bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Efficient visible-light-driven photocatalytic removal of Acid Blue 92, E. coli, and S. aureus over Ag-AgCl nanoparticles-decorated bismuth sulfide microparticles
Authors: Dawi E A , Padervand M , Bargahi A , Eftekhari-Sis B , Bahrami M K , Abdelkader A
Published: October 2023

Bismuth sulfide particles were modified with Ag-AgCl nanoparticles to make a visible light active plasmonic photocatalyst. The powder x-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive x-ray (EDX), elemental mapping, nitrogen adsorption–desorption isotherms (BET-BJH), photoluminescence (PL), and diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS) techniques were served to analyze the morphological and structural properties. To evaluate the photocatalytic performance, Acid Blue 92 (AB92) azo dye was degraded in the aqueous solution under visible light irradiation. According to the results, 0.025 g of the photocatalyst powder was able to remove more than 98% of AB92 at 15 ppm concentration under neutral acidity, following pseudo first-order kinetics. Superoxide anion radicals (O2
•−) were also recognized as the most key species promoting the photodegradation pathway. Also, the antibacterial activity of the materials was explored against E. coli and S. aureus pathogenic bacteria under irradiation and dark conditions. Using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images of the treated cells, it was found that the plasmonic photocatalyst damaged the cell wall structure of both gram-positive and negative bacteria within 2 h significantly, which could be attributed to the efficient production of destructive superoxide anion radicals on the surface of Ag-AgCl/Bi2S3 particles under illumination.
Strengthening phase and mechanical property analysis of artificially aged Al7075 – Ni coated Al2024 composites
Authors: B M Karthik , K M Sathish Kumar , Sharma Sathyashankara , M C Gowrishankar , Hegde Ananda , K Nithesh
Published: October 2023

This technical paper demonstrates the possibilities of nickel (Ni) coated Al2024 powder reinforcement in an Al7075 matrix using the liquid stir casting technique. Additionally, the paper focuses on achieving stable properties by implementing artificial aging heat treatment. To apply the Ni coating, the electroless nickel plating technique was utilized, and a minimum coating thickness of 8 μm was determined to effectively prevent the dissolution of Al2024 powder reinforcements within the Al7075 matrix. Stir casting facilitated the uniform dispersion of the coated Al2024 powder up to a weight percentage of 7%. Subsequently, the Al7075 alloy and composites underwent artificial aging through solution heat treatment (SHT) at 450 °C for 4 h, followed by water quenching and aging at temperatures of 120, 150, and 180 °C. Aging at 120 °C was found to yield superior results compared to aging at 150 and 180 °C, thus identified as the optimum aging temperature. When the Ni coating thickness was increased beyond the optimal 8 μm, the resulting enhancements in hardness for both as-cast and peak-aged specimens, as well as the tensile strength, were not significant. The improvements observed were only marginal, ranging between 2 to 3%. Fracture surface analysis revealed that the predominant fracture mode in the Al7075 alloy was ductile, characterized by dimple rupture. In the as-cast Al7075-(7%, 8 μm) Al2024 composite, a mixed fracture mode comprising both brittle and ductile characteristics was observed. In the peak-aged (120 °C) Al7075-(7%, 8 μm)Al2024 composite, the overall fracture mode exhibited a dominant brittle nature. Analytical techniques including XRD, TEM, and EDS confirmed the presence of Mg2Si, MgZn2, CuAl2, and CuAl2Mg phases in the peak-aged (120 °C) Al7075-(7%, 8 μm) Al2024 composite. These phases contributed to the enhancement of the properties of both the Al7075 alloy and its composites. The developed composites can be used in automobile parts and aerospace applications.
Multimode Fabry-Perot laser as a reservoir computing and extreme learning machine photonic accelerator
Authors: Skontranis Menelaos , Sarantoglou George , Sozos Kostas , Kamalakis Thomas , Mesaritakis Charis , Bogris Adonis
Published: October 2023

In this work, we introduce Fabry–Perot lasers as neuromoprhic nodes in the context of time-delayed reservoir computing and extreme learning machine (ELM) for the processing of temporal signals and the high-speed classification of images. By exploiting the multi-wavelength emission capabilities of the Fabry–Perot lasers, additional processing nodes can be introduced, thus raising the computational power without sacrificing processing speed. An experimental validation of this concept using a Fabry–Perot ELM is presented targeting a time depedent task such as channel equalization for a 50 km 28 Gbaud ‘PAM-4’ transmission, offering hard-decision forward error correction compatible performance. Additionally, the Fabry–Perot neuromorphic concept has been further strengthened by modifying the data entry technique by parallelelly assigning different samples of the input signal to different modes so as to significantly reduce speed penalty. Numerical simulations revealed that this alternative data insertion technique can offer a reduction of the processing delay and physical footprint by 75% compared to the conventional approach assigning the same symbols to all Fairy–Perot modes. Moreover, by using a similar data processing scheme in ‘MNIST’ image classification task we were able to numerically achieve a processing speed of 255.1 Mimages s−1 and a classification accuracy up to 95.95%.
A sharp symmetric integral form of the John–Nirenberg inequality
Authors: Dobronravov Egor
Published: October 2023

We find sharp constants in the symmetric integral form of the John–Nirenberg inequality. The result is based upon the computation of a new interesting Bellman function.
Rational lines on diagonal hypersurfaces and subconvexity via the circle method
Authors: Wooley Trevor
Published: October 2023

Fix

k
,
s
,
n
∈

N

k,s,n\in \mathbb {N}

, and consider non-zero integers

c
1

,
…
,

c
s

c_1,\ldots ,c_s

, not all of the same sign. Provided that

s
⩾
k
(
k
+
1
)

s\geqslant k(k+1)

, we establish a Hasse principle for the existence of lines having integral coordinates lying on the affine diagonal hypersurface defined by the equation

c
1

x
1
k

+
…
+

c
s

x
s
k

=
n

c_1x_1^k+\ldots +c_sx_s^k=n

. This conclusion surmounts the conventional convexity barrier tantamount to the square-root cancellation limit for this problem.
Screening for alcohol use in primary care: assessing French general practitioner practices
Authors: Barré Tangui , Di Beo Vincent , Roux Perrine , Mourad Abbas , Verger Pierre , Fressard Lisa , Herault Thomas , Buyck Jean-François , Beck François , Carrieri Patrizia
Published: October 2023

Alcohol use is a leading risk factor for premature death and disability. To tackle this issue, more systematic and accurate screening for at-risk consumption is needed in healthcare systems, especially by general practitioners (GPs). We assessed the frequency of at-risk consumption screening by GPs in France. We also identified characteristics associated with more frequent screening and greater use of validated screening tools by these healthcare providers. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among a representative sample of French GPs. Multinomial logistic regressions were used to identify factors associated with more frequent screening and greater use of validated screening tools. Response rate was of 73%. Of the 2412 participants, 42.8% screened all their patients systematically and repeatedly, while 48.0% never used standardized tools to screen potentially at-risk patients. Among other characteristics, being aware of and using the “early identification and brief intervention” screening strategy, and feeling absolutely comfortable talking with patients about reducing or stopping their alcohol use, were both associated with more frequent screening and use of standardized tools. Our results on at-risk alcohol use screening highlight an improvement over data from previous studies. Nevertheless, better training of French GPs in good alcohol screening practices—specifically, increased screening frequency and greater use of standardized tools—may improve identification of at-risk patients.
‘Memories from the Forgotten Frontline.’ Social Worker’s Reflections on Shifting Practices of Work, Home and Belonging during Covid-19
Authors: Turner Denise , Walsh Katie
Published: October 2023

This article documents a creative and participatory research project with social workers that took place online during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. Thirty-three social workers contributed images and captions to one or more of the four project themes: (i) Belonging and Connection; (ii) Health and Wellbeing; (iii) Home and Away and (iv) Loss and Change. The website became a digital archive of the contributions and a physical exhibition also took place to provide further opportunities for reflection. Contributions together demonstrate shifting subjectivities and everyday practices of social work professionals during this time: there were new possibilities for leisure, exercise, creativity and self-care, held alongside challenging experiences of isolation, increased regulatory practices and premature loss. As such, this article is revealing of the human stories of everyday life in the pandemic, documenting changing social worker practices of work, home and belonging.
Chenopodium ucrainicum (Amaranthaceae), a new ‘BB’ genome diploid species: karyological, cytological, and molecular evidence
Authors: Habibi Farzaneh , Mosyakin Sergei L , Shynder Oleksandr I , Krak Karol , Čortan Dijana , Filippi Gabrielle A , Mandák Bohumil
Published: October 2023

In 2020, S. Mosyakin and B. Mandák described a new species from the Chenopodium album aggregate, C. ucrainicum. The description of the species was based mainly on its distinct morphological characters. This study aims to improve our understanding of C. ucrainicum by combining karyological, cytological, molecular, and distribution information. All analyses demonstrated that C. ucrainicum is closely related to C. ficifolium and C. suecicum, the species with the ‘BB’ subgenome. It has the same diploid number of chromosomes (2n = 2x = 18), has very similar genome size (mean ± SD, 1.865 ± 0.026 pg), and is included in the same haplogroup together with polyploid species with the subgenome combination ‘BBDD’. Nevertheless, the haplotype of C. ucrainicum is unique and is not shared with any known closely related species, indicating that the species is very well delimited from other related taxa. A similar result was obtained by RAD-seq data. This finding is particularly significant because species with the ‘BB’ genome played an integral part in the evolution of several allopolyploid taxa, some of which are widespread weeds (C. album s.s., C. berlandieri) or economically important species (C. quinoa). Morphologically, the closest species remains C. suecicum, which is, however, very well genetically differentiated.
Out of one, how many? Subtyping in epilepsy
Authors: Kaestner Erik , Reyes Anny
Published: October 2023

This scientific commentary refers to ‘Identification of different MRI atrophy progression trajectories in epilepsy by subtype and stage inference’ by Xiao et al. (https://doi.org/10.1093/brain/awad284).
Investigation of plaque psoriasis relapse after secukinumab withdrawal in patients from two phase III studies
Authors: Lebwohl Mark , Iversen Lars , Eidsmo Liv , Krueger James G , Suárez-Fariñas Mayte , Tomalin Lewis , Kolbinger Frank , You Ruquan , Milutinovic Marina
Published: October 2023

Background

Secukinumab is effective against a range of psoriatic manifestations. Investigating psoriasis (PsO) relapse following secukinumab discontinuation could provide insights into long-term PsO remission.

Objectives

To examine PsO relapse rates on treatment discontinuation following 1 year of secukinumab treatment.

Methods

This study (clinical trial number: NCT01544595) is an extension of the phase III ERASURE/FIXTURE studies in patients with moderate-to-severe plaque PsO. After 1 year of secukinumab 300 mg or 150 mg treatment, participants who had responded to treatment with a ≥ 75% reduction in Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI 75) at week 52 were randomly assigned to receive placebo (n = 120 and n = 100, respectively). On relapse, patients receiving placebo were switched to their previous secukinumab dose. The study primary outcome was the nonrelapse rate after secukinumab withdrawal.

Results

Following the last dose of secukinumab 300 mg, 20.8% (25/120) and 10.0% (12/120) of patients who switched to placebo did not relapse at 1 and 2 years after discontinuation, respectively. Patients who received secukinumab 150 mg for 1 year showed a lower proportion of nonrelapse following treatment discontinuation [14% (14/100) and 6% (6/100)] at 1 and 2 years, respectively. Patients who did not relapse maintained low mean PASI (2.8) at 1 year drug free vs. baseline (20.9); 1.7 at 2 years drug free vs. baseline (19.2), following an initial 52-week treatment with secukinumab 300 mg. Disease duration (P = 0.02) and severity (P = 0.02) were significantly associated with time to relapse in patients initially treated with secukinumab 300 mg; patients with shorter disease duration and lower baseline PASI remained relapse-free for longer.

Conclusions

Following discontinuation of secukinumab, a proportion of patients stayed relapse-free. Further, patients with shorter disease duration remained relapse-free for longer, suggesting that earlier treatment with secukinumab may result in long-term clinical control of moderate-to-severe PsO.
Identification of c.104T>G, p.Met35Arg (NM_00314.8) heterozygous variant in exon 2 of PTEN as the causative factor for Cowden syndrome: a medical case study
Authors: Mansilla-Polo Miguel , Escutia-Muñoz Begoña , Llavador-Ros Margarita , Botella-Estrada Rafael
Published: October 2023

A representative case of Cowden syndrome with florid mucocutaneous manifestations is presented. A genetic study revealed the c.104T>G, p.Met35Arg (NM_00314.8) heterozygous variant in exon 2 of PTEN. A satisfactory response of skin lesions to sirolimus was obtained.
Plant species identity and plant-induced changes in soil physicochemistry—but not plant phylogeny or functional traits - shape the assembly of the root-associated soil microbiome
Authors: Byers Alexa-Kate , Condron Leo M , O'Callaghan Maureen , Waller Lauren , Dickie Ian A , Wakelin Steve A
Published: October 2023

The root-associated soil microbiome contributes immensely to support plant health and performance against abiotic and biotic stressors. Understanding the processes that shape microbial assembly in root-associated soils is of interest in microbial ecology and plant health research. In this study, 37 plant species were grown in the same soil mixture for 10 months, whereupon the root-associated soil microbiome was assessed using amplicon sequencing. From this, the contribution of direct and indirect plant effects on microbial assembly was assessed. Plant species and plant-induced changes in soil physicochemistry were the most significant factors that accounted for bacterial and fungal community variation. Considering that all plants were grown in the same starting soil mixture, our results suggest that plants, in part, shape the assembly of their root-associated soil microbiome via their effects on soil physicochemistry. With the increase in phylogenetic ranking from plant species to class, we observed declines in the degree of community variation attributed to phylogenetic origin. That is, plant-microbe associations were unique to each plant species, but the phylogenetic associations between plant species were not important. We observed a large degree of residual variation (> 65%) not accounted for by any plant-related factors, which may be attributed to random community assembly.
Lest we forget: Odunbaku Oguntona Sapara William (1895–1935) beyond the demystification of deity
Authors: Obadare Temitope O , Adeyemo Adeyemi T
Published: October 2023

Oguntola Odunbaku Sapara Williams (born Alexander Johnson Williams, 1861–1935) was a Fellow of the Royal Institute of Public Health. This paper attempts to highlight the effort of an African doctor to fight disease outbreaks during the African colonial era. His uninterrupted 32 years career as a colonial medical officer in one of the British colonies in West Africa, provided superintendence for the eradication of smallpox as a result of this, he was credited with the demystification of metaphysical involvement in the smallpox epidemic and thus eradication of smallpox in the Lagos colony. He also provided leadership for the control of bubonic plague, and tuberculosis epidemics and pioneered initiatives to reduce maternal and infant mortality by vaccination, enactment of public health law, environmental sanitation, and health education in Southwest Nigeria.
Photoprotective and antigenotoxic properties of Cutibacterium acnes ecotypes native to terrestrial subsurface habitats
Authors: Pedraza Barrera Carlos Adolfo , Fuentes Jorge Luis
Published: October 2023

Actinobacteria are known to produce a variety of secondary metabolites with skin-protective properties. This study aimed to investigate the photoprotective and antigenotoxic properties against UVB of extracts obtained from Cutibacterium acnes strains. Bacterial growth was measured spectrophotometrically and the constant maximum growth rate (μ) value to each strain, were calculated. In vitro photoprotection efficacy was evaluated using in vitro indices such as sun protection factor (SPFespectrophotometric) and critical wavelength (λc). UVB-antigenotoxicity was also evaluated using the SOS Chromotest. Correlation analysis was used to examine the relationship between SPFespectrophotometric and extract concentration and the %GI estimates. Among the studied strains, one showed low (6.0 ≤ SPFespectrophotometric ≤ 14.9) and eight showed media (15.0 ≤ SPFespectrophotometric ≤ 29.9) UVB photoprotection efficacy. All of them resulted in broad-spectrum (UVA–UVB) photoprotection (λc > 370 nm). In total, two C. acnes ecotypes with different growth rates were evidenced, but the protective metabolites in the extracts were produced without the influence of growth rate. Photoprotective efficacy depended on the extract concentration and was correlated with antigenotoxicity. We demonstrated that C. acnes extracts can be used as sunscreen ingredients that reduce UVB-induced genotoxicity.
Role of the extracellular matrix in Candida biofilm antifungal resistance
Authors: Massey Justin , Zarnowski Robert , Andes David
Published: October 2023

Clinical infection due to Candida species frequently involve growth in biofilm communities. Recalcitrance despite antifungal therapy leads to disease persistence associated with high morbidity and mortality. Candida possesses several tools allowing evasion of antifungal effects. Among these, protection of biofilm cells via encasement by the extracellular matrix is responsible for a majority drug resistance phenotype. The Candida matrix composition is complex and includes a mannan–glucan complex linked to antifungal drug sequestration. This mechanism of resistance is conserved across the Candida genus and impacts each of the available antifungal drug classes. The exosome pathway is responsible for delivery and assembly of much of the Candida extracellular matrix as functional vesicle protein and polysaccharide cargo. Investigations demonstrate the vesicle matrix delivery pathway is a useful fungal biofilm drug target. Further elucidation of the vesicle pathway, as well as understanding the roles of biofilm driven cargo may provide additional targets to aid the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of Candida biofilms.
Active steps to reduce administrative spending associated with financial transactions in US health care
Authors: Sahni Nikhil R , Gupta Pranay , Peterson Michael , Cutler David M
Published: October 2023

US health care administrative spending is approximately $1 trillion annually. A major operational area is the financial transactions ecosystem, which has approximately $200 billion in spending annually. Efficient financial transactions ecosystems from other industries and countries exhibit 2 features: immediate payment assurance and high use of automation throughout the process. The current system has an average transaction cost of $12 to $19 per claim across private payers and providers for more than 9 billion claims per year; each claim on average takes 4 to 6 weeks to process and pay. For simple claims, the transaction cost is $7 to $10 across private payers and providers; for complex claims, $35 to $40. Prior authorization on approximately 5000 codes has an average cost of $40 to $50 per submission for private payers and $20 to $30 for providers. Interventions aligned with a more efficient financial transactions ecosystem could reduce spending by $40 billion to $60 billion; approximately half is at the organizational level (scaling interventions being implemented by leading private payers and providers) and half at the industry level (adopting a centralized automated claims clearinghouse, standardizing medical policies for a subset of prior authorizations, and standardizing physician licensure for a national provider directory).
Modelling counterfactual incidence during the transition towards culture-independent diagnostic testing
Authors: Healy Jessica M , Ray Logan , Tack Danielle M , Eikmeier Dana , Tobin-D’Angelo Melissa , Wilson Elisha , Hurd Sharon , Lathrop Sarah , McGuire Suzanne M , Bruce Beau B
Published: October 2023

Background

Culture-independent diagnostic testing (CIDT) provides rapid results to clinicians and is quickly displacing traditional detection methods. Increased CIDT use and sensitivity likely result in higher case detection but might also obscure infection trends. Severe illness outcomes, such as hospitalization and death, are likely less affected by changes in testing practices and can be used as indicators of the expected case incidence trend had testing methods not changed.

Methods

Using US Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network data during 1996–2019 and mixed effects quasi-Poisson regression, we estimated the expected yearly incidence for nine enteric pathogens.

Results

Removing the effect of CIDT use, CIDT panel testing and culture-confirmation of CIDT testing, the modelled incidence in all but three pathogens (Salmonella, Shigella, STEC O157) was significantly lower than the observed and the upward trend in Campylobacter was reversed from an observed 2.8% yearly increase to a modelled –2.8% yearly decrease (95% credible interval: –4.0, –1.4).

Conclusions

Severe outcomes may be useful indicators in evaluating trends in surveillance systems that have undergone a marked change.
Trends for Syndromic Surveillance of Norovirus in Emergency Department Data Based on Chief Complaints
Authors: Kim Soyeoun , Kim Sohee , Choi Bo Youl , Park Boyoung
Published: October 2023

Background

This study compared trends in norovirus cases to determine whether chief complaint–based emergency department (ED) visit data could reflect trends of norovirus in Korea.

Methods

The ED visits from the National Emergency Department Information System database and the weekly reported number of noroviruses from the sentinel surveillance system were collected between August 2017 and December 2020. The correlation between weekly norovirus cases and weekly ED visits considering the chief complaint and discharge diagnosis code was estimated using a 3-week moving average.

Results

In total, 6 399 774 patients with chief complaints related to digestive system disease visited an ED. A higher correlation between reported norovirus cases and ED visit with chief complaint of vomiting and discharge diagnosis code of gastroenteritis and colitis of unspecified origin or other and unspecified gastroenteritis and colitis of infectious origin was observed (R = 0.88, P < .0001). The correlation was highest for the age group 0–4 years (R = 0.89, P < .0001). However, no correlation was observed between the reported norovirus cases and the number of ED visits with norovirus identified as a discharge diagnosis code.

Conclusions

ED visit data considering a combination of chief complaints and discharged diagnosis code would be useful for early detection of infectious disease trends.
Detection and Clearance of Type-Specific and Phylogenetically Related Genital Human Papillomavirus Infections in Young Women in New Heterosexual Relationships
Authors: Arthur Andrew W , El-Zein Mariam , Burchell Ann N , Tellier Pierre-Paul , Coutlée François , Franco Eduardo L
Published: October 2023

Background

Understanding the natural history of human papillomavirus (HPV) infections is essential to cervical cancer prevention planning. We estimated HPV type-specific infection detection and clearance in young women.

Methods

The HPV Infection and Transmission among Couples through Heterosexual activity (HITCH) study is a prospective cohort of 502 college-age women who recently initiated a heterosexual relationship. We tested vaginal samples collected at 6 clinical visits over 24 months for 36 HPV types. Using rates and Kaplan-Meier analysis, we estimated time-to-event statistics with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for detection of incident infections and clearance of incident and present-at-baseline infections (separately). We conducted analyses at the woman- and HPV-levels, with HPV types grouped by phylogenetic relatedness.

Results

By 24 months, we detected incident infections in 40.4% (CI, 33.4%–48.4%) of women. Incident subgenus 1 (43.4; CI, 33.6–56.4), 2 (47.1; CI, 39.9–55.5), and 3 (46.6; CI, 37.7–57.7) infections cleared at similar rates per 1000 infection-months. We observed similar homogeny in HPV-level clearance rates among present-at-baseline infections.

Conclusions

Our analyses provide type-specific infection natural history estimates for cervical cancer prevention planning. HPV-level analyses did not clearly indicate that high oncogenic risk subgenus 2 infections persist longer than their low oncogenic risk subgenera 1 and 3 counterparts.
Convicting Autonomous Weapons?
Authors: Weigend Thomas
Published: October 2023

If autonomous weapon systems (AWS) cause harm beyond their legitimate military use, e.g., by killing innocent civilians, the question arises as to who can be held responsible. Due to the great number of persons involved in the construction, programming, training, and deploying of AWS, a ‘responsibility gap’ has been diagnosed. As it is neither theoretically nor practically feasible to impose criminal responsibility on AWS themselves, various doctrines of international criminal law (ICL) have been suggested with a view toward making individual persons responsible for the AWS’s malfunctioning. The mens rea requirements of ICL are, however, likely to severely limit individual criminal responsibility. The author suggests that the emphasis should not be on bending legal doctrine in a futile effort to close the ‘responsibility gap’ but on establishing specific obligations to train, test, and continually observe the operation of AWS in order to avoid malfunctioning.
Regulatory networks of the F-box protein FBX206 and OVATE family proteins modulate brassinosteroid biosynthesis to regulate grain size and yield in rice
Authors: Sun Xiaoxuan , Xie Yonghong , Xu Kaizun , Li Jianxiong
Published: October 2023

F-box proteins participate in the regulation of many processes, including cell division, development, and plant hormone responses. Brassinosteroids (BRs) regulate plant growth and development by activating core transcriptional and other multiple factors. In rice, OVATE family proteins (OFPs) participate in BR signalling and regulate grain size. Here we identified an F-box E3 ubiquitin ligase, FBX206, that acts as a negative factor in BR signalling and regulates grain size and yield in rice. Suppressed expression of FBX206 by RNAi leads to promoted plant growth and increased grain yield. Molecular analyses showed that the expression levels of BR biosynthetic genes were up-regulated, whereas those of BR catabolic genes were down-regulated in FBX206-RNAi plants, resulting in the accumulation of 28-homoBL, one of the bioactive BRs. FBX206 interacted with OsOFP8, a positive regulator in BR signalling, and OsOFP19, a negative regulator in BR signalling. SCFFBX206 mediated the degradation of OsOFP8 but suppressed OsOFP19 degradation. OsOFP8 interacted with OsOFP19, and the reciprocal regulation between OsOFP8 and OsOFP19 required the presence of FBX206. FBX206 itself was ubiquitinated and degraded, but interactions of OsOFP8 and OsOFP19 synergistically suppressed the degradation of FBX206. Genetic interactions indicated an additive effect between FBX206 and OsOFP8 and epistatic effects of OsOFP19 on FBX206 and OsOFP8. Our study reveals the regulatory networks of FBX206, OsOFP8, and OsOFP19 in BR signalling that regulate grain size and yield in rice.
Plant KASH proteins SINE1 and SINE2 have synergistic and antagonistic interactions with actin-branching and actin-bundling factors
Authors: Moser Morgan , Groves Norman R , Meier Iris
Published: October 2023

Linker of nucleoskeleton and cytoskeleton (LINC) complexes consist of outer nuclear membrane KASH proteins, interacting in the nuclear envelope lumen with inner nuclear membrane SUN proteins and connecting the nucleus and cytoskeleton. The paralogous Arabidopsis KASH proteins SINE1 and SINE2 function during stomatal dynamics induced by light–dark transitions and abscisic acid (ABA), which requires F-actin reorganization. SINE2 influences actin depolymerization and SINE1 actin repolymerization. The actin-related protein 2/3 (ARP2/3) complex, an actin nucleator, and the plant actin-bundling and -stabilizing factor SCAB1 are involved in stomatal aperture control. Here, we have tested the genetic interaction of SINE1 and SINE2 with SCAB1 and the ARP2/3 complex. We show that SINE1 and the ARP2/3 complex function in the same pathway during ABA-induced stomatal closure, while SINE2 and the ARP2/3 complex play opposing roles. The actin repolymerization defect observed in sine1-1 is partially rescued in scab1-2 sine1-1, while SINE2 is epistatic to SCAB1. In addition, SINE1 and ARP2/3 act synergistically in lateral root development. The absence of SINE2 renders trichome development independent of the ARP2/3 complex. Together, these data reveal complex and differential interactions of the two KASH proteins with the actin-remodeling apparatus and add evidence to the proposed differential role of SINE1 and SINE2 in actin dynamics.
What can digital humanities do for literary adaptation studies: distant reading of children’s editions of Robinson Crusoe
Authors: Hui Haifeng
Published: October 2023

While digital humanities has emerged as a cutting-edge research trend in the humanities over the past two decades, its application in literary research is still scarce. At present, the field of digital humanities for literary studies is largely focused on theoretical development, critical reflections, and infrastructure building. This article aims to explore the potential of digital humanities in advancing literary research through critical practices and elucidates the distinctive advantages of employing digital humanities methodologies in the study of literature. In this article, a dozen of children’s editions of Robinson Crusoe from different historical periods are used as the corpus, and methods such as word cloud, keyword extraction, and sentiment analysis using Python are used to examine the adaptation of Defoe’s original novel in children’s editions and to uncover a positive inclination throughout the diachronic evolution of children’s literature adaptations. It has also revealed some patterns within the intricate details of the different children’s editions. In doing so, the article demonstrates the unique advantages of digital humanities in literary studies and proposes new ways of applying digital humanities to literary criticism.
κmonty: a Monte Carlo Compton scattering code including non-thermal electrons
Authors: Davelaar Jordy , Ryan Benjamin R , Wong George N , Bronzwaer Thomas , Olivares Hector , Mościbrodzka Monika , Gammie Charles F , Falcke Heino
Published: October 2023

Low-luminosity active galactic nuclei are strong sources of X-ray emission produced by Compton scattering originating from the accretion flows surrounding their supermassive black holes. The shape and energy of the resulting spectrum depend on the shape of the underlying electron distribution function (DF). In this work, we present an extended version of the grmonty code, called κmonty. The grmonty code previously only included a thermal Maxwell–Jütner electron DF. We extend the grmonty code with non-thermal electron DFs, namely the κ and power-law DFs, implement Cartesian Kerr–Schild coordinates, accelerate the code with mpi, and couple the code to the non-uniform adaptive mesh refinement grid data from the general relativistic magnetohydrodynamics code bhac. For the Compton scattering process, we derive two sampling kernels for both DFs. Finally, we present a series of code tests to verify the accuracy of our schemes. The implementation of non-thermal DFs opens the possibility of studying the effect of non-thermal emission on previously developed black hole accretion models.
Robustness of baryon acoustic oscillations measurements with photometric redshift uncertainties
Authors: Ishikawa Keitaro , Sunayama Tomomi , Nishizawa Atsushi J , Miyatake Hironao , Nishimichi Takahiro
Published: October 2023

We investigate the robustness of baryon acoustic oscillations (BAO) measurements with a photometric galaxy sample using mock galaxy catalogues with various sizes of photometric redshift (photo-z) uncertainties. We first conduct the robustness of BAO measurements, assuming we have a perfect knowledge of photo-z uncertainties. We find that the BAO shift parameter α can be constrained in an unbiased manner even for 3 per cent photometric redshift uncertainties up to z ∼ 1. For instance, α = 1.006 ± 0.078 with 95 per cent confidence level is obtained from 3 per cent photo-z uncertainty data at z = 1.03 using the sample of M* ≥ 1010.25 M⊙ h−2. We also find that a sparse galaxy sample, e.g. <2 × 10−4 [h Mpc−1]3, causes additional noise in the covariance matrix calculation and can bias the constraint on α. Following this, we look into the scenario where incorrect photometric redshift uncertainties are assumed in the fitting model. We find that underestimating the photo-z uncertainty leads to a degradation in the constraining power on α. However, the constrained value of α is not biased. We also quantify the constraining power on Ωm0 assuming the Vera C. Rubin Observatory Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST)-like covariance and find that the 95 per cent confidence level is σ(Ωm0) ∼ 0.03–0.05 corresponding to the photo-z uncertainties of 1–3 per cent, respectively. Finally, we examine whether the skewness in the photometric redshift can bias the constraint on α and confirm that the constraint on α is unbiased, even assuming a Gaussian photo-z uncertainty in our model.
A CMB lensing analysis of the extended mass distribution of clusters
Authors: Toscano Facundo , Luparello Heliana , Gonzalez Elizabeth Johana , Lambas Diego Garcia
Published: October 2023

The aim of this work is to study the anisotropic weak lensing signal associated with the mass distribution of massive clusters of galaxies using the cosmic microwave background (CMB) data. For this purpose, we stack patches of the Planck Collaboration (2018) CMB lensing convergence map centred on SDSS DR8 redMaPPer clusters within the redshift range [0.4, 0.5]. We obtain mean radial profiles of the convergence parameter κ finding strong signals at scales as large as 40 Mpch−1. By orienting the clusters along their major axis defined through the galaxy member distribution, we find a significant difference between the parallel and perpendicular-oriented convergence profiles. The amplitude of the profile along the parallel direction is about 50 per cent larger than that along the perpendicular direction, indicating that the clusters are well aligned with the surrounding mass distribution. From a model with an anisotropic surface mass density, we obtain a suitable agreement for both mass and ellipticities of clusters compared to results derived from weak lensing shear estimates, finding strong evidence of the correlation between the galaxy cluster member distribution and the large-scale mass distribution.
X-ray polarization properties of partially ionized equatorial obscurers around accreting compact objects
Authors: Podgorný J , Marin F , Dovčiak M
Published: October 2023

We present the expected X-ray polarization signal resulting from distant reprocessing material around black holes. Using a central isotropic power-law emission at the centre of the simulated model, we add distant equatorial and axially symmetric media that are covering the central accreting sources. We include partial ionization and partial transparency effects, and the impact of various polarization and steepness of the primary radiation spectrum. The results are obtained with the Monte Carlo code STOKES that considers both line and continuum processes and computes the effects of scattering and absorption inside static homogenous wedge-shaped and elliptical toroidal structures, varying in relative size, composition and distance to the source. We provide first order estimates for parsec-scale reprocessing in Compton-thin and Compton-thick active galactic nuclei, as well as winds around accreting stellar-mass compact objects, for observer’s inclinations above and below the grazing angle. The resulting reprocessed polarization can reach tens of per cent with either parallel or perpendicular orientation with respect to the axis of symmetry, depending on subtle details of the geometry, density, and ionization structure. We also show how principal parameters constrained from X-ray spectroscopy or polarimetry in other wavelengths can lift the shown degeneracies in X-ray polarization. We provide an application example of the broad modelling discussion by revisiting the recent IXPE 2–8 keV X-ray polarimetric observation of the accreting stellar-mass black hole in Cygnus X-3 from the perspective of partial transparency and ionization of the obscuring outflows.
Anisotropic strong lensing as a probe of dark matter self-interactions
Authors: Dhanasingham Birendra , Cyr-Racine Francis-Yan , Mace Charlie , Peter Annika H G , Benson Andrew
Published: October 2023

Galaxy-scale strongly lensed systems have been shown to provide a unique technique for exploring the underlying physics of dark matter at sub-galactic scales. In the past, much attention was given to detecting and studying individual haloes in a strong lens system. In addition to the subhaloes, line-of-sight haloes contribute significantly to the small perturbations in lensed images. In prior work, we demonstrated that these line-of-sight haloes imprint a distinctive anisotropic signature and hence give rise to a detectable non-zero parity-even quadrupole moment in the effective convergence field’s two-point correlation function. In this study, we show that these line-of-sight haloes also produce a non-zero curl component of the effective deflection field with a parity-odd quadrupole moment of the two-point function. These multipole moments have the ability to statistically separate line-of-sight haloes from dark matter substructure. In this paper, we examine how these multipole moments evolve in the presence of warm dark matter and self-interacting dark matter in terms of central density evolution and dark matter halo abundance. Importantly, we show that these different multipole moments display exquisite sensitivity to both the amplitude and the velocity dependence of the dark matter self-interaction cross-section. Our approach opens the door for strong lensing observations to probe dark matter self-interaction over a broad range of relative velocities.
The first X-ray polarimetric observation of the black hole binary LMC X-1
Authors: Podgorný J , Marra L , Muleri F , Rodriguez Cavero N , Ratheesh A , Dovčiak M , Mikušincová R , Brigitte M , Steiner J F , Veledina A , Bianchi S , Krawczynski H , Svoboda J , Kaaret P , Matt G , García J A , Petrucci P-O , Lutovinov A , Semena A , Di Marco A , Negro M , Weisskopf M C , Ingram A , Poutanen J , Beheshtipour B , Chun S , Hu K , Mizuno T , Sixuan Z , Tombesi F , Zane S , Agudo I , Antonelli L A , Bachetti M , Baldini L , Baumgartner W H , Bellazzini R , Bongiorno S D , Bonino R , Brez A , Bucciantini N , Capitanio F , Castellano S , Cavazzuti E , Chen C , Ciprini S , Costa E , De Rosa A , Del Monte E , Di Gesu L , Di Lalla N , Donnarumma I , Doroshenko V , Ehlert S R , Enoto T , Evangelista Y , Fabiani S , Ferrazzoli R , Gunji S , Hayashida K , Heyl J , Iwakiri W , Jorstad S G , Karas V , Kislat F , Kitaguchi T , Kolodziejczak J J , La Monaca F , Latronico L , Liodakis I , Maldera S , Manfreda A , Marin F , Marinucci A , Marscher A P , Marshall H L , Massaro F , Mitsuishi I , Ng C-Y , O’Dell S L , Omodei N , Oppedisano C , Papitto A , Pavlov G G , Peirson A L , Perri M , Pesce-Rollins M , Pilia M , Possenti A , Puccetti S , Ramsey B D , Rankin J , Roberts O J , Romani R W , Sgrò C , Slane P , Soffitta P , Spandre G , Swartz D A , Tamagawa T , Tavecchio F , Taverna R , Tawara Y , Tennant A F , Thomas N E , Trois A , Tsygankov S S , Turolla R , Vink J , Wu K , Xie F
Published: October 2023

We report on an X-ray polarimetric observation of the high-mass X-ray binary LMC X-1 in the high/soft state, obtained by the Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) in 2022 October. The measured polarization is below the minimum detectable polarization of 1.1 per cent (at the 99 per cent confidence level). Simultaneously, the source was observed with the Neutron Star Interior Composition Explorer (NICER), Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR), and Spectrum-Rontgen-Gamma (SRG)/Astronomical Roentgen Telescope – X-ray Concentrator (ART-XC) instruments, which enabled spectral decomposition into a dominant thermal component and a Comptonized one. The low 2–8 keV polarization of the source did not allow for strong constraints on the black hole spin and inclination of the accretion disc. However, if the orbital inclination of about 36° is assumed, then the upper limit is consistent with predictions for pure thermal emission from geometrically thin and optically thick discs. Assuming the polarization degree of the Comptonization component to be 0, 4, or 10 per cent, and oriented perpendicular to the polarization of the disc emission (in turn assumed to be perpendicular to the large-scale ionization cone orientation detected in the optical band), an upper limit to the polarization of the disc emission of 1.0, 0.9, or 0.9 per cent, respectively, is found (at the 99 per cent confidence level).
Gaia uncovers difference in B and Be star binarity at small scales: evidence for mass transfer causing the Be phenomenon
Authors: Dodd Jonathan M , Oudmaijer René D , Radley Isaac C , Vioque Miguel , Frost Abigail J
Published: October 2023

Be stars make up almost 20 per cent of the B star population, and are rapidly rotating stars surrounded by a disc; however the origin of this rotation remains unclear. Mass transfer within close binaries provides the leading hypothesis, with previous detections of stripped companions to Be stars supporting this. Here, we exploit the exquisite astrometric precision of Gaia to carry out the largest to date comparative study into the binarity of matched samples of nearby B and Be stars from the Bright Star Catalogue. By utilizing new ‘proper motion anomaly’ values, derived from Gaia DR2 and DR3 astrometric data alongside previous values calculated using Hipparcos and Gaia data, and the Gaia-provided RUWE, we demonstrate that we can identify unresolved binaries down to separations of 0.02 arcsec. Using these measures, we find that the binary fractions of B and Be stars are similar between 0.04 and 10 arcsec, but the Be binary fraction is significantly lower than that of the B stars for separations below 0.04 arcsec. As the separation range of these ‘missing’ binaries is too large for mass transfer, and stripped companions are not retrieved by these measures, we suggest the companions migrate inwards via binary hardening within a triple system. This confirms statistically for the first time the hypothesis that binary interaction causes the Be phenomenon, with migration causing the dearth of Be binaries between 0.02 and 0.04 arcsec. Furthermore, we suggest that triplicity plays a vital role in this migration, and thus in the formation of Be stars as a whole.
QUIJOTE scientific results – XIII. Intensity and polarization study of the microwave spectra of supernova remnants in the QUIJOTE-MFI wide survey: CTB 80, Cygnus Loop, HB 21, CTA 1, Tycho, and HB 9
Authors: López-Caraballo C H , Ruiz-Granados B , Génova-Santos R T , Fernández-Torreiro M , Rubiño-Martín J A , Peel M W , Poidevin F , Artal E , Ashdown M , Barreiro R B , Casas F J , de la Hoz E , González-González R , Guidi F , Herranz D , Hoyland R , Lasenby A , Martínez-González E , Piccirillo L , Rebolo R , Tramonte D , Vansyngel F , Vielva P , Watson R A
Published: October 2023

We use the new QUIJOTE-MFI wide survey (11, 13, 17, and 19 GHz) to produce spectral energy distributions (SEDs), on an angular scale of 1°, of the supernova remnants (SNRs) CTB 80, Cygnus Loop, HB 21, CTA 1, Tycho, and HB 9. We provide new measurements of the polarized synchrotron radiation in the microwave range. The intensity and polarization SEDs are obtained and modelled by combining QUIJOTE-MFI maps with ancillary data. In intensity, we confirm the curved spectra of CTB 80 and HB 21 with a break frequency νb at 2.0$^{+1.2}_{-0.5}$ and 5.0$^{+1.2}_{-1.0}$ GHz, respectively; and spectral indices above the break of $-0.6^{+0.04}_{-0.05}$ and $-0.86^{+0.04}_{-0.05}$. We provide constraints on the Anomalous Microwave Emission, suggesting that it is negligible towards these SNRs. From a simultaneous intensity and polarization fit, we recover synchrotron spectral indices as flat as −0.24, and the whole sample has a mean and scatter of −0.44 ± 0.12. The polarization fractions have a mean and scatter of 6.1 ± 1.9 per cent. When combining our results with the measurements from other QUIJOTE (Q-U-I JOint TEnerife CMB experiment) studies of SNRs, we find that radio spectral indices are flatter for mature SNRs, and particularly flatter for CTB 80 ($-0.24^{+0.07}_{-0.06}$) and HB 21 ($-0.34^{+0.04}_{-0.03}$). In addition, the evolution of the spectral indices against the SNRs age is modelled with a power-law function, providing an exponent −0.07 ± 0.03 and amplitude −0.49 ± 0.02 (at 10 kyr), which are conservative with respect to previous studies of our Galaxy and the Large Magellanic Cloud.
Sky subtraction of LAMOST at bright night
Authors: Han Bochong , Song Yihan , Zhao Yongheng
Published: October 2023

Sky subtraction is a crucial step in the data reduction process for LAMOST, including dark, bright, and grey nights. During the pilot survey, on bright nights, atmospheric scattering of moonlight can introduce gradients in the sky background. In observations during bright moonlit nights, the sky component is significant, and sometimes, variations in colour can be observed in the sky spectra. This phenomenon is not universally present during observations on bright moonlit nights. Taking this into consideration, this paper proposes a weighted trend-surface method to reconstruct the sky component within the science target fibre, aiming to achieve the subtraction of the sky component. We constructed a sky model using a trend surface, utilizing data from all sky fibre spectra on the same spectrograph to predict the sky component for each fibre spectrum. Subsequently, the reconstructed sky spectrum data were compared with the actually observed sky spectrum data and the ‘super sky’ from LAMOST’s pipeline. The results indicate that our method is closer to the observed real sky spectrum than the ‘super sky’, showing smaller residuals and variance, with an average closer to zero. This method serves as a viable solution, particularly when dealing with colour variations observed during bright moonlit nights.