bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
COVID-19 restrictions limited interactions of people and resulted in lowered E. coli antimicrobial resistance rates
Authors: Collignon Peter , Beggs John , Robson Jennifer
Published: August 2024

Background

Antibiotic resistance is rising globally and is a major One Health problem. How much person-to-person transmission or ‘contagion’ contributes to the spread of resistant strains compared with antibiotic usage remains unclear. As part of its COVID-19 response, Australia introduced strict people movement restrictions in early 2020. Along with internal lockdown measures, movement of people into Australia from overseas was severely restricted. These circumstances provided a unique opportunity to examine the association of people movements with changes in resistance rates.

Methods

Monthly resistance data on over 646 000 Escherichia coli urine isolates from 2016 till 2023 were modelled for statistical changes in resistance trends during pre-lockdown, lockdown and post-lockdown periods. Data were available for three clinical contexts (community, hospital and aged-care facilities). Data were also available for antibiotic usage volumes and movements of people into Australia.

Results

In 2020, arrivals into Australia decreased by >95%. Antibiotic community use fell by >20%. There were sharp falls in trend rates of resistance for all antibiotics examined after restrictions were instituted. This fall in trend rates of resistance persisted during restrictions. Notably, trend rates of resistance fell in all three clinical contexts. After removal of restrictions, an upsurge in trend rates of resistance was seen for nearly all antibiotics but with no matching upsurge in antibiotic use.

Conclusions

Restricting the movement of people appeared to have a dramatic effect on resistance rates in E. coli. The resulting reduced person-to-person interactions seems more closely associated with changes in antibiotic resistance than antibiotic usage patterns.
Antimicrobial activity of eight plant essential oils having antioxidant property against spoilage microbes
Authors: Xia Huili , Liu Daoqi , Jin Yuan , Wang Mingcheng , Qiao Zhu , Wu Qi , Liu Ying , Li Enzhong
Published: August 2024

Aims

To identify efficient, broad-spectrum, and non-toxic preservatives for natural agricultural products, eight essential oils were screened for high inhibitory and antioxidant activities against spoilage microbes.

Methods and Results

The zone of inhibition test and minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) assay were performed to assess the antimicrobial activity of eight essential oils against B. subtilis, S. aureus, Penicillium, Saccharomyces, and E. coli. Among the eight essential oils, garlic and rose essential oils exhibited the best inhibitory effects, their MICs against the spoilage microbes were 40–640 μL/L and 10–320 μL/L, respectively. In addition, the antioxidant activities of eight essential oils were compared using the DPPH and ABTS radical-scavenging assays and the reducing power assay. eight essential oils had antioxidant capacity, among which rosemary, thyme, rose, and tea tree essential oils performed best. Moreover, the combination of thyme and rose exerted stronger antioxidant activity. Therefore, the concentrations of rose and garlic, and thyme essential oils were optimized using response surface methodology to obtain the optimal composite ratios, which were 1254 μL/L, 640 μL/L, and 1228 μL/L for rose, garlic, and thyme, respectively. The DPPH free radical-scavenging rate detected using this formulation was 50.2%, basically consistent with the prediction. Zone of inhibition diameters with the compound essential oil, against five spoilage microbes, were all greater than 45 mm.

Conclusions

The essential oil combination had high antimicrobial, against agricultural product spoilage microbes, and antioxidant activities.
The bacterial displacement test: an in vitro microbiological test for the evaluation of intermittent catheters and urinary tract infection
Authors: Meredith Kate , Pollard David , Mason Victoria , Ali Ased
Published: August 2024

Aims

Intermittent catheters (ICs) are commonly used in bladder management, but catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs) remain challenging. Insertion tips may reduce the risk of CAUTIs by minimizing bacterial transfer along the urinary tract. However, there are few laboratory tests to evaluate such technologies. We describe the use of an adapted in vitro urethra agar model to assess bacterial displacement by ICs.

Methods and results

Simulated urethra agar channels (UACs) were prepared with catheter-specific sized channels in selective media specific to the challenge organisms. UACs were inoculated with Escherichia coli and Enterococcus faecalis before insertion of ICs, and enumeration of UAC sections was performed following insertion. Four ICs were evaluated: Cure Catheter® Closed System (CCS), VaPro Plus Pocket™, Bard® Touchless® Plus, and SpeediCath® Flex Set. CCS demonstrated significantly reduced bacterial displacement along the UACs compared to the other ICs and was also the only IC with undetectable levels of bacteria toward the end of the UAC (representing the proximal urethra).

Conclusion

The bacterial displacement test demonstrated significant differences in bacterial transfer between the test ICs with insertion tips, which may reflect their different designs. This method is useful for evaluating CAUTI prevention technology and may help guide future technology innovations.
The fungus Aphanoascella galapagosensis affects bacterial diversity of Galapagos giant tortoise carapaces
Authors: Perea Brugal Miguel , Burbano Moscoso Manuela , Nieto-Claudín Ainoa , Deem Sharon L , Siddons David C , Caroca Cáceres Rodrigo
Published: August 2024

Aims

This study aimed to describe the bacterial microbiome associated with the carapace of three species of Galapagos giant tortoises (Chelonoidis porteri, Chelonoidis donfaustoi, and Chelonoidis vandenburghi) and determine the potential effect of the whitish lesions caused by the fungus Aphanoascella galapagosensis.

Methods and results

We used Oxford Nanopore’s MinION to evaluate the external bacterial microbiome associated with the carapaces from the aforementioned species. Taxonomic assignment was carried out by Bugseq and the bacterial communities were compared between carapaces with and without lesions using a NMDS with Bray–Curtis as the dissimilarity index. We found four genera of bacteria that were ubiquitous throughout all individuals, suggesting the presence of shared taxa. The results also displayed a significant difference in the microbiome between carapaces with and without lesions, and for species-carapace interaction, but not among species.

Conclusions

This study establishes a baseline of the bacterial diversity of the carapace within three Galapagos giant tortoise species, showcasing the presence of a distinctive microbial community. Furthermore, our findings suggest a significant influence of the fungus Aphanoascella galapagosensis on the bacterial populations inhabiting the carapace of these reptiles.
Evaluating large language models for health-related text classification tasks with public social media data
Authors: Guo Yuting , Ovadje Anthony , Al-Garadi Mohammed Ali , Sarker Abeed
Published: August 2024

Objectives

Large language models (LLMs) have demonstrated remarkable success in natural language processing (NLP) tasks. This study aimed to evaluate their performances on social media-based health-related text classification tasks.

Materials and Methods

We benchmarked 1 Support Vector Machine (SVM), 3 supervised pretrained language models (PLMs), and 2 LLMs-based classifiers across 6 text classification tasks. We developed 3 approaches for leveraging LLMs: employing LLMs as zero-shot classifiers, using LLMs as data annotators, and utilizing LLMs with few-shot examples for data augmentation.

Results

Across all tasks, the mean (SD) F1 score differences for RoBERTa, BERTweet, and SocBERT trained on human-annotated data were 0.24 (±0.10), 0.25 (±0.11), and 0.23 (±0.11), respectively, compared to those trained on the data annotated using GPT3.5, and were 0.16 (±0.07), 0.16 (±0.08), and 0.14 (±0.08) using GPT4, respectively. The GPT3.5 and GPT4 zero-shot classifiers outperformed SVMs in a single task and in 5 out of 6 tasks, respectively. When leveraging LLMs for data augmentation, the RoBERTa models trained on GPT4-augmented data demonstrated superior or comparable performance compared to those trained on human-annotated data alone.

Discussion

The results revealed that using LLM-annotated data only for training supervised classification models was ineffective. However, employing the LLM as a zero-shot classifier exhibited the potential to outperform traditional SVM models and achieved a higher recall than the advanced transformer-based model RoBERTa. Additionally, our results indicated that utilizing GPT3.5 for data augmentation could potentially harm model performance. In contrast, data augmentation with GPT4 demonstrated improved model performances, showcasing the potential of LLMs in reducing the need for extensive training data.

Conclusions

By leveraging the data augmentation strategy, we can harness the power of LLMs to develop smaller, more effective domain-specific NLP models. Using LLM-annotated data without human guidance for training lightweight supervised classification models is an ineffective strategy. However, LLM, as a zero-shot classifier, shows promise in excluding false negatives and potentially reducing the human effort required for data annotation.
Supplementation with avian-derived polyclonal antibodies against Methanobrevibacter gottschalkii and M. ruminantium decreases ex vivo methane production and modifies ruminal fermentation in Angus crossbred steers
Authors: Garcia-Ascolani Mariana E , Tarnonsky Federico , Roskopf Sergio , Podversich Federico , Silva Gleise M , Schulmeister Tessa M , Ruiz-Moreno Martin , Hackmann Timothy J , Dubeux Jose C B , DiLorenzo Nicolas
Published: August 2024

The study aimed to investigate the effect of supplementing polyclonal antibodies (PAP) of avian origin against the ruminal methanogens Methanobrevibacter gottschalkii Ho (PAP-Ho) and M. ruminantium M1 (PAP-M1) on ruminal fermentation profile and methane production in Angus crossbred cattle (13 steers and 1 heifer). The experiment was conducted using a randomized block design with a 3 × 2 + 1 factorial arrangement, replicated in 3 periods. The factors included proportions of PAP against Ho and M1 in the mixture (100:0, 50:50, and 0:100 Ho:M1) and level of each mixture (3- or 6-mL per d). Cattle in control treatment did not receive PAP supplementation. Ruminal fluid was collected from the animals on days 0, 14, and 21 of treatment to determine of ruminal fermentation profile and ex vivo methane production. There was no effect of level of inclusion on ex vivo methane production. Supplementation with PAP-M1, either alone or in combination with PAP-Ho, decreased ex vivo methane output compared to the control group. Furthermore, in vivo molar proportion of propionate tended to be greater with PAP-M1, alone or combined with PAP-Ho, when compared with the control group. The study concluded that polyclonal antibodies against ruminal methanogens have the potential to decrease enteric methane emissions in cattle. The research provided important insights into the potential use of PAP as a strategy for reducing greenhouse gas emissions from cattle. Further research is needed to confirm these findings and to determine the practicality and feasibility of using PAP.
Effect of standardized ileal digestible arginine:lysine on growth performance of 6- to 13-kg nursery pigs
Authors: Humphrey Dalton C , Hagen Chloe S , Wileman Caitlyn M , Putnam Margaret C , Haydon Keith D , Greiner Laura L
Published: August 2024

A total of 480 newly weaned pigs (PIC 337 × 1050; Genus, Hendersonville, TN) with an initial body weight (BW) of 6.20 ± 0.61 kg were used in a dose–response study to investigate the impact of increasing standardized ileal digestible (SID) Arg:Lys on nursery pig growth performance. At weaning, pigs were placed into 48 pens with 5 barrows and 5 gilts per pen. Pens were randomly assigned to 1 of 6 dietary treatments. The experimental diets were formulated with increasing SID Arg:Lys, achieved by substituting corn starch, glycine, and l-alanine with l-arginine, resulting in SID Arg:Lys ranging from 45% to 145%. Diets were sublimiting in SID Lys and exceeded all other essential amino acid requirements. The experimental diets were fed across two feeding phases from days 0 to 10 and 10 to 27, with adjustments made to account for the Lys requirement of the pigs. All pens were placed on a common diet for the remaining 14 d of the study to evaluate carryover effects. Pigs and feeders were weighed at the start and end of each phase to calculate average daily gain (ADG), average daily feed intake (ADFI), and feed efficiency (G:F). Data were analyzed according to a linear regression model, which included the linear and quadratic effects of SID Arg:Lys and initial BW. Pen was the experimental unit, and results were considered significant at P ≤ 0.05 and a tendency at 0.50 < P ≤ 0.10. From days 0 to 27, Arg:Lys tended to have a quadratic effect on ADFI (P = 0.058), where 97.00 ± 7.631% SID Arg:Lys maximized feed intake. Similarly, Arg:Lys had a quadratic impact on ADG (P = 0.046), where ADG was maximized at a SID Arg:Lys of 95.65 ± 7.165. Correspondingly, Arg:Lys had a quadratic effect on pig BW on day 27 (P = 0.014). These effects were carried through the end of the study, where Arg:Lys quadratically impacted days 0 to 41 ADFI (P = 0.006), ADG (P = 0.077), and day 41 BW (P = 0.028). There was no evidence of an effect of SID Arg:Lys on G:F throughout the study (P ≥ 0.315). In conclusion, SID Arg:Lys quadratically impacted ADFI and ADG in 6- to 13-kg nursery pigs, where ADFI was maximized at a SID Arg:Lys of 97.00% (95% CI [81.6%, 112.4%]), and ADG was maximized at a SID Arg:Lys of 95.65% (95% CI [81.2%, 110.1%]). Together, these data suggest that the SID Arg:Lys requirement of nursery pigs is at least 81%, based on the lower bounds of the 95% CI for maximum ADG and ADFI, and excessive Arg supplementation may negatively affect growth performance.
ENPP1 enzyme replacement therapy improves ectopic calcification but does not rescue skeletal phenotype in a mouse model for craniometaphyseal dysplasia
Authors: Reichenberger Ernst J , O’Brien Kevin , Hatori Ayano , Carpenter Thomas O , van de Wetering Koen , Flaman Lisa , Howe Jennifer , Ortiz Daniel , Sabbagh Yves , Chen I-Ping
Published: August 2024

Craniometaphyseal dysplasia (CMD) is a rare genetic bone disorder, characterized by progressive thickening of craniofacial bones and flared metaphyses of long bones. Craniofacial hyperostosis leads to the obstruction of neural foramina and neurological symptoms such as facial palsy, blindness, deafness, or severe headache. Mutations in ANKH (mouse ortholog ANK), a transporter of small molecules such as citrate and ATP, are responsible for autosomal dominant CMD. Knock-in (KI) mice carrying an ANKF377del mutation (AnkKI/KI) replicate many features of human CMD. Pyrophosphate (PPi) levels in plasma are significantly reduced in AnkKI/KI mice. PPi is a potent inhibitor of mineralization. To examine the extent to which restoration of circulating PPi levels may prevent the development of a CMD-like phenotype, we treated AnkKI/KI mice with the recombinant human ENPP1-Fc protein IMA2a. ENPP1 hydrolyzes ATP into AMP and PPi. Male and female Ank+/+ and AnkKI/KI mice (n ≥ 6/group) were subcutaneously injected with IMA2a or vehicle weekly for 12 wk, starting at the age of 1 wk. Plasma ENPP1 activity significantly increased in AnkKI/KI mice injected with IMA2a (Vehicle/IMA2a: 28.15 ± 1.65/482.7 ± 331.2 mOD/min; p <.01), which resulted in the successful restoration of plasma PPi levels (Ank+/+/AnkKI/KI vehicle treatment/AnkKI/KI IMA2a: 0.94 ± 0.5/0.43 ± 0.2/1.29 ± 0.8 μM; p <.01). We examined the skeletal phenotype by X-Ray imaging and μCT. IMA2a treatment of AnkKI/KI mice did not significantly correct CMD features such as the abnormal shape of femurs, increased bone mass of mandibles, hyperostotic craniofacial bones, or the narrowed foramen magnum. However, μCT imaging showed ectopic calcification near basioccipital bones at the level of the foramen magnum and on joints of AnkKI/KI mice. Interestingly, IMA2a treatment significantly reduced the volume of calcified nodules at both sites. Our data demonstrate that IMA2a is sufficient to restore plasma PPi levels and reduce ectopic calcification but fails to rescue skeletal abnormalities in AnkKI/KI mice under our treatment conditions.
Impact of integrating pest and pollinator management training on knowledge, perceptions, and livelihoods of avocado farmers in Kenya
Authors: Muriithi Beatrice W , Dubois Thomas , Kirui Leonard , Lattorff H Michael G , Mohamed Samira , Abdel-Rahman Elfatih M , Adan Marian , Kidoido Michael , Kassie Menale
Published: August 2024

Synthetic pesticides reduce pest populations but also beneficial organisms like pollinators, thereby threatening the productivity of pollination-dependent crops such as avocados. Through the novel concept of integrated pest and pollinator management (IPPM), the negative effects of pest control on pollinators are mitigated, leading to synergistic benefits for crop yield and quality. In this study, we investigated the impact of IPPM training on farmers’ knowledge, attitude, and management of avocado pests, changes in the size of avocado orchards, avocado losses due to insect pests, expenditure on pesticides, and income. We compared farmers using IPPM against those using each component in isolation (integrated pest management (IPM) or pollination services (PS) through beehive supplementation (PS)) and a control group that used conventional practices without PS. We utilized 2 rounds of panel data obtained from avocado growers from Murang’a County, Kenya, and employed difference-in-difference (DiD) and multinomial logistic regression models. The results indicate that individuals utilizing IPM demonstrated notable enhancements in their perceptions of avocado pests, pollinators, and IPPM packages in comparison to the control group. Conversely, those utilizing IPPM employed more effective pest management strategies than users of IPM only. In contrast to using IPM and PS in isolation, farmers who utilized IPPM registered a significantly higher (9.6%) increase in the proportion of household annual income from avocado farming compared to the control group. Our findings further show that farmers who received training were more likely to adopt IPM, PS, and IPPM practices. We recommend wide promotion of IPPM to enhance avocado production and livelihoods of smallholders in sub-Saharan Africa.
Navigating virtual realities: identifying barriers and facilitators to implementing VR-enhanced PT for youth with chronic pain
Authors: Jehl Nicole M , Hess Courtney W , Choate Ellison S , Nguyen Hannah T , Yang Yerin , Simons Laura E
Published: August 2024

Objective

Virtual reality (VR) can enhance engagement in outpatient physical therapy (PT) through distraction and gamification of movement. This study assessed barriers and facilitators to VR-enhanced PT.

Method

Data were collected during a feasibility trial of VR-enhanced PT for youth with chronic musculoskeletal pain. Semistructured and informal interviews were conducted with youth participants, their caregivers, and collaborating physical therapists. To analyze transcriptions, content analysis was employed in multiple rounds. Barriers and facilitators to VR implementation were coded using a deductive approach, then an inductive approach was used to identify emergent themes within each deductive code category.

Results

We completed interviews with youth participants (n = 9), caregivers (n = 7), and clinician stakeholders (n = 5). Coded barriers included: (1) participant identity and self-narrative inconsistent with the intervention, (2) system-level, structural constraints of healthcare, (3) lack of guidance and leadership from clinicians around VR use, (4) research burnout, (5) expectation violation and disappointment, and (6) missing the optimal treatment window. Coded facilitators included: (1) viewing VR as a bridge to achieving treatment goals, (2) having access to resources, (3) sustained positive experience and immersion in the game, (4) alignment between identity and the intervention, and (5) champion-level collaborations.

Conclusions

This study highlights the importance of considering the VR technology, person using the VR, and the context in which VR is being implemented to optimize uptake and acceptability. Adopting an implementation science lens to the field of VR for chronic pain will enhance the applicability and scale of impact.
Triple case report of persistent sciatic artery in Ethiopia: a rare vascular anomaly
Authors: Assefa Rahel Abebayehu , Zeleke Henok T/Silassie , Aboye Azmera Gissila
Published: August 2024

Persistent sciatic artery (PSA) is a rare congenital vascular anomaly resulting from embryologic axial artery malformation in the lower limb. This case report presents three patients aged 45–60, each with bilateral PSA presenting with symptoms indicative of PSA complications, including aneurysmal degeneration, limb ischemia, thromboembolism, or neuralgia from nerve compression. It highlights the diagnostic process, management strategies, and clinical outcomes observed at a tertiary referral hospital. Treatment involved a collaborative, multidisciplinary approach with vascular surgeons, internists, and radiologists tailoring interventions to individual patient findings and disease progression. This report aims to provide insights into the diverse presentations and management of PSA in a resource limited setting, encouraging further reporting and case studies to enhance understanding of therapeutic outcomes.
Gastropericardial fistula as a late complication of Roux-en-Y procedure
Authors: Bing Eric M , Skogsburg Amanda , Hayes Douglas
Published: August 2024

Pneumopericardium secondary to gastro-pericardial fistula is a rare complication associated with various surgical procedures and conditions, notably Roux-en-Y gastric bypass. This condition poses a risk of cardiac tamponade and can be fatal if not promptly diagnosed and managed. We present a case of a 62-year-old female with a history of gastric bypass who presented with nonspecific symptoms and was eventually diagnosed with pneumopericardium secondary to gastro-pericardial fistula. Despite efforts for timely intervention, including transfer to a facility with cardiothoracic surgery availability, the patient’s unstable condition precluded surgical intervention, leading to her eventual demise. A literature review reveals that the average time from Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery to presentation is nine years. The elusive nature of the presentation underscores the importance of a comprehensive clinical history in identifying this condition early. Awareness of gastro-pericardial fistula as a potential late complication of gastric bypass is crucial for timely diagnosis and intervention to improve patient outcomes.
An unusual presentation of sporadic dermal cylindroma and metacarpal enchondroma: case report and literature review
Authors: Alhazmi Bushra , Alyamani Anas , Alsalman Mohammed , Shokor Nada , Almeshal Obaid
Published: August 2024

Herein, we report an unusual presentation of a 38-year-old heathy lady with a painless slowly growing lesion in the volar aspect of her left distal forearm reaching the thenar area for >15 years. Magnetic resonance imaging of the lesion showed multilobulated soft tissue mass with low and high signal in T1- and T2-weighted images with homogenous contrast enhancement. Additionally, a stable serpiginous bony lesion was noted in the first metacarpal bone showing low T1 and high T2 signals with peripheral enhancement. Histopathological examination was consistent with cylindroma and enchondroma, respectively. The patient had full recovery with no recurrence at a 1-year follow-up visit. While enchondroma is the most common benign tumor of the hand, sporadic dermal cylindroma, in contrast, rarely affects the upper extremity. The coexistence of these two pathological entities was not previously reported and it may complicate the diagnosis.
Open treatment of infected abdominal aortic aneurysm stemming from perineal infection
Authors: Hendrix Andrew , Makani Ankur , Crafton Thomas , Graham Camille , Torres-Medina Carlos , Cicchillo Michael
Published: August 2024

Infected abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs) make up a small minority of AAAs yet are characterized by a high fatality rate, largely attributed to their increased risk of aneurysm rupture. This case details a rare presentation of a 56-year-old man that developed Proteus mirabilis bacteremia secondary to a perineal abscess and subsequently experienced a 3 cm growth of his previously stable AAA over an 8 day period. This case underscores the importance of maintaining a heightened suspicion for infected aortic aneurysms in sick patients and highlights the critical role of surgical management in achieving source control.
Cultivating Pacific Cocoa: Chinese Plantation Labor in Colonial Era Samoa and Vanuatu
Authors: Martínez Julia T
Published: August 2024

From the 1890s to the 1930s the cocoa plantations of the southwest Pacific relied on Pacific Islander and Asian indentured labor from China and Vietnam. In Samoa and the New Hebrides (now Vanuatu) white planters lobbied colonial administrations for permission to introduce Chinese under contract as indentured labor, a coercive and controversial labor system. This article points to the role of transimperial economic competition in encouraging the use of indentured labor, traversing German, French, and British colonial administrations in the Pacific. Cocoa cultivation, white planters argued, required more regular attention compared with sugar or copra, and Chinese indentured workers were deemed the most suitable to meet these requirements. Australian, New Zealand and British administrators in the Pacific, who were keenly aware of ongoing French indenture practices, lobbied to introduce and retain indentured labor. Without the perceived competitive edge of indentured labor, cocoa cultivation was considered unlikely to prosper. It was not until the mid-1930s that recruitment of Chinese indentured labor ended. It came at a time of international and Chinese calls for abolition of coerced labor but was also driven by anti-immigration and pro-white nationalist sentiments. Even after recruitment ceased, the New Zealand administration in Samoa obliged Chinese workers to remain on the cocoa plantations. While the French did repatriate Chinese recruits, they retained Vietnamese workers. Only after 1945 were indentured workers freed from the obligation to cultivate cocoa, and finally permitted to abandon the plantations.
Rabies in seals: visitors to Cape Town marine areas urged to be alert
Authors: Winkler Max P , Parker Salim
Published: August 2024

Rabies in marine animals has been rarely described. At least seven cases have been confirmed in Cape Fur Seals in the Western Cape province of South Africa recently. These animals may interact with humans including at tourist areas. Awareness and vigilance must be encouraged.
SCI1, a flower regulator of cell proliferation, and its partners NtCDKG2 and NtRH35 interact with the splicing machinery
Authors: Pinoti Vitor F , Ferreira Pedro B , Strini Edward J , Lubini Greice , Thomé Vanessa , Cruz Joelma O , Aziani Rodrigo , Quiapim Andréa C , Pinto Andressa P A , Araujo Ana Paula U , De Paoli Henrique C , Pranchevicius Maria Cristina S , Goldman Maria Helena S
Published: August 2024

Successful plant reproduction depends on the adequate development of floral organs controlled by cell proliferation and other processes. The Stigma/style cell-cycle inhibitor 1 (SCI1) gene regulates cell proliferation and affects the final size of the female reproductive organ. To unravel the molecular mechanism exerted by Nicotiana tabacum SCI1 in cell proliferation control, we searched for its interaction partners through semi-in vivo pull-down experiments, uncovering a cyclin-dependent kinase, NtCDKG;2. Bimolecular fluorescence complementation and co-localization experiments showed that SCI1 interacts with NtCDKG;2 and its cognate NtCyclin L in nucleoli and splicing speckles. The screening of a yeast two-hybrid cDNA library using SCI1 as bait revealed a novel DEAD-box RNA helicase (NtRH35). Interaction between the NtCDKG;2–NtCyclin L complex and NtRH35 is also shown. Subcellular localization experiments showed that SCI1, NtRH35, and the NtCDKG;2–NtCyclin L complex associate with each other within splicing speckles. The yeast two-hybrid screening of NtCDKG;2 and NtRH35 identified the conserved spliceosome components U2aʹ, NF-κB activating protein (NKAP), and CACTIN. This work presents SCI1 and its interactors, the NtCDKG;2–NtCyclin L complex and NtRH35, as new spliceosome-associated proteins. Our findings reveal a network of interactions and indicate that SCI1 may regulate cell proliferation through the splicing process, providing new insights into the intricate molecular pathways governing plant development.
Situations Where Tribunals can Apply GPL Depending on the Applicable Law to Settle a Dispute
Authors: Dumberry Patrick
Published: August 2024

This chapter examines the legal grounds based on which a tribunal can apply general principles of law (GPL), depending on what applicable law is used to settle a dispute. International law should play an important role in all investor–State arbitration cases. In this context, any tribunal applying international law will necessarily have to take into account GPL. This is simply because GPL is one of the three formal sources of international law. In any event, there are good reasons to argue, at least in the context of State contracts and bilateral investment treaties (BITs), that GPL should be applied to all investment disputes independently of the question of the choice of law made by the parties.
How to Identify GPL and Transpose Them on the International Plane
Authors: Dumberry Patrick
Published: August 2024

This chapter focuses on how tribunals should identify general principles of law (GPL) grounded in States’ domestic laws and transpose them onto the international plane. This process involves three steps. The first step concerns the identification of a principle that is common to domestic legal orders. The chapter shows that a comparative analysis of domestic laws is the proper method of investigation and that this method does not require examining all laws, but rather to focus on the most representative legal systems. The second step (distillation) requires the investigator to find common features of a given principle under domestic laws while leaving aside national particularities and specificities existing under some of them. Finally, the chapter looks at a number of questions surrounding the third step of the analysis, which involves the adaptation and transposition of a principle into the international legal order.
Analysis of Specific General Principles of Law
Authors: Dumberry Patrick
Published: August 2024

This chapter assesses whether a number of concepts which have been identified in the past by scholars, courts, and tribunals should be recognized as general principles of law (GPL). These concepts include the clean hands doctrine; good faith; unjust enrichment; force majeure; proportionality; acquired rights; rebus sic stantibus; mitigation of damages; denial of justice and due process; and fair and equitable treatment (FET), including the specific question regarding the protection of ‘legitimate expectations’. The question of the GPL status of the concept of legitimate expectations is very controversial. So far, awards have simply not addressed this matter. Nevertheless, the concept of legitimate expectations is already considered by tribunals—except in the specific context of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)—as an autonomous element of the FET standard.
Conclusion
Authors: Dumberry Patrick
Published: August 2024

This concluding chapter argues that tribunals should make use of general principles of law (GPL) in a manner that goes beyond the traditional functions that are typically identified in doctrine. Thus, GPL should not just be used as ‘gap-filling’ whenever treaty provisions or rules of customary international law do not provide a solution to a particular issue. They should also not be simply used to provide guidance for the interpretation and application of vague or uncertain terms contained in treaties. GPL could be used by tribunals to improve the outcome of decision making by achieving a better balance between investors' rights and States' public interests that is acceptable to all different stakeholders in the process. In other words, GPL should play an important and positive role in the process of recalibrating international investment law in reaction to the current backlash against the legitimacy of the system perceived by some as inherently favourable to the interests of foreign corporations.
Perfect proofs at first order
Authors: Tennant Neil
Published: August 2024

In this note we extend a remarkable result of Brauer (2024, Journal of Logic and Computation) concerning propositional Classical Core Logic. We show that it holds also at first order. This affords a soundness and completeness result for Classical Core Logic. The $\mathbb{C}^{+}$-provable sequents are exactly those that are uniform substitution instances of perfectly valid sequents, i.e. sequents that are valid and that need every one of their sentences in order to be so. Brauer (2020, Review of Symbolic Logic, 13, 436–457) showed that the notion of perfect validity itself is unaxiomatizable. In the Appendix we use his method to show that our notion of relevant validity in Tennant (2024, Philosophia Mathematica) is likewise unaxiomatizable. It would appear that the taking of substitution instances is an essential ingredient in the construction of a semantical relation of consequence that will be axiomatizable—and indeed, by the rules of proof for Classical Core Logic.
Irregular fixation – II. The orbits of irregular satellites
Authors: Grishin Evgeni
Published: August 2024

Irregular satellites (ISs) are believed to have been captured during the Solar system’s dynamical history and provide clues for the Solar system’s formation and evolution. ISs occupy a large fraction of the Hill sphere of their host planet and their orbits are highly perturbed by the Sun. We use a novel formalism developed in Paper I to characterize their orbits in terms of an effective secular Hamiltonian (the Brown Hamiltonian) that accounts for their large orbital separations. We find that prograde satellites generally follow the Brown Hamiltonian, while retrograde satellites (which extend further) deviate more significantly. Nevertheless, the phase portrait is much better described by the Brown Hamiltonian for all satellites. We construct a semi-analytical criterion that predicts the librating orbit based on the effective energy due to the Brown Hamiltonian. We also check our results with highly accurate N-body integrations of satellite orbits, where initial conditions are loaded directly from the updated ephemeris from the NASA Horizons data base. Although the retrograde librating orbits occupy more area in the parameter space, the vast majority of librating ISs are prograde. Using our method, we find 13 librating satellites, 8 of them previously known to librate, and the rest shown to librate for the first time. Further observations of existing and new satellites could shed more light on the dynamical history of the Solar system and satellite formation and test our results.
Rotational excitation and de-excitation of the interstellar propargyl (H2CCCH+) cation by collisions with helium atoms
Authors: Mehnen Bilel , Hendaoui Hamza , Żuchowski Piotr
Published: August 2024

The propargyl cation, H2CCCH+, is a crucial hydrocarbon precursor in the chemical evolution of the interstellar medium (ISM). It serves as a key intermediate for understanding ISM hydrocarbon chemistry. This work presents state-to-state collisional rate coefficients for rotational excitation and de-excitation of ortho- and para-H2CCCH+ colliding with He at ISM-relevant temperatures (T ≤ 60 K). We employed a high-level post-Hartree-Fock CCSD(T)-F12/aug-cc-pVTZ method to generate a 3D interaction potential energy surface (3D-PES) for the weakly bound H2CCCH+-He complex. The analytical 3D-PES was then used in close-coupling calculations to determine cross-sections for rotational excitation and de-excitation of ortho- and para-H2CCCH+ by collisions with He for kinetic energies (Ek) up to 300 cm−1. Inelastic collision rate coefficients were subsequently obtained by thermally averaging the cross-sections over a Maxwell–Boltzmann distribution of kinetic energies. Our results indicate that at very low temperatures (T < 15 K), rotational transitions associated with Δj = Δkc = ±1, which are crucial for the identification of H2CCCH+ in astronomical surveys, exhibit the largest cross-sections. In contrast, at higher temperatures, transitions with Δj = Δkc = ±2 become more dominant. These data hold significant implications for the determination of the H2CCCH+ abundance in the ISM and improve the modelling of interstellar hydrocarbon-chain reaction pathways.
New Wolf–Rayet wind yields and nucleosynthesis of Helium stars
Authors: Higgins Erin R , Vink Jorick S , Hirschi Raphael , Laird Alison M , Sander Andreas A C
Published: August 2024

Strong metallicity-dependent winds dominate the evolution of core He-burning, classical Wolf–Rayet (cWR) stars, which eject both H and He-fusion products such as $^{14}$N, $^{12}$C, $^{16}$O, $^{19}$F, $^{22}$Ne, and $^{23}$Na during their evolution. The chemical enrichment from cWRs can be significant. cWR stars are also key sources for neutron production relevant for the weak s-process. We calculate stellar models of cWRs at solar metallicity for a range of initial Helium star masses (12–50 $\rm M_{\odot }$), adopting recent hydrodynamical wind rates. Stellar wind yields are provided for the entire post-main sequence evolution until core O-exhaustion. While literature has previously considered cWRs as a viable source of the radioisotope $^{26}$Al, we confirm that negligible $^{26}$Al is ejected by cWRs since it has decayed to $^{26}$Mg or proton-captured to $^{27}$Al. However, in Paper I, we showed that very massive stars eject substantial quantities of $^{26}$Al, among other elements including N, Ne, and Na, already from the zero-age-main-sequence. Here, we examine the production of $^{19}$F and find that even with lower mass-loss rates than previous studies, our cWR models still eject substantial amounts of $^{19}$F. We provide central neutron densities (N$_{n}$) of a 30 $\rm M_{\odot }$ cWR compared with a 32 $\rm M_{\odot }$ post-VMS WR and confirm that during core He-burning, cWRs produce a significant number of neutrons for the weak s-process via the $^{22}$Ne($\alpha$,n)$^{25}$Mg reaction. Finally, we compare our cWR models with observed [Ne/He], [C/He], and [O/He] ratios of Galactic WC and WO stars.
Ram-pressure stripped radio tails detected in the dynamically active environment of the Shapley Supercluster
Authors: Merluzzi P , Venturi T , Busarello G , Gennaro G Di , Giacintucci S , Casasola V , Krajnović D , Vernstrom T , Carretti E , Smirnov O , Trehaeven K , Anderson C S , Chesters J , Heald G , Hopkins A M , Koribalski B
Published: August 2024

We study the radio continuum emission of four galaxies experiencing ram-pressure stripping in four clusters of the Shapley Supercluster at redshift $z\sim 0.05$. Multiband (235–1367 MHz) radio data, complemented by integral-field spectroscopy, allow us to detect and analyse in detail the non-thermal component both in the galaxy discs and the radio continuum tails. Three galaxies present radio continuum tails that are tens of kiloparsecs long. By deriving the radio spectral index in the inner and outer tails and comparing our findings with the distribution of the extraplanar ionized gas and the results of N-body/hydrodynamical simulations, we demonstrate that these tails are caused by the ram pressure, which, together with the ionized gas, sweeps the magnetic field from the galaxy discs. We suggest that the radio continuum emission in these tails can be differently powered by (i) in situ star formation, (ii) relativistic electrons stripped from the disc, and (iii) shock excitation or a combination of them. All the ram-pressure-stripped galaxies are found in environments where cluster–cluster interactions occurred and/or are ongoing, thus strongly supporting the thesis that cluster and group collisions and mergers may locally increase the ram pressure and trigger hydrodynamical interactions between the intracluster medium and the interstellar medium of galaxies.
The application of machine learning in tidal evolution simulation of star–planet systems
Authors: Guo Shuaishuai , Guo Jianheng , Ji KaiFan , Liu Hui , Xing Lei
Published: August 2024

With the release of a large amount of astronomical data, an increasing number of close-in hot Jupiters have been discovered. Calculating their evolutionary curves using star–planet interaction models presents a challenge. To expedite the generation of evolutionary curves for these close-in hot Jupiter systems, we utilized tidal interaction models established on mesa to create 15 745 samples of star–planet systems and 7500 samples of stars. Additionally, we employed a neural network (Multilayer Perceptron – MLP) to predict the evolutionary curves of the systems, including stellar effective temperature, radius, stellar rotation period, and planetary orbital period. The median relative errors of the predicted evolutionary curves were found to be 0.15 per cent, 0.43 per cent, 2.61 per cent, and 0.57 per cent, respectively. Furthermore, the speed at which we generate evolutionary curves exceeds that of model-generated curves by more than four orders of magnitude. We also extracted features of planetary migration states and utilized lightgbm to classify the samples into six categories for prediction. We found that by combining three types that undergo long-term double synchronization into one label, the classifier effectively recognized these features. Apart from systems experiencing long-term double synchronization, the median relative errors of the predicted evolutionary curves were all below 4 per cent. Our work provides an efficient method to save significant computational resources and time with minimal loss in accuracy. This research also lays the foundation for analysing the evolutionary characteristics of systems under different migration states, aiding in the understanding of the underlying physical mechanisms of such systems. Finally, to a large extent, our approach could replace the calculations of theoretical models.
Automation of finding strong gravitational lenses in the Kilo Degree Survey with U – DenseLens (DenseLens + Segmentation)
Authors: N Bharath Chowdhary , Koopmans Léon V E , Valentijn Edwin A , Kleijn Gijs Verdoes , de Jong Jelte T A , Napolitano Nicola , Li Rui , Tortora Crescenzo , Busillo Valerio , Dong Yue
Published: August 2024

In the context of upcoming large-scale surveys like Euclid, the necessity for the automation of strong lens detection is essential. While existing machine learning pipelines heavily rely on the classification probability (P), this study intends to address the importance of integrating additional metrics, such as Information Content (IC) and the number of pixels above the segmentation threshold ($\rm {\mathit{n}_{s}}$), to alleviate the false positive rate in unbalanced data-sets. In this work, we introduce a segmentation algorithm (U-Net) as a supplementary step in the established strong gravitational lens identification pipeline (Denselens), which primarily utilizes $\rm {\mathit{P}_{mean}}$ and $\rm {IC_{mean}}$ parameters for the detection and ranking. The results demonstrate that the inclusion of segmentation enables significant reduction of false positives by approximately 25 per cent in the final sample extracted from DenseLens, without compromising the identification of strong lenses. The main objective of this study is to automate the strong lens detection process by integrating these three metrics. To achieve this, a decision tree-based selection process is introduced, applied to the Kilo Degree Survey (KiDS) data. This process involves rank-ordering based on classification scores ($\rm {\mathit{P}_{mean}}$), filtering based on Information Content ($\rm {IC_{mean}}$), and segmentation score ($\rm {n_{s}}$). Additionally, the study presents 14 newly discovered strong lensing candidates identified by the U-Denselens network using the KiDS DR4 data.
The TRAPUM Small Magellanic Cloud pulsar survey with MeerKAT – II. Nine new radio timing solutions and glitches from young pulsars
Authors: Carli E , Antonopoulou D , Burgay M , Keith M J , Levin L , Liu Y , Stappers B W , Turner J D , Barr E D , Breton R P , Buchner S , Kramer M , Padmanabh P V , Possenti A , Venkatraman Krishnan V , Venter C , Becker W , Maitra C , Haberl F , Thongmeearkom T
Published: August 2024

We report new radio timing solutions from a 3-yr observing campaign conducted with the MeerKAT and Murriyang telescopes for nine Small Magellanic Cloud pulsars, increasing the number of characterized rotation-powered extragalactic pulsars by 40 per cent. We can infer from our determined parameters that the pulsars are seemingly all isolated, that six are ordinary pulsars, and that three of the recent MeerKAT discoveries have a young characteristic age of under 100 kyr and have undergone a spin-up glitch. Two of the sources, PSRs J0040$-$7337 and J0048$-$7317, are energetic young pulsars with spin-down luminosities of the order of 10$^{36}$ erg s$^{-1}$. They both experienced a large glitch, with a change in frequency of about 30 $\mu$Hz, and a frequency derivative change of order $-10^{-14}$ Hz s$^{-1}$. These glitches, the inferred glitch rate, and the properties of these pulsars (including potentially high inter-glitch braking indices) suggest these neutron stars might be Vela-like repeating glitchers and should be closely monitored in the future. The position and energetics of PSR J0048$-$7317 confirm it is powering a new pulsar wind nebula (PWN) detected as a radio continuum source; and similarly the association of PSR J0040$-$7337 with the PWN of supernova remnant (SNR) DEM S5 (for which we present a new Chandra image) is strengthened. Finally, PSR J0040$-$7335 is also contained within the same SNR but is a chance superposition. It has also been seen to glitch with a change of frequency of $10^{-2}$ $\mu$Hz. This work more than doubles the characterized population of SMC radio pulsars.
The effect of dynamical interactions in stellar birth environments on the orbits of young close-in planetary systems
Authors: Schoettler Christina , Owen James E
Published: August 2024

Stars do not form in isolation but together with other stars, and often in a clustered environment. Depending on the initial conditions in these environments, such as initial density and substructure, the distances of encounters between stars will differ. These encounters can also affect just-formed exoplanetary systems. Using N-body simulations, we show the effect of a single fly-by on a common type of exoplanetary system: close-in super-Earths/sub-Neptunes with or without a distant giant planet. Even a single encounter can significantly modify the architecture of these exoplanetary systems over their long lifetimes. We test fly-bys with different characteristics, such as distance and mass, and show how they perturb the inner planets long after the encounter, leading to collisions and mutual inclination excitation, which can significantly modify the observed architecture of these systems in transit. We find that our initially four-planet inner systems reduce to three or two inner planets depending on their initial separation and that the mutual inclinations of these remaining planets can be high enough to reduce the number of observable, transiting planets. In our 500 Myr simulations, we show that this reduction in the number of transiting planets due to stellar fly-bys can contribute to the observed excess of single-transit systems.