bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Mitochondrial impairment, decreased sirtuin activity and protein acetylation in dorsal root ganglia in Friedreich Ataxia models
Authors: Sanz-Alcázar Arabela , Britti Elena , Delaspre Fabien , Medina-Carbonero Marta , Pazos-Gil Maria , Tamarit Jordi , Ros Joaquim , Cabiscol Elisa
Published: December 2023

Friedreich ataxia (FA) is a rare, recessive neuro-cardiodegenerative disease caused by deficiency of the mitochondrial protein frataxin. Mitochondrial dysfunction, a reduction in the activity of iron-sulfur enzymes, iron accumulation, and increased oxidative stress have been described. Dorsal root ganglion (DRG) sensory neurons are among the cellular types most affected in the early stages of this disease. However, its effect on mitochondrial function remains to be elucidated. In the present study, we found that in primary cultures of DRG neurons as well as in DRGs from the FXNI151F mouse model, frataxin deficiency resulted in lower activity and levels of the electron transport complexes, mainly complexes I and II. In addition, altered mitochondrial morphology, indicative of degeneration was observed in DRGs from FXNI151F mice. Moreover, the NAD+/NADH ratio was reduced and sirtuin activity was impaired. We identified alpha tubulin as the major acetylated protein from DRG homogenates whose levels were increased in FXNI151F mice compared to WT mice. In the mitochondria, superoxide dismutase (SOD2), a SirT3 substrate, displayed increased acetylation in frataxin-deficient DRG neurons. Since SOD2 acetylation inactivates the enzyme, and higher levels of mitochondrial superoxide anion were detected, oxidative stress markers were analyzed. Elevated levels of hydroxynonenal bound to proteins and mitochondrial Fe2+ accumulation was detected when frataxin decreased. Honokiol, a SirT3 activator, restores mitochondrial respiration, decreases SOD2 acetylation and reduces mitochondrial superoxide levels. Altogether, these results provide data at the molecular level of the consequences of electron transport chain dysfunction, which starts negative feedback, contributing to neuron lethality. This is especially important in sensory neurons which have greater susceptibility to frataxin deficiency compared to other tissues.
Bleaching threatens positive carbonate budgets on Bahraini reefs
Authors: AlMealla Reem K. , Edullantes Brisneve , Hepburn Leanne J.
Published: December 2023

Bleaching events impact coral reef functionality and carbonate budget dynamics, which is reflected in reduced reef framework accretion, hindering reef ability to keep pace with sea-level rise projections. Reefs in the Arabian Gulf exist in harsh environmental conditions with seasonal temperatures ranging between 16 and 36 °C. Despite the high thermal thresholds (~ 35 °C) of corals in this region, extensive bleaching and high coral mortality have been reported regionally in 2017. We quantify reef carbonate budgets at a near shore and an offshore reef site in Bahrain pre-bleaching in May 2017 and post-bleaching in May 2018 to assess the impacts of the 2017 severe bleaching event on the budgetary state. Results indicate an overall decrease in hard coral cover from 14.2 ± 5.5 to 8.5 ± 1.4% and a decline in the net carbonate budget state from 3.6 ± 2.2 to 0.3 ± 0.3 kg CaCO3 m−2 year−1 at the shallow nearshore Fasht Al Adhm reef indicating a shift from a positive budgetary state to net neutral, while the deeper offshore Reef Bul Thamah has increased positively from 3.7 ± 1.2 to 4.2 ± 0.6 kg CaCO3 m−2 year−1. We attribute the decline in the nearshore reef to the bleaching event which took place between July and October 2017, resulting in high coral mortality rates and subsequent reduced framework carbonate production. Predicted warming trends present a threat to the structural integrity of shallow Bahraini reefs, compromising their ability to keep pace with future sea-level rise projections.
Large intradiploic arachnoid cyst of the skull in child—a case report and new terminology proposition
Authors: Drożdż Adrian , Wojciechowski Tomasz , Ciszek Bogdan , Stopa Zygmunt
Published: December 2023

We present a rare finding of the arachnoid matter invaginating into the base of middle cranial fossa and creating an abnormal space. Presented entity was incidentally found in head CT scan of 12-year-old male. Based on the radiological characteristics in CT scans and MR images, the diagnosis of intradiploic arachnoid cyst (AC) was suggested. After surgical intervention and histopathological analysis of the specimen, the diagnosis was confirmed. We assume this is the first description of large intrasphenoid AC without any traumatic or iatrogenic cause. The literature provides many different terms for the phenomenon. We are proposing the term intradiploic arachnoid diverticulum as the more accurate for capturing the essence of the phenomenon. It provides clear differentiation of the entities from classical arachnoid cysts since they are of different anatomical localization (intradural vs. extradural) and etiopathogenesis. Management with arachnoid diverticulum is not yet established, but observation with serial imaging studies should be recommended as primary management in case of asymptomatic cyst. When cyst is symptomatic, surgical treatment may be required.
Folate deficiency modifies the risk of CIN3+ associated with DNA methylation levels: a nested case–control study from the ASCUS-COL trial
Authors: Agudelo María C. , Agudelo Samuel , Lorincz Attila , Ramírez Arianis Tatiana , Castañeda Kelly Melisa , Garcés-Palacio Isabel , Zea Arnold H. , Piyathilake Chandrika , Sanchez Gloria Ines
Published: December 2023

Purpose

To our knowledge, there are very few studies evaluating if the levels of folate modify the risk of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 2 and higher (CIN2+ and CIN3+) associated with the levels of HPV genome methylation, two cofactors related to single carbon metabolism and independently associated with cervical cancer in previous studies. We conducted a case–control study nested in a three-arm randomized clinical pragmatic trial (ASCUS-COL trial) to evaluate the risk of CIN3+ associated with methylation levels according to serum folate concentrations.

Methods

Cases (n = 155) were women with histologically confirmed CIN2+ (113 CIN2, 38 CIN3, and 4 SCC) and controls were age and follow-up time at diagnosis-matched women with histologically confirmed ≤ CIN1 (n = 155), selected from the 1122 hrHPV + women of this trial. The concentrations of serum folate were determined by the radioimmunoassay SimulTRAC-SNB-VitaminB12/Folate-RIAKit and the methylation levels by the S5 classifier. Stepwise logistic regression models were used to estimate the association between folate or methylation levels and CIN2+ or CIN3+. The joint effect of folate levels and methylation on the risk of CIN3+ was estimated using combinations of categorical stratifications.

Results

Folate levels were significantly lower in women with CIN3+ than in other diagnostic groups (p = 0.019). The risk of CIN3+ was eight times higher (OR 8.9, 95% CI 3.4–24.9) in women with folate deficiency and high methylation levels than in women with normal folate and high methylation levels (OR 1.4, 95% CI 0.4–4.6).

Conclusion

High methylation and deficient folate independently increased the risk of CIN3+ while deficient folate combined with high methylation was associated with a substantially elevated risk of CIN3+.
Efficacy and safety of V-Loc™ barbed sutures versus conventional suture techniques in gynecological surgery: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Hafermann Juliane , Silas Ubong , Saunders Rhodri
Published: December 2023

Purpose

One of the most challenging tasks in laparoscopic gynecological surgeries is suturing. Knotless barbed sutures are intended to enable faster suturing and hemostasis. We carried out a meta-analysis to compare the efficacy and safety of V-Loc™ barbed sutures (VBS) with conventional sutures (CS) in gynecological surgeries.

Methods

We systematically searched PubMed and EMBASE for studies published between 2010 and September 2021 comparing VBS to CS for OB/GYN procedures. All comparative studies were included. Primary analysis and subgroup analyses for the different surgery and suturing types were performed. Primary outcomes were operation time and suture time; secondary outcomes included post-operative complications, surgical site infections, estimated blood loss, length of stay, granulation tissue formation, and surgical difficulty. Results were calculated as weighted mean difference (WMD) or risk ratio (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) with a random effects model, and a sensitivity analysis for study quality, study size, and outlier results was performed. PROSPERO registration: CRD42022363187.

Results

In total, 25 studies involving 4452 women undergoing hysterectomy, myomectomy, or excision of endometrioma. VBS were associated with a reduction in operation time (WMD – 17.08 min; 95% CI – 21.57, – 12.59), suture time (WMD – 5.39 min; 95% CI – 7.06, – 3.71), surgical site infection (RR 0.26; 95% CI 0.09, 0.78), estimated blood loss (WMD – 44.91 ml; 95% CI – 66.01, – 23.81), granulation tissue formation (RR 0.48; 95% CI 0.25, 0.89), and surgical difficulty (WMD – 1.98 VAS score; 95% CI – 2.83, – 1.13). No difference between VBS and CS was found regarding total postoperative complications or length of stay. Many of the outcomes showed high heterogeneity, likely due to the inclusion of different surgery types and comparators. Most results were shown to be robust in the sensitivity analysis except for the reduction in granulation tissue formation.

Conclusion

This meta-analysis indicates that V-Loc™ barbed sutures are safe and effective in gynecological surgeries as they reduce operation time, suture time, blood loss, infections, and surgical difficulty without increasing post-operative complications or length of stay compared to conventional sutures.
An agent-based heuristics optimisation model for production scheduling of make-to-stock connector plates manufacturing systems
Authors: Madi Faris , Al-Bazi Ammar , Buckley Steve , Smallbone John , Foster Karl
Published: December 2023

The manufacturing systems’ success directly relates to their accurate, reliable and flexible schedules, including how production is planned and scheduled and which constraints are considered in generating the schedules. The study's objective arises from the need to generate an optimal production scheduling system in a connecting plates manufacturing company that works on a Make-To-Stock basis. This research investigates the impact of demand and operational constraints on production schedules, including the facility capacity, operators and machines availability, raw materials availability, inventory level and warehouse capacity. A multi-agent-based optimisation model is developed to face the complexity of considering demand and operational constraints and reflects their impact on generating a reliable production schedule. This model involves a proposed heuristic algorithm that considers demand and operations constraints in such a manufacturing environment and optimises the production schedule based on these restrictions/requirements. A real-life case study based on a connecting plates manufacturer company is used as a test bench of the proposed agent-based heuristic optimisation model. The proposed algorithm is compared with other related approaches to check its superiority based on key criteria, including inventory levels, missed/unsatisfied orders and total production time. Results show that the proposed heuristics algorithm reduced the number of missed orders by 34% compared with similar approaches.
Bias dependence in statistical random telegraph noise analysis based on nanoscale CMOS ring oscillators
Authors: Ramazanoglu Semih , Michalowska-Forsyth Alicja , Deutschmann Bernd
Published: December 2023

Random Telegraph Noise (RTN) is one of the major reliability concerns in nanoscale complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) technologies. In this paper, we discuss the characterization of RTN in 40 nm CMOS technology using Ring Oscillators (ROSCs). We used different types of ROSCs to study the temporal and spectral characteristics of the RTN. We conducted measurements on one of the arrays with 128 identical ROSC cells. These results enabled statistical characterization of the RTN amplitude strength and its frequency characteristics in different supply voltage variations from 0.5 V to 0.7 V. At power supply of 0.65 V, dominant and observable RTN amplitude above 0.37%$$\Delta f/f_{\text{mean}}$$Δf/fmeanis found in 60% of cells in the array. Further, the capture and emission time constant$$\tau_{e//c}$$τe//ccan be extracted from the measurements, the values observed ranging from 0.2 $$\upmu$$μs to 10 ms.
In-vitro digestibility and methane gas emission of indigenous and introduced grasses in the rangeland ecosystems of south eastern Kenya
Authors: Maweu Annastacia Nduku , Bebe Bockline Omedo , Kuria Simon Gichuru , Kashongwe Olivier Basole
Published: December 2023

Various grass species with high biomass yield and low moisture demand have been introduced in the rangelands of Kenya to realize increased ruminant productivity that could not be achieved with the low quality of the indigenous grasses. However, this intervention ignores the different methane emission of the indigenous and introduced grasses, a necessary consideration for realizing increased productivity while minimizing greenhouse gas emissions. This study determined in-vitro digestibility and methane emission of three indigenous grasses: Eragrostis superba (E. superba), Cenchrus ciliaris (C. ciliaris), Enteropogon macrostachyus (E. macrostachyus) and two introduced grasses (two varieties of Chloris gayana; Boma rhodes and Extozi rhodes. Samples of these five grasses (whole plant above ground) were collected from established pasture plots in South Eastern rangelands of Kenya. The grass samples were collected at bloom stage using one-meter square quadrats for proximate analysis and determination of neutral detergent fiber (NDF), acid detergent lignin (ADL) and acid detergent fiber (ADF) using AOAC (1990) methods. On average, relative to the indigenous grasses, the introduced grasses were higher in crude protein (74.05 g Kg-1 dry matter (DM) vs. 52.11 g Kg-1 DM), organic matter digestibility 62.7% vs 53.6%) and in NDF (712.7 g Kg-1 DM vs. 708.0 g Kg-1 DM), metabolizable energy (16.35 vs 12.90 MJ/kg DM), methane emission (25.61 ml vs 15.93 ml) but with lower in-vitro-dry matter digestibility 54.24% vs 58.12%. Methane production positively correlated with crude protein, NDF, metabolizable energy, ADF and in-vitro organic matter digestibility. Hence, utilizing the introduced grasses to boost cattle production would achieve increased productivity but a point of concern are the higher methane emissions, not to mention the ecosystem change caused by the introduction of new species, which should affect the sustainability of the rangeland ecosystem.
Education governance and digitization: Inherent conflicts and potential safeguards for a new social contract
Authors: Patil Lara
Published: December 2023

This article highlights inherent conflicts between technology industry incentives and a new social contract for education, while arguing for safeguards to mitigate the risk of technology industry engagement in education governance. Business strategies often utilize economies of scale, standardization, and internationalization to maximize profits. These strategies are diametrically opposed to education as a public endeavor and as a reflection of humanity’s diverse ways of knowing and being in various local contexts. Technology industry strategies tend to emphasize the disruption of sectors and encourage entrepreneurialism and innovation with an emphasis on outputs, measurement, and impact. These strategies often recast the “good” of education from public to private returns. While appropriate engagement of non-state technology actors in education governance can offer solutions in support of global education goals and a new social contract for education, I argue that such mobilization is multi-sided, simultaneously pushing through innovative, yet untested, education agendas. The article identifies potential risks to systems of public education and reflects upon safeguards, which fall into two main categories: issues of transparency, accountability and legitimacy; and issues of technology management and governance. Proactively addressing inherent conflicts and potential safeguards, I argue, is a key step to identifying ways to strengthen motivations for corporations to forge meaningful long-term investment in a new social contract for education and for the development of education governance structures that are equitable and democratic.
Linking metacercariae and adults of Microphallus basodactylophallus (Digenea: Microphallidae), based on larval stages from ctenophores and adult parasites from aquatic birds found in Mexico
Authors: Aldama-Prieto Yeraldin , Navarro-Serralde Jorge L. , Ruíz Enrico Alejandro , Sereno-Uribe Ana L. , García-Varela Martín
Published: December 2023

Members of the genus Microphallus Ward, 1901, are endoparasites mainly of birds and mammals distributed worldwide. Unencysted metacercariae of Microphallus sp., were collected from the mesoglea of ctenophores of the genus Pleurobrachia Fleming; adult digeneans were recovered from the intestines of Eudocimus albus Linnaeus (Threskiornithidae) and Buteogallus urubitinga Gmelin (Accipitridae), in four locations from southeastern Mexico. Adult specimens were identified as M. basodactylophallus (Bridgman, 1969) based on the following features: body pyriform entirely covered by minute spines, prepharynx short, oesophagus very long, caeca short and widely divergent, testes slightly symmetrical and excretory vesicle short and V-shaped. Sequences from D1–D3 domain of the large subunit of ribosomal DNA (LSU) were generated, aligned, and compared with those of congeneric species available in GenBank. Phylogenetic analyses indicated that the metacercariae and adults formed a clade together with an isolate identified as M. basodactylophallus from Florida, USA (GenBank: AY220628). The intraspecific genetic divergence among isolates was low ranged from 0.0% to 0.6%, allowing the link between the two stages of the life cycle. We observed phenotypic plasticity in the morphological traits of M. basodactylophallus adults in definitive hosts (mammals and birds) throughout the distribution, which ranged from the USA to southeastern Mexico. Finally, the unencysted metacercariae identified as M. basodactylophallus represent the first report of a microphallid in ctenophores.
On parabolic subgroups of Artin groups
Authors: Möller Philip , Paris Luis , Varghese Olga
Published: December 2023

Given an Artin group AΓ, a common strategy in the study of AΓ is the reduction to parabolic subgroups whose defining graphs have small diameter, i.e., showing that AΓ has a specific property if and only if all “small” parabolic subgroups of AΓ have this property. Since “small” parabolic subgroups are the building blocks of AΓ one needs to study their behavior, in particular their intersections. The conjecture we address here says that the class of parabolic subgroups of AΓ is closed under intersection. Under the assumption that intersections of parabolic subgroups in complete Artin groups are parabolic, we show that the intersection of a complete parabolic subgroup with an arbitrary parabolic subgroup is parabolic. Further, we connect the intersection behavior of complete parabolic subgroups of AΓ to fixed point properties and to automatic continuity of AΓ using Bass–Serre theory and a generalization of the Deligne complex.
A novel prognostic model for predicting patient survival and immunotherapy responsiveness in hepatocellular carcinoma: insights into the involvement of T-cell proliferation
Authors: Tang Shengjie , Sun Rui , Tang Kechao , Wei Xiang , Liu Ming , Zhang Huabing
Published: December 2023

Background

The cancer-associated biological mechanisms and the implementation of immunotherapy are heavily impacted by the activities of T cells, consequently influencing the effectiveness of therapeutic interventions. Nevertheless, the mechanistic actions of T-cell proliferation in response to immunotherapy and the overall prognosis of individuals diagnosed with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains insufficiently understood. The present work seeks to present a comprehensive analysis immune landscape in the context of HCC.

Methods

To achieve this objective, both clinical data and RNA sequencing data were acquired from authoritative databases such as The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO).

Results

Through the utilization of consensus clustering techniques, distinct molecular subtypes associated with T-cell proliferation were delineated. Following this, seven genes of prognostic significance were identified via a combination of Cox and Lasso regression analyses. By integrating these genes into a prognostic signature, the predictive capability of the model was verified through an examination of internal and external datasets. Moreover, immunohistochemistry and qRT-PCR tests have verified the reliability of prognostic markers. Notably, the high-risk group exhibited elevated expression of immune checkpoint genes as well as higher benefit in terms of drug sensitivity testing, as determined by the Chi-square test (P < 0.001). The risk score derived from the prognostic signature depicted considerable efficacy in predicting the survival outcomes of HCC cases.

Conclusions

Overall, prognostic markers may become valuable predictive tool for individuals diagnosed with HCC, allowing for the prediction of their prognosis as well as the assessment of their immunological condition and response to immunotherapy.
Unlocking the Potential of Participatory Planning: How Flexible and Adaptive Governance Interventions Can Work in Practice
Authors: Hakiman Kamran , Sheely Ryan
Published: December 2023

The past two decades have witnessed the rapid diffusion of participatory planning models, including Community-Driven Development and Participatory Budgeting. Despite enormous funding outlays, studies paint a mixed picture about whether and when these programs “work” to improve welfare, governance, or social change. To better understand these questions, our paper takes an in-depth approach to understanding the sub-national application of a single participatory planning intervention implemented across Northern Kenya, using qualitative process tracing to understand the mechanisms operating across five counties. Our findings suggest the potential for participatory planning interventions to succeed is contingent on three factors which are insufficiently understood by both practitioners and academics. (1) At the institutional level, participatory planning interventions need to address genuine governance gaps by fulfilling functions that are not met by formal or informal institutions. (2) The rule-based design of participatory institutions often requires adaptation at the sub-national level in response to contextual factors, and the success of this adaptation mediates whether rules function as intended. (3) Ground-level implementers exercise far more discretion than officially recognized during implementation, suggesting they function as a poorly understood source of variation between and within programs.
Reinforcement learning as data-driven optimization technique for GMAW process
Authors: Mattera Giulio , Caggiano Alessandra , Nele Luigi
Published: December 2023

Welding optimization is a significant task that contributes to enhancing the final welding quality. However, the selection of an optimal combination of various process parameters poses different challenges. The welding geometry and quality are influenced differently by several process parameters, with some exhibiting opposite effects. Consequently, multiple experiments are typically required to obtain an optimal welding procedure specification (WPS), resulting in the waste of material and costs. To address this challenge, we developed a machine learning model that correlates the process parameters with the final bead geometry, utilizing experimental data. Additionally, we employed a reinforcement learning algorithm, namely stochastic policy optimization (SPO), with the aim to solve different optimization tasks. The first task is a setpoint‐based optimization problem that aims to find the process parameters that minimize the amount of deposited material while achieving the desired minimum level of penetration depth. The second task is an optimization problem without setpoint in which the agent aims to maximize the penetration depth and reduce the bead area. The proposed artificial intelligence-based method offers a viable means of reducing the number of experiments necessary to develop a WPS, consequently reducing costs and emissions. Notably, the proposed approach achieves better results with respect to other state-of-art metaheuristic data-driven optimization methods such as genetic algorithm. In particular, the setpoint‐based optimization problem is solved in 8 min and with a final mean percentage absolute error (MPAE) of 2.48% with respect to the 42 min and the final 3.42% of the genetic algorithm. The second optimization problem is also solved in less time, 30 s with respect to 6 min of GA, with a higher final reward of 5.8 from the proposed SPO algorithm with respect to the 3.6 obtained from GA.
Assessing reliability and validity of the Chinese version of Crown–Crisp experience index and its application in coal miners
Authors: Cai Fulin , Xue Sheng , Zhang Mei , Zhang Jing , Chen Xiufeng , Bao Yi , Li Yaqiang
Published: December 2023

In China, coal miners are the primary workforce in coal mining, and among all patients with occupational diseases, 90% suffer from pneumoconiosis. Therefore, the psychological problems resulting from the dual pressures of occupational stress and the high risk of occupational diseases among coal miners are significant factors that affect the development of physical and mental health and even production safety. The Crown–Crisp Experience Index (CCEI) is a multidimensional questionnaire that assesses the psychological state of patients. This study aims to test reliability and validity of Chinese version of the CCEI questionnaire using factor analysis, and apply it to coal miners. We recruited a total of 900 participants from different occupational stages in coal mining, including active miners, Coal Workers’ Pneumoconiosis (CWP) patients, and retired miners, to evaluate the reliability and validity of the Chinese version of the CCEI questionnaire. A questionnaire survey was conducted on three groups of 1000 individuals each, including active coal miners, retired coal miners, and pneumoconiosis patients, to determine the detection rate of psychological problems in each group. An analysis was performed for each group to explore the primary factors influencing anxiety. The exploratory factor analysis yielded six principal components that accounted for a total of 79.389% of variances. The confirmatory factor analysis showed that the Chi-square freedom ratio (χ2/df) was 1.843, the root mean square error approximation was less than 0.044, and the comparative fit index was 0.938 and Tucker–Lewis index (TLI) was 0.934. The Cronbach's alpha coefficient was 0.948, and the scale-level content validity index (S-CVI) was 0.88. Effective questionnaires were obtained from 98.5%, 96.9%, to 91.0% of pneumoconiosis patients, active miners, and retired miners, respectively, with the incidence rates of psychological problems being 21%, 35.8%, and 13.6%, respectively. Compared with retired miners, active miners showed higher levels of psychological problems in the dimensions of depressive symptoms, free-floating anxiety and somatic symptoms, whereas pneumoconiosis patients had higher levels of psychological problems in the dimensions of phobic anxiety and somatic symptoms. This study demonstrates that the Chinese version of the CCEI is highly reliable and valid and can be used as a screening tool to measure patients' anxiety and fear levels in coal minders. Miners face distinct psychological challenges at different stages and require targeted screening and interventions.
Advances in nuclear detection and readout techniques
Authors: He Rui , Niu Xiao-Yang , Wang Yi , Liang Hong-Wei , Liu Hong-Bang , Tian Ye , Zhang Hong-Lin , Zou Chao-Jie , Liu Zhi-Yi , Zhang Yun-Long , Yang Hai-Bo , Huang Ju , Wang Hong-Kai , Han Wei-Jia , Cao Bei , Chen Gang , Dai Cong , Duan Li-Min , Fan Rui-Rui , Fu Fang-Fa , Guo Jian-Hua , Han Dong , Jiang Wei , Li Xian-Qin , Li Xin , Li Zhuo-Dai , Liang Yu-Tie , Liao Shun , Lin De-Xu , Liu Cheng-Ming , Liu Guo-Rui , Liu Jun-Tao , Long Ze , Niu Meng-Chen , Qiu Hao , Ran Hu , Sun Xiang-Ming , Wang Bo-Tan , Wang Jia , Wang Jin-Xiang , Wang Qi-Lin , Wang Yong-Sheng , Xia Xiao-Chuan , Xie Hao-Qing , Yang He-Run , Yin Hong , Yuan Hong , Zhang Chun-Hui , Zhao Rui-Guang , Zheng Ran , Zhao Cheng-Xin
Published: December 2023

“A Craftsman Must Sharpen His Tools to Do His Job,” said Confucius. Nuclear detection and readout techniques are the foundation of particle physics, nuclear physics, and particle astrophysics to reveal the nature of the universe. Also, they are being increasingly used in other disciplines like nuclear power generation, life sciences, environmental sciences, medical sciences, etc. The article reviews the short history, recent development, and trend of nuclear detection and readout techniques, covering Semiconductor Detector, Gaseous Detector, Scintillation Detector, Cherenkov Detector, Transition Radiation Detector, and Readout Techniques. By explaining the principle and using examples, we hope to help the interested reader underst and this research field and bring exciting information to the community.
Development of aluminum composite reinforced with selected agricultural residues
Authors: Osunmakinde L. , Asafa T. B. , Agboola P. O. , Durowoju M. O.
Published: December 2023

The use of agricultural residue has been considered an economic and environmentally friendly approach for development of aluminium composites. In this study, Al powder (Al) was reinforced with coconut shell ash (CSA), rice husk ash (RHA), and cassava peel ash (CPA) for enhanced physicomechanical performance of the resulting composites. Five samples (Ao–Al, A1–Al + 15RHA, A2–Al + 5CSA + 5RHA + 5CPA, A3–Al + 15CPA, and A4–Al + 15RHA) were prepared in a two-step stir-casting technique and characterized based on physical, mechanical and metallurgical properties. Microstructural analysis revealed that all the particles bonded well with the aluminum alloy. The densities of samples A1, A2, A3, and A4 reduced by 4.78%, 7.75%, 11.44%, and 14.76%, respectively compared to the control sample Ao while porosities rose by 2.1%, 2.23%, 2.56%, and 2.98% respectively. Sample A2 has the highest tensile strength (39.84 MPa) and hardness (120 HBR) which denote 33.60% and 64.27% enhancement compared to the unreinforced sample. These observations can be attributed to the presence of intermetallic compounds such as Fe3Si and Al6Fe present in the composites as well as uniformly distributed and strongly bounded reinforcement within the aluminum matrix. The composite made from the combination of the three reinforcements gave the best physicomechanical properties and therefore recommended for engineering applications.
Prospect of immunotherapy alone in patients with advanced NSCLC with high btmb: a review and a meta-analysis
Authors: Zhao Feiyu , Qiu Xiaochen , Yang Qinna , Gao Shuyue , Yang Fan , Qian Niansong
Published: December 2023

Lung cancer is the most prevalent cancer in the world, and the main treatment for advanced non-small cell lung cancer is immunotherapy combined with chemotherapy. In recent years, bTMB has received increasing attention as an emerging metric for monitoring the efficacy of tumour immunotherapy in terms of its operability, accessibility and real-time nature. We envisaged whether immunotherapy alone could be used to reduce the side effects of chemotherapy in patients with high bTMB lung cancer. We thus did a meta-analysis in order to show that immunotherapy alone is feasible in patients with high bTMB NSCLC.

Methods This study aims to compare the efficacy of PD- 1/PD-L1 inhibitors (namely, atezolizumab, pembrolizumab, nivolumab, or tislelizumab) versus chemotherapy in NSCLC patients. The search for relevant studies was conducted in three major databases (i.e., PubMed, Embase, and Medline) up until January 2023. Specifically, we identified studies that reported risk ratios (HRs) for reporting progression-free survival (PFS) or overall survival (OS), or objective remission rates (ORs) for immunotherapy alone versus chemotherapy in high bTMB and low bTMB patient groups. Given that NSCLC represents the predominant type of lung cancer, we exclusively focused on this subtype. Our analysis encompassed a meta-analysis of the identified literature, incorporating heterogeneity analysis and sensitivity analysis. The quality of the evidence is evaluated using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) approach to ascertain the reliability and robustness of the findings.

Result-We conducted a meta-analysis of seven randomised controlled trials including 4,755 patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) evaluated the efficacy of PD- 1 or PD-L1 monotherapy compared to chemotherapy alone. All patients were randomized to receive either PD- 1/PD-L1 treatment alone or chemotherapy alone as a control. In the high bTMB patient group, PD- 1/PD-L1 monotherapy resulted in significant improvements in overall survival (HR = 0.55, 95% CI 0.49–0.61, p = 0.77) and progression-free survival (HR = 0.74, 95% CI 0.68–0.81, p = 0.78) compared to chemotherapy alone. Conversely, in the low bTMB patient group, PD- 1 monotherapy or PD-L1 monotherapy failed to demonstrate significant improvements in overall survival (HR = 0.82, 95% CI 0.73–0.92, p = 0. 13) and progression-free survival (HR = 1.22, 95% CI 1.22- 1.45, p = 0.003) in advanced NSCLC.

Conclusion Our analysis suggests that monotherapy with immunotherapy is a feasible option for patients with advanced NSCLC and high bTMB. However, the results have to be construed with caution because of the small sample size and the potential bias in the studies included. Therefore, further research with larger sample sizes and rigorous study designs is necessary to confirm the observed benefits of immunotherapy in this patient population.
A Domain Knowledge Transformer Model for Occupation Profiling
Authors: Ai Zhou , Yijia Zhang , Mingyu Lu
Published: December 2023

Occupation profiling is a subtask of authorship profiling that is broadly defined as an analysis of individuals’ writing styles. Although the problem has been widely explored, no previous studies have attempted to identify Chinese classical poetry. Inspired by Trudgill’s seminal work on stylistic variation as a function of occupation, we present a novel Domain-Knowledge Transformer model to predict a poet’s occupation through their poems’ writing styles. Different from other Indo-European languages, Chinese has rarely used characters and two types of writing forms: traditional Chinese and simplified Chinese. To tackle these problems, we use the language-related component to standardize our input. We also use alphabetization to satisfy the restrictions on rhyming rules and tonal styles. As a special literal form, traditional domain knowledge, for example, named entities, themes, ages and the official career path, is valuable for poet occupation profiling. However, due to the lack of appropriate annotation datasets, it is difficult to recognize these features. Therefore, we proposed the domain knowledge component employing the latent Dirichletal location model to capture the extra theme information and establish named entity dictionaries to recognize the named entity of the datasets in this study. Finally, in the deep learning component, we combine Transformer with a convolutional neural network (CNN) model to perform occupation profiling. The experimental results suggest that our model is effective in this task. Moreover, the results demonstrate an account of other social attribution features of poetry style that are predictive of occupation in this domain.
Ritualized into adulthood: the scarcity of youth-focused rites of passage in America
Authors: Burrow Heather Marie
Published: December 2023

This paper compares the physical, social, psychological, and legal developmental milestones experienced by youth that demonstrate their gradual ‘passage’ into young adulthood to the existing communal rites that celebrate these milestone transitions. This comparison shows the scarcity of such vital rite celebrations in contemporary America. Instead, there has been a switch to age-focused ritualization activities for youth becoming adults. This has led to an ineffective and unfulfilling coming-of-age experience for many. Self-oriented or group-oriented rites have emerged to meet the current felt need that are enacted by youth themselves. This has created a lack of a solid sense of adult identity and contributes to the formation of a new life-stage known as “emerging adulthood.” Considering the potential for transformative rites, I argue we need to construct new ways of acknowledging and ritualizing the important transitions youth experience, utilizing the already existing developmental milestones they experience as our basis.
The Economics of Fishing
Authors: Hannesson Rögnvaldur
Published: December 2023

The fishing industry's critical dependence on the natural environment makes it very different from other economic sectors. How it can optimally exploit a common resource while ensuring its sustainability raises many economic challenges. This book, suitable for undergraduate and postgraduate courses on fisheries economics and management, provides an introduction to the economics of the fishing industry and the role of fisheries in the world economy.

The book's primary focus is on capture fisheries, although the discussion brings in wider aquaculture for comparative analysis. The key economic concepts that drive the industry, most notably sustainable yield, are explained in detail, before examining how the industry puts them into practice in a complex regulatory environment. The variability of fish stocks is considered and case studies of some spectacular stock crashes are discussed. The law of the sea is explained and how the movement of fish stocks across ocean boundaries has created regulatory bodies to manage international fisheries. At the heart of this management lies the quota system and the book outlines how it works and how, controversially, such quotas have become transferable.

The book offers readers a comprehensive and rigorous guide to the economic considerations motivating the industry and highlights the environmental challenges facing the sector as global consumption of fish continues to rise.
Response to George Qiao's Review of Uncertainty in the Empire of Routine: The Administrative Revolution of the Eighteenth-Century Qing State
Authors: Dykstra Maura
Published: December 2023

A review published in this journal claims that my first academic monograph, Uncertainty in the Empire of Routine: The Administrative Revolution of the Eighteenth-Century Qing State (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Asia Center, 2022), fails to meet “basic academic standards” (George Zhijian Qiao, “Was There an Administrative Revolution? Review Essay on Maura Dykstra, Uncertainty in the Empire of Routine: The Administrative Revolution of the Eighteenth-Century Qing State,” Journal of Chinese History (2023), doi:10.1017/jch.2023.19). The reviewer makes this remarkable claim not by demonstrating any egregious or particularly damning fault, but rather with an argument of preponderance, claiming that the book contains “hundreds of errors” (2). The review also contains several dubious and disturbing arguments about what constitutes good history. The flaws of those larger methodological and historiographical assertions are serious and compelling enough that they must be treated at length, separately. In this, my initial response to the review, I will constrain myself to rebutting the reviewer's false claims that the book is full of errors and that I have committed academic malfeasance.
Dynamics of elongated bubbles in slightly inclined pipes with viscous fluids
Authors: Boucher Alexandre , Karp Joel , Belt Roel , Liné Alain
Published: December 2023

In this work, the relationship between the velocity of an elongated bubble and its shape is investigated, in the case where the elongated bubble flows in a viscous liquid initially at rest in a pipe. The velocity, expressed as a Froude number, depends on the angle of the inclined pipe, the Eötvös number and the buoyancy Reynolds number. The diameter of the pipe and the surface tension being fixed, the Eötvös number remains constant; this study focuses on the dependence of the velocity on the pipe inclination angle and the viscosity of the liquid. The velocity of the elongated bubble was measured for different angles between 0 and 15 degrees and for liquid viscosities 10 to 200 times that of water. As the velocity of elongated bubbles depends closely on their shape, shadowgraphy coupled with particle image velocimetry was used. The results show that the velocity of the elongated bubbles is highly sensitive to the inclination angle of the pipe and to the viscosity of the liquid, particularly for low pipe inclinations and large viscosities. In the layer of liquid located downstream of the elongated bubble, laminar flow develops rapidly in the liquid, resulting from a balance between gravity and friction at the wall. The identification of the position of the stagnation point close to the nose of the elongated bubble and the curvature of the interface at this point helps to explain why the velocity of the elongated bubble decreases for low angles and high viscosities.
The transfer of vineyard ownership during the French Revolution: A pivotal event in the history of French wine
Authors: Phillips Rod
Published: December 2023

In 1790, the Revolutionary government expropriated most property owned by the Church and its entities, and sold it by auction. This effectively ended the centuries-old participation of the Church in wine production in France. Focusing on Burgundy, this article sketches the contours of the sale of vineyards and other wine-related property owned by the Church. It shows that auctions fetched prices well above the assessed value of the properties that were sold and speculates on the reasons.
DEMOCRATIC STATE, AUTOCRATIC METHOD: THE REFORM OF HUMAN RIGHTS LAW IN THE UNITED KINGDOM
Authors: Amos Merris
Published: December 2023

On 22 June 2022 the Bill of Rights Bill to replace the Human Rights Act 1998 was introduced to the United Kingdom (UK) Parliament. Just over a year later, it was withdrawn. This was not a minor update, as claimed by the Conservative government, but a wholesale revision of a fundamental feature of UK constitutional arrangements. Given that the UK has no codified constitution, it is not out of the ordinary for constitutional change to proceed via ordinary Act of Parliament. But what was unusual was the informal methods used by the government in its attempt to push through its bill of rights. Searching for a word or phrase to capture what happened over this time in the UK is difficult, not only because of the absence of a conventional method for constitutional change. Most scholarship focuses on formal rather than informal processes for amendment. The purpose of this article is therefore to make a contribution towards filling this gap by introducing the phrase ‘autocratic method’ to describe a particular method of constitutional change as opposed to its substance. Using existing scholarship, and examples from other States, a preliminary definition and essential features of the autocratic method are set out. Further detail is gained through a study of the attempted replacement of the Human Rights Act. Whilst the Bill of Rights Bill is no longer going ahead, this episode in UK constitutional history contains important lessons not just for the UK but for any State embarking on a process of constitutional change.
Performing Midsommar: Sweden Nationalism, Folkloric Pageantry, and the Political Power of Symbolic Divergence
Authors: Edgecomb Sean F.
Published: December 2023

In June 2022, after a two-and-a-half-year COVID-19 hiatus, I joyfully returned to Europe for a research trip. My purpose was to develop further my next monograph on queering animal symbols, specifically investigating the history of the Dalecarlian (Dala) horse [Dalahäst]. Dala horses are brightly painted wooden toys that were carved and decorated by farmers through the long Swedish winters as early as the seventeenth century. Thereafter, Dala horses became a national icon and symbol of Sweden at the 1939 World's Fair in New York City. Scheduling also allowed me to attend Midsommar (Midsummer) celebrations in Dalarna (Dalecarlia) County,1 Sweden (Fig. 1). This is the region not only where Dala horses first appeared, but also where many of the traditions surrounding the folkloric, highly theatrical, and now de facto Swedish national holiday of Midsommar most likely originated.
The order-K-ification monads
Authors: Hou Huijun , Miao Hualin , Li Qingguo
Published: December 2023

Monads prove to be useful mathematical tools in theoretical computer science, notably in denoting different effects of programming languages. In this paper, we investigate a type of monads which arise naturally from Keimel and Lawson’s
$\mathbf{K}$
-ification.

A subcategory of
$\mathbf{TOP}_{\mathbf{0}}$
is called of type
$\mathrm{K}^{*}$
if it consists of monotone convergence spaces and is of type
$\mathrm K$
in the sense of Keimel and Lawson. Each such category induces a canonical monad
$\mathcal K$
on the category
$\mathbf{DCPO}$
of dcpos and Scott-continuous maps, which is called the order-
$\mathbf{K}$
-ification monad in this paper. First, for each category of type
$\mathrm{K}^{*}$
, we characterize the algebras of the corresponding monad
$\mathcal K$
as k-complete posets and algebraic homomorphisms as k-continuous maps, from which we obtain that the order-
$\mathbf{K}$
-ification monad gives the free k-complete poset construction over the category
$\mathbf{POS}_{\mathbf{d}}$
of posets and Scott-continuous maps. In addition, we show that all k-complete posets and Scott-continuous maps form a Cartesian closed category. Moreover, we consider the strongness of the order-K-ification monad and conclude with the fact that each order-K-ification monad is always commutative.
CsA promotes trophoblast invasion accompanied by changes in leukaemic inhibitory factor and fibroblast growth factor in peri-implantation blastocysts
Authors: Li Dan , Jie Qiuling , Li Qi , Long Ping , Wang Zhen , Wang Jiaxing , Tian Shengnan , Wu Menglan , Ma Yanlin , Huang Yuanhua
Published: December 2023

During the early stages of human pregnancy, successful implantation of embryonic trophoblast cells into the endometrium depends on good communication between trophoblast cells and the endometrium. Abnormal trophoblast cell function can cause embryo implantation failure. In this study, we added cyclosporine A (CsA) to the culture medium to observe the effect of CsA on embryonic trophoblast cells and the related mechanism. We observed that CsA promoted the migration and invasion of embryonic trophoblast cells. CsA promoted the expression of leukaemic inhibitory factor (LIF) and fibroblast growth factor (FGF). In addition, CsA promoted the secretion and volume increase in vesicles in the CsA-treated group compared with the control group. Therefore, CsA may promote the adhesion and invasion of trophoblast cells through LIF and FGF and promote the vesicle dynamic process, which is conducive to embryo implantation.