bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Forest canopy cover estimation with machine learning using GEDI and Landsat data in the Western Marmara Region, Türkiye
Authors: Seyrek Eren Can , Narin Omer Gokberk , Uysal Murat
Published: February 2025

Forests play a crucial role in carbon dioxide absorption, biodiversity preservation, and climate regulation. Timely and precise maps detailing tree cover attributes are vital tools for the fields of environmental research and natural resource management. This study addresses the challenge of accurately estimating forest canopy cover by integrating Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation (GEDI) and Landsat data in the Eastern Marmara Region of Türkiye. Despite the advancements in remote sensing technologies such as light detection and ranging (LiDAR) and optical sensors, and the importance of forest canopy cover in assessing forest health and carbon stocks, there is limited research on utilizing spaceborne GEDI Level 2B data for forest canopy cover mapping. Six different machine learning methods were employed, namely Classification and Regression Trees (CART), Categorical Boosting (CTB), Light Gradient Boosting Machines (LGBM), Multilayer Perceptron (MLP), Random Forest (RF), and Extreme Gradient Boosting (XGB), to generate forest canopy cover maps using Landsat 8 and 9 satellite images with a variety of vegetation indices and texture features. Model performances were evaluated using metrics such as R2, Root Mean Square Error (RMSE), and Median Absolute Error (MdAE), with statistical significance assessed via Friedman and Wilcoxon signed-rank tests. The results of the tests indicated that the XGB (R2 = 0.5570, RMSE = 0.1603, MdAE = 0.0885) and RF (R2 = 0.5497, RMSE = 0.1617, MdAE = 0.0896) algorithms, which were trained with GEDI Level 2B data, provided greater accuracy in forest canopy cover estimation compared to the other algorithms. This study offers insight into the prediction performance of GEDI Level 2B spaceborne LiDAR data in conjunction with XGB and RF algorithms for forest canopy cover estimation and underscores the significance of integrating advanced remote sensing data for forest monitoring.
Nano-coating with silicon dioxide to reduce the occurrence of bacterial contamination in a pig abattoir drinking system
Authors: Buder Celine , Langkabel Nina , Kirse Alina , Kalusa Mirjam , Fietz Simone A. , Meemken Diana
Published: February 2025

A recently discovered source for infection of slaughter pigs, and thus entry for bacteria into the food chain, is the installed drinking equipment in lairage pens of pig abattoirs. To mitigate this, nano-coating of stainless steel, currently used in human medicine fields as well as in other parts of the food chain, appears as promising technology. In this study, silicon dioxide nano-coating was applied to six drinkers and installed for one and three months in a lairage of a pig abattoir, while results were compared with those of drinkers that had not been nano-coated. Laboratory examination of eight sample types related to the drinkers was conducted for total aerobic plate count, Enterobacteriaceae count, Pseudomonas spp. count, Salmonella presence, pathogenic Yersinia enterocolitica presence, Listeria monocytogenes presence and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus presence. The nipple drinker, which the pigs take into their mouth for drinking, was then examined using scanning electron microscopy and elemental analysis. The nano-coating did not produce statistically significant reductions in the loads or presence of these bacteria compared to the same but uncoated drinking equipment used under the same conditions. Further studies should focus on the implementation of combined methods, such as nano-coating and sanitary treatment, as well as modifications to the coating itself, to produce meaningful reductions of the bacterial loads on/in abattoir lairage drinking equipment.
Checklist of tardigrades in Germany as a contribution to biodiversity research
Authors: Schuster Rolf , Schill Ralph O.
Published: February 2025

Over 250 years ago Johann August Ephraim Goeze, a Protestant pastor from Quedlinburg, Germany, discovered the first tardigrade. The German physiologist and anatomist Carl August Sigismund Schultze (1795–1877) later named the first species Macrobiotus hufelandi C.A.S. Schultze, 1834, a designation that remains valid today. By the first third of the twentieth century numerous new species had been discovered in Germany and were comprehensively compiled for the first time by the German zoologist Ernst Marcus in 1936. Since then additional faunistic studies have been conducted. This new checklist of tardigrades in Germany provides an overview of all known species found in the country to date. It includes 91 limno-terrestrial or limnic species and eight marine species, with 21 belonging to Heterotardigrada and 78 to Eutardigrada. Germany is the type locality (terra typica) for 24 tardigrade species. The number of identified tardigrade species varies significantly depending on the extent of studies conducted in different federal states. Baden-Württemberg has the highest number of species identified, with 80 species recorded across eleven studies. In this state the Black Forest, with its remarkable diversity of 72 identified tardigrade species is one of the most intensively studied regions worldwide. In Hesse 30 species have been recorded from five studies, while Berlin has documented 23 species from two studies. Fewer species have been reported from other federal states. The 99 tardigrade species identified in Germany represent about 7% of the total 1,488 described tardigrade species worldwide.
Investigating Fuel Efficiency of Heavy-Duty Vehicle Platooning Using a CFD Model
Authors: Kim EunRyoung , Kang Yeri , Hwang Ha , Kim Jae-Jin , Song Chang-Keun
Published: February 2025

Platooning represents a crucial strategy for mitigating emissions from heavy-duty vehicles (HDVs). This study evaluates the effects of platoon composition on the surrounding airflow utilizing a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model, and quantifies the resultant fuel efficiency and CO2 emissions. This study examines fuel consumption data reconstructed from field experiments to validate the CFD model’s ability to accurately simulate drag forces within a homogeneous three-truck platoon. The potential for fuel savings was assessed based on CFD-simulated fuel consumption, taking into account various inter-vehicle distances and driving speeds. The model successfully reproduced the fuel consumption observed in a platooning formation comprising lead, middle, and trailing trucks, with an error margin below 6.2%. Fuel consumption analysis shows that while lead and middle trucks consume more fuel with increased inter-vehicle distances, the trailing truck's consumption decreases at specific distance-to-length ratios (D/L), increasing again beyond a D/L of 1.1. Additionally, a significant decrease in total fuel efficiency was noted for D/L ratios exceeding 1.5. Considering the diverse platooning scenarios analyzed, the study anticipates an annual reduction of up to 7 tons of CO2 equivalent per vehicle. By optimizing platooning configurations, this research contributes to enhancing fuel efficiency and reducing emissions from HDVs.
Examining the Australian educational landscape of differentiation through document analysis
Authors: Scarparolo Gemma , Porta Tom
Published: February 2025

Teachers in Australia have the professional responsibility to differentiate teaching to meet the needs of students across the full range of abilities. However, it is often reported that there is a need for greater definitional clarity of the term differentiation to support teachers’ understanding and implementation. In this article, we examine differentiation in the context of Australian education with a focus on how differentiation is communicated to school leaders and teachers. A document analysis tool was utilised to review publicly available documents from 2008 to 2024 to establish how differentiation is communicated to school leaders and teachers in Australia. The analysis of 60 documents revealed that the nomenclature and definition of differentiation is varied and that there is a strong need to provide a nationally consistent definition and distinction between the term adjustments (used in Australian disability legislation), and differentiation as distinctly different approaches to addressing the diverse needs of all students, and not just for students with disability as it currently being positioned in many educational documents. Three recommendations are presented that have implications for Standard 1.5 of the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers, and other national documentation.
Counterexamples to regularities for the derivative processes associated to stochastic evolution equations
Authors: Hefter Mario , Jentzen Arnulf , Kurniawan Ryan
Published: February 2025

In the recent years there has been an increased interest in studying regularity properties of the derivatives of semilinear parabolic stochastic evolution equations (SEEs) with respect to their initial values. In particular, in the scientific literature it has been shown for every natural number

$$n\in {\mathbb {N}}$$

n
∈
N

that if the nonlinear drift coefficient and the nonlinear diffusion coefficient of the considered SEE are n-times continuously Fréchet differentiable, then the solution of the considered SEE is also n-times continuously Fréchet differentiable with respect to its initial value and the corresponding derivative processes satisfy a suitable regularity property in the sense that the n-th derivative process can be extended continuously to n-linear operators on negative Sobolev-type spaces with regularity parameters

$$\delta _1,\delta _2,\ldots ,\delta _n\in [0,\infty )$$

δ
1

,

δ
2

,
…
,

δ
n

∈

[
0
,
∞
)

provided that the condition

$$ \sum ^n_{i=1} \delta _i < \nicefrac {1}{2} $$

∑

i
=
1

n

δ
i

<

1
2

is satisfied. The main contribution of this paper is to reveal that this condition can essentially not be relaxed.
Shape Memory Alloys for Reversible Restoration of Ancient Monuments
Authors: Del Core Lucia , Attolico Michele Angelo , Moramarco Vincenzo , Casavola Caterina
Published: February 2025

The preservation of ancient structures through anastylosis requires methods that are both effective and reversible, while also preserving architectural integrity. Recent research into shape memory alloys (SMAs) offers a promising solution for reversible restoration, thanks to their ability to return to a predefined shape when exposed to thermal or mechanical triggers. However, challenges, such as cost, feasibility, and repeatability persist. This study focuses on characterizing the thermomechanical behavior of Nitinol SMAs under various conditions, with the aim of developing functional SMA devices for restoring monumental elements at the Valle dei Templi archeological site in Agrigento, Italy. The prototype’s superelastic properties and shape memory effects will be assessed to determine its effectiveness and applicability in different operational scenarios. This evaluation is grounded in a comprehensive analysis of the site's environmental conditions and an assessment of the alloy’s thermomechanical properties. By integrating SMAs into restoration efforts, the research aims to establish a methodology for creating reversible, replicable solutions that adhere to the principles of structural conservation.
Influence of Laser-Induced Surface Modifications on the Fatigue Behavior of SMA Wire Actuators
Authors: Marx Jan , Schmelter Tobias , Schuleit Marvin , Haske Damian , Stötzel Nicole , Frenzel Jan , Eggeler Gunther , Kuhlenkötter Bernd , Esen Cemal , Ostendorf Andreas
Published: February 2025

Ultrashort pulse lasers are common tools for surface structuring and marking of components. However, even finest structures generated by ultrashort laser processes may affect the mechanical properties of components. In the present work, the effects of laser-induced surface modifications on the fatigue behavior of pickled nickel titanium shape memory wires are investigated. Ultrafast Bessel beams have been utilized to create small microstructure-covered grooves on a defined area on the wire’s shell surface. Subsequently, the wires underwent fatigue testing until failure. The impact of laser processing on fatigue behavior and the resulting fracture surfaces were examined using scanning electron microscopy. It was found that laser defects generated with low fluences have a negligible impact on fatigue lives, as microcracks, which may cause failure, typically initiate at other more severe types of surface defects. However, we identified certain laser scanning strategies and other conditions like increased fluences, which can affect wire surface regions to become prone to fatigue crack initiation, resulting in reduced service lives.
Multi-Stage Learning for Intuitive Visualization of Microcystic Macular Edema in OCT Images
Authors: Vidal Plácido , de Moura Joaquim , Novo Jorge , Ortega Marcos
Published: February 2025

Purpose

Detecting and monitoring Microcystic Macular Edema (MME) in Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) images is vital for early diagnosis of Diabetic Macular Edema (DME), a leading cause of blindness in developed countries. However, detecting MME remains challenging due to its fuzzy boundaries and diffuse nature. In this work, we propose a novel fully-automatic methodology based on multi-stage regional learning to successfully detect and visualize MME in OCT images.

Methods

Our work is divided into two main stages: the first stage coarsely identifies general DME accumulations in the innermost retinal layers. On the other hand, the second stage precisely detects MME within the reduced search space. These detections are then used to generate intuitive confidence maps.

Results

Our approach achieves a mean confidence of 0.9618 ± 0.0518 per MME pixel, demonstrating consistent and strong detections. This robust methodology facilitates early diagnosis of MME, independent of clinicians’ subjectivity, and has the potential to significantly impact the quality of life of patients.

Conclusion

Our work represents a significant advancement in the automatic analysis of complex retinal pathologies. Source code is available at: https://github.com/PlacidoFranciscoLizancosVidal/Microcysts_paper_code.
The Role of a Minimum Income Scheme on Happiness among Italian Household Beneficiaries
Authors: Prati Gabriele
Published: February 2025

This study investigated whether the introduction of a form of minimum income scheme targeted to poor and socially excluded households in Italy (i.e., Citizenship Income or Reddito di Cittadinanza) increased subjective well-being among household beneficiaries. In the current research, data from the last two waves (2016, before the adoption of Citizenship Income, and 2021, after its adoption) of the Survey on Household Income and Wealth of the Bank of Italy were used. Specifically, data from 2,283 participants who were interviewed in both waves were included in the analysis. Participants were asked to report their overall happiness and whether or not their household received the Citizenship Income. A mixed ANOVA revealed that, after controlling for relevant covariates, happiness improved following the adoption of Citizenship Income among beneficiaries. However, this increase was less marked or absent among non-beneficiaries. A difference-in-difference framework combined with a kernel-based propensity score matching was used to increase the robustness of the estimation of causal effects. This additional analysis confirmed that Citizenship Income beneficiaries reported a statistically significant increase in overall happiness in comparison to non-beneficiaries. Overall, the findings demonstrate that income schemes have the potential to increase subjective well-being among household beneficiaries.
Mismeasuring STEM?: Assessing STEM Course Taking Among US Bachelor’s Degree Graduates
Authors: Douglas Daniel , Salzman Hal , Khudododov Khudodod
Published: February 2025

STEM refers to four fields of study and occupation: science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. But STEM has taken on social and political meaning far beyond the sum of its component parts. Public and policy discussions of STEM, whether in education or employment, rest on a startling lack of clarity about what counts as STEM. Most studies of postsecondary STEM education focus on students’ programs of study as the measure of STEM education, but we find this metric leads to substantial mismeasurement. Instead, we argue that examining STEM course taking is a more accurate measure of STEM preparation among college students. This descriptive study establishes conceptual and operational definitions of STEM coursework and uses nationally representative college student transcript data to develop a more accurate measure STEM course taking. Finally, we analyze the extent of potential mismeasurement and estimate STEM course taking using this revised classification system. Among bachelor’s degree students, we find wide variation in the number of STEM courses completed by students both within and between programs of study. Moreover, we find that many students in non-STEM programs of study complete substantial amounts of STEM coursework at levels comparable to that of many STEM students.
Metabolic reprogramming of fibroblast-like synoviocytes with a supramolecular nano-drug for osteoarthritis therapy
Authors: Ma Yibo , Dong Jiaxing , Zou Xiangqian , Jiang Xiaohua , Liu Linhua , Wang Bing , Mao Xiulin , Gong Liangfeng , Li Guoshu , Chen Changjian
Published: February 2025

Metabolic reprogramming is fundamental to synovium remodeling with drug delivery for osteoarthritis (OA) therapy. Mitochonic acid 5-MASM7@MnTBAP nanoparticles (MM@MT NPs) with various physicochemical properties and biological activities may be developed as a supramolecular nano-drug delivering to articulus for regulating mitochondrial metabolism of synovium. This study aims to explore the feasibility, efficacy, and mechanism of MM@MT NPs, which possibly excavates a novel perspective for OA therapy. Herein, for feasibility, MM@MT NPs has been indicated to possess excellent photothermal, reactive oxygen species (ROS) response, and oxygen release performances. For efficacy, MM@MT NPs has been confirmed to promote extracellular matrix (ECM) regeneration. For mechanism, MM@MT NPs has been illustrated to restore the mitochondrial membrane potential and recover the mitochondrial dynamics, which is beneficial for maintaining mitochondrial homeostasis. Moreover, MM@MT NPs has been demonstrated to stimulate the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle and oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) in mitochondria as well as enhance antioxidant capacity and eliminate oxidative stress, which is reflected in regulating the adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and ROS metabolism. Therefore, MM@MT NPs can remodel the homeostasis of mitochondria via reprogramming metabolism in synovium, which achieves the symptomatic and etiological treatments of OA.
Investigating outdoor education in Finland and Australia: positioning outdoor education as curriculum
Authors: Kokkonen Juha , Baillieul Elina , Quay John
Published: February 2025

Outdoor education is often missing in formal curriculum, especially in primary education. With our experience living and working in Finland and Australia, we investigated this situation, revealing important similarities and differences relevant to understanding outdoor education. We highlight some of the differences between the two education systems that impact outdoor education, having learned more about these differences by interviewing primary school teachers involved with teaching and organising outdoor education in both Finland and Victoria, Australia. The different approaches to outdoor education in primary schools in each country illuminate the local and situated character of outdoor education. Importantly, the comparison also highlights similarities, revealing unique educational potential in outdoor education that goes untapped via the curriculum integration strategies espoused in both countries. This educational potential is expressed via the unity of (ad)venturing and environ(ment), which are often separated into physical education and environmental studies, thereby splitting outdoor education and removing the educational potential of their situated unity. Accessing this potential requires improving curricular support for teachers and schools in outdoor education, documenting unique outdoor education content in appropriate ways, and enabling access to resources available to mainstream subjects. Even though Finland and Australia are often considered education leaders internationally, as exemplified via PISA, more work in curriculum development is needed in these countries to better account for the learning that happens uniquely in outdoor education. We argue that an optional curriculum in outdoor education is required in both Finland and Australia to support the work already being done by teachers.
Improving telemedicine: evaluating emotional recognition for better patient-consultant interaction
Authors: Alshaer Abdulaziz
Published: February 2025

The rise of telemedicine, particularly in mental health, has transformed care delivery by providing increased accessibility and convenience. However, accurately recognizing and interpreting patient emotions remains a significant challenge. This study evaluates the usability and acceptance of an emotional recording feature integrated into a telemedicine app, focusing on mental health professionals (consultants) and their patients. Using the Technology Acceptance Model and usability test, we assessed perceived usefulness, ease of use, attitude towards use, and behavioral intention to use the feature. A total of 20 consultants and 20 patients participated, and the use of the feature for a week was analyzed. Results indicated that patients reported higher perceived usefulness and behavioral intention to use the feature compared to consultants. Both groups found the feature easy to use, with no significant differences in perceived ease of use. Consultants exhibited more positive attitudes towards the feature, while patients showed more variability. The overall System Usability Scale (SUS) scores indicated high usability for the feature. Emotional report frequency among patients varied widely, reflecting differing levels of engagement. These findings suggest that the emotional recording feature is well-received, with high usability and acceptance among both consultants and patients. Future research should include clinical trials to evaluate the impact on therapeutic outcomes, expand the sample size, and explore ways to enhance user engagement. This study underscores the potential of emotion recognition tools to improve mental health care delivery in telemedicine.
Are European Farms Equally Efficient? What Do Regional FADN Data on Crop Farms Tell Us?
Authors: Makieła Kamil , Marzec Jerzy , Pisulewski Andrzej , Mazur Błażej
Published: February 2025

The study analyzes productive efficiency of crop farming in the EU. We use publicly available data on crop farming from FADN database. Standard efficiency measurement techniques based on frontier analysis indicate that the representative farms provided in the database are fully efficient, even though there is ample evidence in the literature that this is highly unlikely. We find that this is a consequence of overly restrictive assumptions about the compound error in standard SF models. The efficiency benchmark, based on the best model given data with generalized error specification, reveals substantial differences in crop farming efficiency in the EU.
Innovation amidst post-socialist reform: Jonas Salk and the birth of the Sabin strains-derived inactivated polio vaccine in China
Authors: Li Tianyu , Wang Chadwick
Published: February 2025

As an industrial science, vaccinology is susceptible to changing social, economic and political frameworks. This article reconstructs the history of the birth of the Sabin strains-derived inactivated polio vaccine (sIPV) in China. The development of this nascent vaccine can be attributed first and foremost to the circulation of knowledge and technology in the global polio research network of the 1980s, before the privatization of vaccine manufacturing and the escalation of intellectual-property protections. Tracing correspondence between Jonas Salk and a Chinese scientist, Jiang Shude, and his colleagues, we chart how institutional efforts in search of a profitable product and scientists’ motives in pursuing personal careers in the post-socialist reform era led to collaboration on many levels, centered around polio vaccines. In response to recent polio history research, we also emphasize the impact of multiple temporalities of polio dramaturgy on the vaccine manufacturer, as this article demonstrates how the confluence of shifting global polio eradication agendas and contingencies in complex vaccinology undertakings ironically helped to materialize the idea of the sIPV. Finally, stories of vaccines and scientists in China add compelling subplots to the global polio history, which reveals the need to reconsider the politicization of imported technology in broader socialist contexts.

A letter dated ‘3 June 1986’ was mailed from Jonas Salk to Jiang Shude (姜述德). Jiang had been an unknown vaccinologist working at the Institute of Medical Biology (IMB) in Flower Red Cave in the Western Hills of Kunming, in south-western China. Salk had visited two years earlier to discuss the feasibility of the IMB's proposal to manufacture inactivated polio vaccine (IPV). The initial collaborative plan had come to a halt by the time Salk wrote the letter to Jiang; still, he kindly offered Jiang an opportunity to travel to Bilthoven and then Lyon to learn IPV-related technology with a generous $10,000 grant for his one-year stay in Europe.1
APPROACHES TO LATIN LOVE ELEGY
Authors: Martorana Simona
Published: February 2025

While different in their approaches, structure and intended readership, the four books reviewed here are connected by their common aim of responding to traditional views of elegy as a minor, ‘softer’ genre, which stands in binary opposition to the magniloquence of epic. These books thus build upon long-established developments in the field of Latin literary criticism, which have contributed to a general reassessment, and deconstruction, of the taxonomic categorisations of Latin texts, and Latin poetry more specifically, pointing out its generic fluidity (e.g. J.E.G. Zetzel, ‘Re-Creating the Canon: Augustan Poetry and the Alexandrian Past’, Critical Inquiry 10 [1983], 83–105; G.B. Conte, The Rhetoric of Imitation: Genre and Poetic Memory in Virgil and Other Latin Poets, ed. tr. C. Segal [1986]). Notably, R.O.A.M. Lyne's study on Virgil's Aeneid (R.O.A.M. Lyne, Further Voices in Vergil's Aeneid [1992]) exemplifies this renewed interest in identifying unaligned and ambiguous perspectives (‘further voices’), especially within poetic texts composed in the Augustan or early imperial period. It is no surprise that the elegiac contents have catalysed these underlying streams of ambiguous, unsettled and self-reflective discourse, which – once allowed into the literary landscape of Latin poetry – shake generic boundaries. That Virgil did not write anything that can be formally regarded as elegy, stricto sensu, makes his oeuvre a promising space of enquiry for oblique and subterranean elegiac resonances.
Learning and generating vehicle motion primitives from human-driving data
Authors: Li Gengxin , Xue Jianru , Zhang Bohua , Zhao Kang , Tao Zhongxing
Published: February 2025

Motion primitives play an important role in motion planning for autonomous vehicles, as they effectively address the sampling challenges inherent in nonholonomic motion planning. Employing motion primitives (MPs) is a widely accepted approach in nonholonomic motion planning based on sampling. This study specifically addresses the problem of learning from human-driving data to create human-like trajectories from predefined start-to-end states, which then serve as MP within the sampling-based nonholonomic motion planning framework. In this paper, we propose a deep learning-based method for generating MP that capture human-driving trajectory data features. By processing human-driving trajectory data, we create a Motion Primitive dataset that uniformly covers typical urban driving scenarios. Based on this dataset, a vehicle model long short-term memory neural network model is constructed to learn the features of the human-driving trajectory data. Finally, a framework for the generation of MP for practical applications is given based on this neural network. Our experiments, which focus on the dataset, the MMP generation network, and the generation process, demonstrate that our method significantly improves the training efficacy of the MP generation network. Additionally, the MP generated by our method exhibit higher accuracy compared to traditional methods.
Tuning in to the prosody of a novel language is easier without orthography
Authors: Chládková Kateřina , Podlipský Václav Jonáš , Jarůšková Lucie , Šimáčková Šárka
Published: February 2025

Mastering prosody is a different task for adults learning a second language and infants acquiring their first. While prosody crucially aids the process of L1 acquisition, for adult L2 learners it is often considerably challenging. Is it because of an age-related decline in the language-learning ability or because of unfavorable learning conditions? We investigated whether adults can auditorily sensitize to the prosody of a novel language, and whether such sensitization is affected by orthographic input. After 5 minutes of exposure to Māori, Czech listeners could reliably recognize this language in a post-test using low-pass filtered clips of Māori and Malay. Recognition accuracy was lower for participants exposed to the novel-language speech along with deep-orthography transcriptions or orthography with unfamiliar characters. Adults can thus attune to novel-language prosody, but orthography hampers this ability. Language-learning theories and applications may need to reconsider the consequences of providing orthographic input to beginning second-language learners.
Measurement properties of patient-reported outcome measures for advance care planning in older people: A COSMIN systematic review
Authors: Jo Minjeong , Park Mihyun , Hwang Hye-lyung , Chung Heejin
Published: February 2025

Objectives

This review provides an overview of patient-reported outcome measure (PROMs) utilized to assess the impact of advance care planning (ACP) among older adults and evaluates their psychometric properties.

Methods

The inclusion criteria were as follows: (1) studies that targeted older adults; (2) studies using of any type of measurement tools that measure patient-reported ACP program outcomes; and (3) studies published in English or Korean. Following PRISMA guidelines, a systematic review was conducted, encompassing electronic searches across 5 databases including PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, CINHAL, and PsycINFO and manual searches of umbrella reviews on ACP interventions. General characteristics of the selected measures were extracted, and their methodological quality was assessed using the COnsensus-based Standards for the selection of health Measurement INstruments (COSMIN) checklist.

Results

Out of 19,503 studies initially identified, 74 met the inclusion criteria, reporting on a total of 202 measures. These measures were categorized into 4 domains reflecting the targets of ACP interventions: process (n = 56), action (n = 18), process and action (n = 16), quality of care (n = 63), and health status (n = 49). Despite the breadth of measures identified, none fully met all recommended psychometric properties outlined in the checklist.

Significance of results

While this review aids in the selection of measures for both practical and research purposes, it underscores the necessity for further validation of PROMs in assessing ACP outcomes in older adults, advocating for rigorous psychometric evaluations and adherence to standards like the COSMIN checklist to ensure reliable and valid data. It suggests the need for shortened versions and researcher assistance to address the challenges older adults face with self-reported PROMs and improve participation rates.
Mars Without the Southern Perennial CO2 Cover
Authors: Vos E. , Aharonson O. , Forget F.
Published: February 2025

The Martian South Polar Layered Deposits (SPLD) are composed mostly of ice and dust with a thin perennial cover and some internal ice layers. In the North, the seasonal cap is lost during summer, allowing O ice to sublimate into the atmosphere. In the South, the perennial cover prevents O ice sublimation. This work uses the Mars Planetary Climate Model to investigate how the O and cycles are affected if the thin perennial SPLD cover is lost. We find that during southern summer, the atmospheric water content will more than double in the south polar region. However, on a global scale, the NPLD is still the dominant source of humidity because of its larger surface area. When exposing some of the South Polar Cap buried water ice, the south polar cap becomes the dominant source of atmospheric humidity due to Mars's spin‐orbital alignment.
Western Pacific Warm Pool δ18O Response to the El Niño‐Southern Oscillation
Authors: Murray N. K. , Conroy J. L. , Colin P. L. , Cobb K. M. , Noone D. C.
Published: February 2025

Tropical Pacific seawater and precipitation stable oxygen isotope data aid in understanding modern oceanic and atmospheric interactions, and these data are particularly valuable as they are archived in isotope‐based paleoclimate records. However, the absence of modern seawater isotope time series limits the ability to identify the atmospheric influences on these data, precluding robust paleoclimate interpretations. We present a new 10 year sub‐monthly record of seawater and precipitation stable oxygen isotope values (δ18Osw and δ18Op) from Koror, Palau. Our dataset indicates that temporally, δ18Osw is strongly influenced by local δ18Op. Both monthly δ18Osw and δ18Op are highly correlated with outgoing longwave radiation across the tropical Pacific, reflecting a Walker Circulation imprint on the surface ocean. Changes in the Palau δ18Osw—salinity relationship correspond to NINO3.4 variability, indicating a difference in how these variables record El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) information, but demonstrating the utility of δ18Osw to reconstruct ENSO variability in the western tropical Pacific.
Impact of Ionospheric Scintillations on GNSS Availability and Precise Positioning
Authors: Aguiar C. R. , Monico J. F. G. , Moraes A. O.
Published: February 2025

For many applications where accuracy, availability, and integrity are essential, such as geodetic positioning and civil aviation, Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) are indispensable. However, GNSS signal dependability is severely hampered by ionospheric disturbances, especially equatorial plasma bubbles (EPBs), particularly in equatorial latitudes. To better understand how ionospheric irregularities impact GNSS signals across several constellations (GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, BeiDou, and Satellite‐Based Augmentation Systems) and frequencies, this study examines ionospheric amplitude scintillation. The objective is to comprehend how these anomalies simultaneously affect GNSS performance in high scintillation activity conditions. The research focuses on the effects of amplitude scintillation during periods of high solar activity by analyzing data from four stations across Brazil. The analysis identified the most critical hours for scintillation events, between 20:00 and 23:59 LST, where up to 13 satellites were simultaneously affected at PRU2, resulting in a notable drop in positioning accuracy. This was further reflected in the degradation of Position Dilution of Precision values, which exceeded 5 in approximately 38% of the cases at Presidente Prudente and São José dos Campos, indicating reduced confidence in positioning accuracy during severe scintillation events. Additionally, the study confirms that lower‐frequency signals (L2, G2, B2) are more susceptible to scintillation than higher‐frequency signals (L1, G1, E1). Despite multi‐constellation capabilities, the simultaneous impact of EPBs on multiple GNSS signals leads to degraded satellite availability and positioning accuracy, especially in regions with high electron density. These findings highlight the need for improved mitigation strategies in multi‐constellation systems to enhance GNSS reliability in equatorial regions.
Liver diseases: epidemiology, causes, trends and predictions
Authors: Gan Can , Yuan Yuan , Shen Haiyuan , Gao Jinhang , Kong Xiangxin , Che Zhaodi , Guo Yangkun , Wang Hua , Dong Erdan , Xiao Jia
Published: February 2025

As a highly complex organ with digestive, endocrine, and immune-regulatory functions, the liver is pivotal in maintaining physiological homeostasis through its roles in metabolism, detoxification, and immune response. Various factors including viruses, alcohol, metabolites, toxins, and other pathogenic agents can compromise liver function, leading to acute or chronic injury that may progress to end-stage liver diseases. While sharing common features, liver diseases exhibit distinct pathophysiological, clinical, and therapeutic profiles. Currently, liver diseases contribute to approximately 2 million deaths globally each year, imposing significant economic and social burdens worldwide. However, there is no cure for many kinds of liver diseases, partly due to a lack of thorough understanding of the development of these liver diseases. Therefore, this review provides a comprehensive examination of the epidemiology and characteristics of liver diseases, covering a spectrum from acute and chronic conditions to end-stage manifestations. We also highlight the multifaceted mechanisms underlying the initiation and progression of liver diseases, spanning molecular and cellular levels to organ networks. Additionally, this review offers updates on innovative diagnostic techniques, current treatments, and potential therapeutic targets presently under clinical evaluation. Recent advances in understanding the pathogenesis of liver diseases hold critical implications and translational value for the development of novel therapeutic strategies.
Usp11 maintained the survival of marginal zone B cells under ionizing radiation by deubiquitinating DLL1 and JAG2
Authors: Sheng Jiaqi , Wu Depei , Shang Jingzhe , Fu Xiaodan , Gao He , Rong Jianjie , Wang Jun , Hu Jiancheng , Qi Xiaofei
Published: February 2025

Efficacy of radiation therapy is compromised by hematopoietic and immune impairments, with elusive underlying causes. This study aimed to elucidate Usp11’s role in radiation-induced injuries and uncover related mechanisms. Utilized ARS mouse model to observe survival rates of Usp11−/− (KO) mice post-TBI (Total Body Irradiation). Assessed lymphocyte and MZ B (Marginal Zone B) cell rates using histological analysis, single-cell sequencing, immunofluorescence (IF), immunohistochemistry (IHC), and flow cytometry (FCM). Conducted Co-IP and ubiquitination experiments for mechanism elucidation. Quantified IgM and IgG using ELISA and FC. Explored public databases for potential correlation molecules. Our findings indicated that Usp11−/− mice exhibited improved survival rates following TBI, with the spleen playing a pivotal role. HE staining revealed a wider marginal zone in the spleen of Usp11+/+ mice post-irradiation. Single-cell sequencing, IF, IHC, and FCM analyses revealed a higher survival rate of MZ B cells in Usp11−/− mice after irradiation. Furthermore, treatment with the Usp11 inhibitor, mitoxantrone, successfully targeted and inhibited Usp11, thereby alleviating the reduction in MZ B cells in the spleen following total body irradiation. Mechanistically, Usp11 sustained the survival of MZ B cells by regulating the ubiquitination of Notch’s ligands, DLL1 and JAG2, thereby promoting immune cell remodeling in the spleen. In conclusion, Usp11 played a crucial role in modulating immune system damage induced by ionizing radiation, primarily through ubiquitination of Notch ligands. This study provides insights into radiation-induced immune injuries and suggests Usp11 as a potential therapeutic target.
Mettl3-m6A-NPY axis governing neuron–microglia interaction regulates sleep amount of mice
Authors: Sun Qihang , Zhu Jinpiao , Zhao Xingsen , Huang Xiaoli , Qu Wenzheng , Tang Xia , Ma Daqing , Shu Qiang , Li Xuekun
Published: February 2025

Sleep behavior is regulated by diverse mechanisms including genetics, neuromodulation and environmental signals. However, it remains completely unknown regarding the roles of epitranscriptomics in regulating sleep behavior. In the present study, we showed that the deficiency of RNA m6A methyltransferase Mettl3 in excitatory neurons specifically induces microglia activation, neuroinflammation and neuronal loss in thalamus of mice. Mettl3 deficiency remarkably disrupts sleep rhythm and reduces the amount of non-rapid eye movement sleep. We also showed that Mettl3 regulates neuropeptide Y (NPY) via m6A modification and Mettl3 conditional knockout (cKO) mice displayed significantly decreased expression of NPY in thalamus. In addition, the dynamic distribution pattern of NPY is observed during wake-sleep cycle in cKO mice. Ectopic expression of Mettl3 and NPY significantly inhibits microglia activation and neuronal loss in thalamus, and restores the disrupted sleep behavior of cKO mice. Collectively, our study has revealed the critical function of Mettl3-m6A-NPY axis in regulating sleep behavior.
Phospho-seq: integrated, multi-modal profiling of intracellular protein dynamics in single cells
Authors: Blair John D. , Hartman Austin , Zenk Fides , Wahle Philipp , Brancati Giovanna , Dalgarno Carol , Treutlein Barbara , Satija Rahul
Published: February 2025

Cell signaling plays a critical role in neurodevelopment, regulating cellular behavior and fate. While multimodal single-cell sequencing technologies are rapidly advancing, scalable and flexible profiling of cell signaling states alongside other molecular modalities remains challenging. Here we present Phospho-seq, an integrated approach that aims to quantify cytoplasmic and nuclear proteins, including those with post-translational modifications, and to connect their activity with cis-regulatory elements and transcriptional targets. We utilize a simplified benchtop antibody conjugation method to create large custom neuro-focused antibody panels for simultaneous protein and scATAC-seq profiling on whole cells, alongside both experimental and computational strategies to incorporate transcriptomic measurements. We apply our workflow to cell lines, induced pluripotent stem cells, and months-old retinal and brain organoids to demonstrate its broad applicability. We show that Phospho-seq can provide insights into cellular states and trajectories, shed light on gene regulatory relationships, and help explore the causes and effects of diverse cell signaling in neurodevelopment.
Molecular basis for azetidine-2-carboxylic acid biosynthesis
Authors: Klaubert Tim J. , Gellner Jonas , Bernard Charles , Effert Juliana , Lombard Carine , Kaila Ville R. I. , Bode Helge B. , Li Yanyan , Groll Michael
Published: February 2025

Azetidine-2-carboxylic acid (AZE) is a long-known plant metabolite. Recently, AZE synthases have been identified in bacterial natural product pathways involving non-ribosomal peptide synthetases. AZE synthases catalyse the intramolecular 4-exo-tet cyclisation of S-adenosylmethionine (SAM), yielding a highly strained heterocycle. Here, we combine structural and biochemical analyses with quantum mechanical calculations and mutagenesis studies to reveal catalytic insights into AZE synthases. The cyclisation of SAM is facilitated by an exceptional substrate conformation and supported by desolvation effects as well as cation-π interactions. In addition, we uncover related SAM lyases in diverse bacterial phyla, suggesting a wider prevalence of AZE-containing metabolites than previously expected. To explore the potential of AZE as a proline mimic in combinatorial biosynthesis, we introduce an AZE synthase into the pyrrolizixenamide pathway and thereby engineer analogues of azabicyclenes. Taken together, our findings provide a molecular framework to understand and exploit SAM-dependent cyclisation reactions.
The Bushland, Texas, maize evapotranspiration, growth, and yield dataset Collection
Authors: Evett Steven R. , Marek Gary W. , Colaizzi Paul D. , Copeland Karen S. , Ruthardt Brice B. , Howell Terry A.
Published: February 2025

A collection of datasets describing six years of experiments on maize (Zea mays, L.) (corn) is presented (1989, 1990, 1994, 2013, 2016, and 2018). Four weighing lysimeters were used to determine crop evapotranspiration (ET). In-soil and above ground microclimate and ET data are presented on a 15-minute interval as are weather data for all days of the year. Data analysis determined ET, precipitation, irrigation, and dew and frost accumulation on a 15-minute basis from lysimeter mass data. Soil water content data from calibrated neutron probe readings is presented on a periodic basis. Crop planting, harvest, fertilization, pest control, and other agronomic information are presented in agronomic calendars by day of year. Crop growth data are presented on a periodic basis throughout the growing season, as are final crop biomass and yield data. The data are suitable for analysis of effects of irrigation and other agronomic decisions on crop yield and water productivity in the Southern High Plains region of the USA, for model calibration and testing, and for model improvement.