subspace, and with Gaussian coefficients (e.g., the SYK models). Technically, we employ a family of simple but versatile inequalities from non-commutative martingales called uniform smoothness, which leads to Hypercontractivity, namely p-norm estimates for k-local operators. This delivers concentration bounds via Markov’s inequality. For optimality, we give analytic and numerical examples that simultaneously match our typical-case estimates and the existing worst-case estimates. Therefore, our improvement is due to asking a qualitatively different question, and our results open doors to the study of quantum algorithms in the average case.
Confirmation of negative urine culture status after appropriate antibiotic treatment prior to endourological stone procedures: Is it really necessary?
Authors: Sahin Cahit , Sobay Resul , Asik Alper , Sahinler Emre Burak , Yildirim Salih , Kul Kamil , Sarica Kemal
Published: February 2024

To evaluate the necessity of confirmation for a negative urine culture test outcome after an appropriate antibiotic regimen for urinary tract infection (UTI) prior to endoscopic stone removal procedures. 170 cases receiving an appropriate antibiotic treatment for culture proven UTI based on test outcomes before endoscopic stone removal were evaluated in two groups: Group 1 (n = 85) Patients in whom a second urine culture test was performed to ensure “negative urine culture” status prior to the procedures after receiving antibiotic therapy and Group 2 (n = 85). Patients receiving the same antibiotic therapy without any additional urine culture test before the procedures. Cases were comparatively evaluated with respect to the statistical significance of post-operative infective complications (fever, sepsis), duration of hospital stay and readmission rates during early post-operative period. Our findings demonstrated no significant difference regarding the rate of infective complications (presence of fever, incidence of septic findings), hospitalization period and readmission rates between the two groups. Although the presence of a negative urine status has been confirmed by urine culture test in group 1 cases, no additional urine culture test was performed with this aim in group 2 cases (negative urine culture was confirmed only with urinalysis) and the outcomes regarding the infective problems were found to be similiar. Our current findings indicate that a second urine culture test may not be a “must” if the patients receive an appropriate antibiotic regimen based on the sensitivity test outcomes for a reasonable time period.
A Hu-Washizu variational approach to self-stabilized quadrilateral Virtual Elements: 2D linear elastodynamics
Authors: Lamperti Andrea , Cremonesi Massimiliano , Perego Umberto , Russo Alessandro , Lovadina Carlo
Published: February 2024

A recent mixed formulation of the Virtual Element Method in 2D elastostatics, based on the Hu-Washizu variational principle, is here extended to 2D elastodynamics. The independent modeling of the strain field, allowed by the mixed formulation, is exploited to derive first order quadrilateral Virtual Elements (VEs) not requiring a stabilization (namely, self-stabilized VEs), in contrast to the standard VEs, where an artificial stabilization is always required for first order quads. Lumped mass matrices are derived using a novel approach, based on an integration scheme that makes use of nodal values only, preserving the correct mass in the case of rigid-body modes. In the case of implicit time integration, it is shown how the combination of a self-stabilized stiffness matrix with a self-stabilized lumped mass matrix can produce excellent performances both in the compressible and quasi-incompressible regimes with almost negligible sensitivity to element distortion. Finally, in the case of explicit dynamics, the performances of the different types of derived VEs are analyzed in terms of their critical time-step size.
A comprehensive exploration of deep learning approaches for pulmonary nodule classification and segmentation in chest CT images
Authors: Canayaz Murat , Şehribanoğlu Sanem , Özgökçe Mesut , Akıncı M. Bilal
Published: February 2024

Accurately determining whether nodules on CT images of the lung are benign or malignant plays an important role in the early diagnosis and treatment of tumors. In this study, the classification and segmentation of benign and malignant nodules on CT images of the lung were performed using deep learning models. A new approach, C+EffxNet, is used for classification. With this approach, the features are extracted from CT images and then classified with different classifiers. In other phases of the study, a segmentation between benign and malignant was performed and, for the first time, a comparison of nodes was made during segmentation. The deep learning models InceptionV3, DenseNet121, and SeResNet101 were used as backbone models for feature extraction in the segmentation phase. In the classification phase, an accuracy of 0.9798, a precision of 0.9802, a recognition of 0.9798, an F1 score of 0.9798, and a kappa value of 0.9690 were achieved. During segmentation, the highest values of 0.8026 Jacard index and 0.8877 Dice coefficient were achieved.
The dual role of autophagy in the regulation of cancer treatment
Authors: Kwantwi Louis Boafo
Published: February 2024

As a catabolic process, autophagy through lysosomes degrades defective and damaged cellular materials to support homeostasis in stressful conditions. Therefore, autophagy dysregulation is associated with the induction of several human pathologies, including cancer. Although the role of autophagy in cancer progression has been extensively studied, many issues need to be addressed. The available evidence suggest that autophagy shows both cytoprotective and cytotoxic mechanisms. This dual role of autophagy in cancer has supplied a renewed interest in the development of novel and effective cancer therapies. Considering this, a deeper understanding of the molecular mechanisms of autophagy in cancer treatment is crucial. This article provides a summary of the recent advances regarding the dual and different mechanisms of autophagy-mediated therapeutic efficacy in cancer.
Sustained exposure to Helicobacter pylori induces immune tolerance by desensitizing TLR6
Authors: Zhang Xiulin , He Yang , Zhang Xiaolu , Fu Bo , Song Zidai , Wang Liang , Fu Rui , Lu Xuancheng , Xing Jin , Lv Jianyi , Guo Meng , Huo Xueyun , Liu Xin , Lu Jing , Du Xiaoyan , Ge Zhongming , Chen Zhenwen , Li Changlong
Published: February 2024

Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori, Hp) has been designated a class I carcinogen and is closely associated with severe gastric diseases. During colonization in the gastric mucosa, H. pylori develops immune escape by inducing host immune tolerance. The gastric epithelium acts as the first line of defense against H. pylori, with Toll-like receptors (TLRs) in gastric epithelial cells being sensitive to H. pylori components and subsequently activating the innate immune system. However, the mechanism of immune tolerance induced by H. pylori through the TLR signalling pathway has not been fully elucidated. In this research, we detected the expression of TLRs and inflammatory cytokines in GES-1 cells upon sustained exposure to H. pylori or H. pylori lysate from 1 to 30 generations and in Mongolian gerbils infected with H. pylori for 5 to 90 weeks. We found that the levels of TLR6 and inflammatory cytokines first increased and then dropped during the course of H. pylori treatment in vitro and in vivo. The restoration of TLR6 potentiated the expression of IL-1β and IL-8 in GES-1 cells, which recruited neutrophils and reduced the colonization of H. pylori in the gastric mucosa of gerbils. Mechanistically, we found that persistent infection with H. pylori reduces the sensitivity of TLR6 to bacterial components and regulates the expression of inflammatory cytokines in GES-1 cells through TLR6/JNK signaling. The TLR6 agonist obviously alleviated inflammation in vitro and in vivo. Promising results suggest that TLR6 may be a potential candidate immunotherapy drug for H. pylori infection.
The Structure of Arguments from Deontic Authority and How to Successfully Attack Them
Authors: Araszkiewicz Michał , Koszowy Marcin
Published: February 2024

Despite increasing interest in studying arguments from deontic authority of the general form “(1) $$\delta$$
δ
is a deontic authority in institution $$\varOmega$$
Ω
; (2) according to $$\delta$$
δ
, I should do $$\alpha$$
α
, C: therefore, (3) I should do $$\alpha$$
α
”, the state of the art models are not capable of grasping their complexity. The existing sets of critical questions assigned to this argumentation scheme seem to conflate two problems: whether a person is subject to an authority of an institution in the first place and whether the command issued within the context of a particular institution is eventually binding. For this reason, we introduce (1) a set of Basic Critical Questions to scrutinize the former issue, and (2) a set of more detailed questions related to specific features, also referred to as “parameters”, of institutional environments (Intra-Institutional Critical Questions). We identify major elements of institutional environments in which authoritative utterances are made and the crucial parameters of arguments from deontic authority. The selected evidence from the decisions of the Polish Supreme Administrative Court helps us show how these parameters may be used to reconstruct subtypes of this argument scheme, with their associated sets of critical questions. In specific institutional contexts, such detailed schemes are capable of grasping the complexity of appeals to deontic authority and thus should be used rather than general schemes. The reconstruction of argumentation schemes with critical questions shows how particular arguments may successfully be attacked.