bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Transgenerational plasticity to drought: contrasting patterns of non-genetic inheritance in two semi-arid Mediterranean shrubs
Authors: Ramos-Muñoz Marina , Blanco-Sánchez Mario , Pías Beatriz , Escudero Adrián , Matesanz Silvia
Published: March 2024

Background and Aims

Intra- and transgenerational plasticity may provide substantial phenotypic variation to cope with environmental change. Since assessing the unique contribution of the maternal environment to the offspring phenotype is challenging in perennial, outcrossing plants, little is known about the evolutionary and ecological implications of transgenerational plasticity and its persistence over the life cycle in these species. We evaluated how intra- and transgenerational plasticity interplay to shape the adaptive responses to drought in two perennial Mediterranean shrubs.

Methods

We used a novel common garden approach that reduced within-family genetic variation in both the maternal and offspring generations by growing the same maternal individual in two contrasting watering environments, well-watered and drought, in consecutive years. We then assessed phenotypic differences at the reproductive stage between offspring reciprocally grown in the same environments.

Key Results

Maternal drought had an effect on offspring performance only in Helianthemum squamatum. Offspring of drought-stressed plants showed more inflorescences, less sclerophyllous leaves and higher growth rates in both watering conditions, and heavier seeds under drought, than offspring of well-watered maternal plants. Maternal drought also induced similar plasticity patterns across maternal families, showing a general increase in seed mass in response to offspring drought, a pattern not observed in the offspring of well-watered plants. In contrast, both species expressed immediate adaptive plasticity, and the magnitude of intragenerational plasticity was larger than the transgenerational plastic responses.

Conclusions

Our results highlight that adaptive effects associated with maternal drought can persist beyond the seedling stage and provide evidence of species-level variation in the expression of transgenerational plasticity. Such differences between co-occurring Mediterranean species in the prevalence of this form of non-genetic inheritance may result in differential vulnerability to climate change.
Enhancer-MDLF: a novel deep learning framework for identifying cell-specific enhancers
Authors: Zhang Yao , Zhang Pengyu , Wu Hao
Published: March 2024

Enhancers, noncoding DNA fragments, play a pivotal role in gene regulation, facilitating gene transcription. Identifying enhancers is crucial for understanding genomic regulatory mechanisms, pinpointing key elements and investigating networks governing gene expression and disease-related mechanisms. Existing enhancer identification methods exhibit limitations, prompting the development of our novel multi-input deep learning framework, termed Enhancer-MDLF. Experimental results illustrate that Enhancer-MDLF outperforms the previous method, Enhancer-IF, across eight distinct human cell lines and exhibits superior performance on generic enhancer datasets and enhancer–promoter datasets, affirming the robustness of Enhancer-MDLF. Additionally, we introduce transfer learning to provide an effective and potential solution to address the prediction challenges posed by enhancer specificity. Furthermore, we utilize model interpretation to identify transcription factor binding site motifs that may be associated with enhancer regions, with important implications for facilitating the study of enhancer regulatory mechanisms. The source code is openly accessible at https://github.com/HaoWuLab-Bioinformatics/Enhancer-MDLF.
DeGenPrime provides robust primer design and optimization unlocking the biosphere
Authors: Fulghum Bryan , Tanker Sophie H , White Richard Allen
Published: March 2024

Motivation

Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is the world’s most important molecular diagnostic with applications ranging from medicine to ecology. PCR can fail because of poor primer design. The nearest-neighbor thermodynamic properties, picking conserved regions, and filtration via penalty of oligonucleotides form the basis for good primer design.

Results

DeGenPrime is a console-based high-quality PCR primer design tool that can utilize MSA formats and degenerate bases expanding the target range for a single primer set. Our software utilizes thermodynamic properties, filtration metrics, penalty scoring, and conserved region finding of any proposed primer. It has degeneracy, repeated k-mers, relative GC content, and temperature range filters. Minimal penalty scoring is included according to secondary structure self-dimerization metrics, GC clamping, tri- and tetra-loop hairpins, and internal repetition. We compared PrimerDesign-M, DegePrime, ConsensusPrimer, and DeGenPrime on acceptable primer yield. PrimerDesign-M, DegePrime, and ConsensusPrimer provided 0%, 11%, and 17% yield, respectively, for the alternative iron nitrogenase (anfD) gene target. DeGenPrime successfully identified quality primers within the conserved regions of the T4-like phage major capsid protein (g23), conserved regions of molybdenum-based nitrogenase (nif), and its alternatives vanadium (vnf) and iron (anf) nitrogenase. DeGenPrime provides a universal and scalable primer design tool for the entire tree of life.

Availability and implementation

DeGenPrime is written in C++ and distributed under a BSD-3-Clause license. The source code for DeGenPrime is freely available on www.github.com/raw-lab/degenprime.
Data-driven information extraction and enrichment of molecular profiling data for cancer cell lines
Authors: Smith Ellery , Paloots Rahel , Giagkos Dimitris , Baudis Michael , Stockinger Kurt
Published: March 2024

Motivation

With the proliferation of research means and computational methodologies, published biomedical literature is growing exponentially in numbers and volume. Cancer cell lines are frequently used models in biological and medical research that are currently applied for a wide range of purposes, from studies of cellular mechanisms to drug development, which has led to a wealth of related data and publications. Sifting through large quantities of text to gather relevant information on cell lines of interest is tedious and extremely slow when performed by humans. Hence, novel computational information extraction and correlation mechanisms are required to boost meaningful knowledge extraction.

Results

In this work, we present the design, implementation, and application of a novel data extraction and exploration system. This system extracts deep semantic relations between textual entities from scientific literature to enrich existing structured clinical data concerning cancer cell lines. We introduce a new public data exploration portal, which enables automatic linking of genomic copy number variants plots with ranked, related entities such as affected genes. Each relation is accompanied by literature-derived evidences, allowing for deep, yet rapid, literature search, using existing structured data as a springboard.

Availability and implementation

Our system is publicly available on the web at https://cancercelllines.org.
Cellular senescence in reproduction: a two-edged sword
Authors: Pretto Luiza , Nabinger Eduarda , Filippi-Chiela Eduardo Cremonesi , Fraga Lucas Rosa
Published: March 2024

Cellular senescence (CS) is the state when cells are no longer capable to divide even after stimulation with grown factors. Cells that begin to undergo CS stop in the cell cycle and enter a suspended state without committing to programmed cell death. These cells assume a specific phenotype and influence their microenvironment by secreting molecules and extracellular vesicles that are part of the so-called senescent cell–associated secretory phenotype (SASP). Cellular senescence is intertwined with physiological and pathological conditions in the human organism. In terms of reproduction, senescent cells are present from reproductive tissues and germ cells to gestational tissues, and participate from fertilization to delivery, going through adverse reproductive outcomes such as pregnancy losses. Furthermore, various SASP molecules are enriched in gestational tissues throughout pregnancy. Thus, the aim of this review is to provide a basis about the features and potential roles played by CS throughout the reproductive process, encompassing its implication in each step of it and proposing a way to manage it in adverse reproductive contexts.
Repeat expansions in AR, ATXN1, ATXN2 and HTT in Norwegian patients diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
Authors: Novy Camilla , Busk Øyvind L , Tysnes Ole-Bjørn , Landa Sigve S , Aanjesen Tori N , Alstadhaug Karl B , Bjerknes Tale L , Bjørnå Ingrid K , Bråthen Geir , Dahl Elin , Demic Natasha , Fahlström Maria , Flemmen Heidi Ø , Hallerstig Erika , HogenEsch Ineke , Kampman Margitta T , Kleveland Grethe , Kvernmo Helene B , Ljøstad Unn , Maniaol Angelina , Morsund Aase Hagen , Nakken Ola , Olsen Cathrine G , Schlüter Katrin , Utvik May-Sissel , Yaseen Ryaz , Holla Øystein L , Holmøy Trygve , Høyer Helle
Published: March 2024

Genetic repeat expansions cause neuronal degeneration in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis as well as other neurodegenerative disorders such as spinocerebellar ataxia, Huntington’s disease and Kennedy’s disease. Repeat expansions in the same gene can cause multiple clinical phenotypes. We aimed to characterize repeat expansions in a Norwegian amyotrophic lateral sclerosis cohort. Norwegian amyotrophic lateral sclerosis patients (n = 414) and neurologically healthy controls adjusted for age and gender (n = 713) were investigated for repeat expansions in AR, ATXN1, ATXN2 and HTT using short read exome sequencing and the ExpansionHunter software. Five amyotrophic lateral sclerosis patients (1.2%) and two controls (0.3%) carried ≥36 repeats in HTT (P = 0.032), and seven amyotrophic lateral sclerosis patients (1.7%) and three controls (0.4%) carried ≥29 repeats in ATXN2 (P = 0.038). One male diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis carried a pathogenic repeat expansion in AR, and his diagnosis was revised to Kennedy’s disease. In ATXN1, 50 amyotrophic lateral sclerosis patients (12.1%) and 96 controls (13.5%) carried ≥33 repeats (P = 0.753). None of the patients with repeat expansions in ATXN2 or HTT had signs of Huntington’s disease or spinocerebellar ataxia type 2, based on a re-evaluation of medical records. The diagnosis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis was confirmed in all patients, with the exception of one patient who had primary lateral sclerosis. Our findings indicate that repeat expansions in HTT and ATXN2 are associated with increased likelihood of developing amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Further studies are required to investigate the potential relationship between HTT repeat expansions and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
Healthcare utilization and clinical characteristics of genetic epilepsy in electronic health records
Authors: Boßelmann Christian M , Ivaniuk Alina , St John Mark , Taylor Sara C , Krishnaswamy Gokul , Milinovich Alex , Leu Costin , Gupta Ajay , Pestana-Knight Elia M , Najm Imad , Lal Dennis
Published: March 2024

Understanding the clinical characteristics and medical treatment of individuals affected by genetic epilepsies is instrumental in guiding selection for genetic testing, defining the phenotype range of these rare disorders, optimizing patient care pathways and pinpointing unaddressed medical need by quantifying healthcare resource utilization. To date, a matched longitudinal cohort study encompassing the entire spectrum of clinical characteristics and medical treatment from childhood through adolescence has not been performed. We identified individuals with genetic and non-genetic epilepsies and onset at ages 0–5 years by linkage across the Cleveland Clinic Health System. We used natural language processing to extract medical terms and procedures from longitudinal electronic health records and tested for cross-sectional and temporal associations with genetic epilepsy. We implemented a two-stage design: in the discovery cohort, individuals were stratified as being ‘likely genetic’ or ‘non-genetic’ by a natural language processing algorithm, and controls did not receive genetic testing. The validation cohort consisted of cases with genetic epilepsy confirmed by manual chart review and an independent set of controls who received negative genetic testing. The discovery and validation cohorts consisted of 503 and 344 individuals with genetic epilepsy and matched controls, respectively. The median age at the first encounter was 0.1 years and 7.9 years at the last encounter, and the mean duration of follow-up was 8.2 years. We extracted 188,295 Unified Medical Language System annotations for statistical analysis across 9659 encounters. Individuals with genetic epilepsy received an earlier epilepsy diagnosis and had more frequent and complex encounters with the healthcare system. Notably, the highest enrichment of encounters compared with the non-genetic groups was found during the transition from paediatric to adult care. Our computational approach could validate established comorbidities of genetic epilepsies, such as behavioural abnormality and intellectual disability. We also revealed novel associations for genitourinary abnormalities (odds ratio 1.91, 95% confidence interval: 1.66–2.20, P = 6.16 × 10−19) linked to a spectrum of underrecognized epilepsy-associated genetic disorders. This case-control study leveraged real-world data to identify novel features associated with the likelihood of a genetic aetiology and quantified the healthcare utilization of genetic epilepsies compared with matched controls. Our results strongly recommend early genetic testing to stratify individuals into specialized care paths, thus improving the clinical management of people with genetic epilepsies.
Differences in drug removal between standard high-flux and medium cut-off dialyzers in a case of severe vancomycin toxicity
Authors: Aberger Simon , Kolland Michael , Eller Kathrin , Rosenkranz Alexander R , Kirsch Alexander H
Published: March 2024

Vancomycin is a widely used glycopeptide antibiotic with the need for therapeutic drug monitoring to avoid renal toxicity. We report a case of severe vancomycin-associated anuric acute kidney injury managed with successful drug-removal by hemodialysis (HD) using different types of dialyzers. Medium cut-off (MCO) and high-flux dialyzers were effective in drug removal. Higher vancomycin elimination rate and lower plasma half-life were achieved with MCO dialyzer despite low-flow vascular access and intolerance to ultrafiltration. MCO dialyzers may be reasonable for drug removal in patients with intolerance of ultrafiltration, low-flow vascular access or impracticality of hemodiafiltration. Future studies should explore the use of MCO dialyzers in comparison with high-flux HD and hemodiafiltration in both the acute and chronic setting.
Environmental Exposure to Trace Elements and Heavy Metals Preceding the Clinical Onset of Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Authors: Rodríguez-Lago Iago , Cabriada José Luis , Rodríguez Ainhoa , Barreiro-de Acosta Manuel ,   HAIR study group, Carmona Mar , de Castro Leticia , Elorza Ainara , Erdozáin Inés , Esáin Andrea , Fernández Javier , Fraga Amaya , Huerta Alain , Jiménez Itxaso , Oyón Daniel , Rodríguez Pelayo , Sampedro Blanca
Published: March 2024

Background

The immune dysregulation underlying inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) can start years before the diagnosis, but the role of triggering factors and environmental exposures during this period is still uncertain.

Methods

This single-center case–control study included asymptomatic subjects with an incidental diagnosis of IBD during the colorectal cancer screening program. Twenty-two minerals and 17 metals were determined at diagnosis in hair samples and compared 1:2 to healthy controls.

Results

Six patients with preclinical IBD (3 ulcerative colitis, 67% left-sided; 3 Crohn’s disease, 100% ileal, 67% inflammatory behavior) and 13 healthy non-IBD controls were included. No relevant occupational exposures were identified. We found statistically significant higher levels of sodium, potassium, and boron among cases compared to controls; while lower levels of zinc, uranium, copper, and germanium were observed.

Conclusions

A range of environmental exposures can be identified during the preclinical phase of IBD, but their relationship with the symptomatic onset and disease progression should be further explored.
Improving resolution of panoramic radiographs: super-resolution concept
Authors: Çelik Mahmut Emin , Mikaeili Mahsa , Çelik Berrin
Published: March 2024

Objectives

Dental imaging plays a key role in the diagnosis and treatment of dental conditions, yet limitations regarding the quality and resolution of dental radiographs sometimes hinder precise analysis. Super-resolution with deep learning refers to a set of techniques used to enhance the resolution of images beyond their original size or quality using deep neural networks instead of traditional image interpolation methods which often result in blurred or pixelated images when attempting to increase resolution. Leveraging advancements in technology, this study aims to enhance the resolution of dental panoramic radiographs, thereby enabling more accurate diagnoses and treatment planning.

Methods

About 1714 panoramic radiographs from 3 different open datasets are used for training (n = 1364) and testing (n = 350). The state of the art 4 different models is explored, namely Super-Resolution Convolutional Neural Network (SRCNN), Efficient Sub-Pixel Convolutional Neural Network, Super-Resolution Generative Adversarial Network, and Autoencoder. Performances in reconstructing high-resolution dental images from low-resolution inputs with different scales (s = 2, 4, 8) are evaluated by 2 well-accepted metrics Structural Similarity Index (SSIM) and Peak Signal-to-Noise Ratio (PSNR).

Results

SSIM spans between 0.82 and 0.98 while PSNR are between 28.7 and 40.2 among all scales and models. SRCNN provides the best performance. Additionally, it is observed that performance decreased when images are scaled with higher values.

Conclusion

The findings highlight the potential of super-resolution concepts to significantly improve the quality and detail of dental panoramic radiographs, thereby contributing to enhanced interpretability.
Left atrial shape as a marker of atrial myopathy in embolic stroke of undetermined source
Authors: Ferkh Aaisha , De Silva Kasun , Pham Jennifer , Stefani Luke , Byth Karen , Clark Amy , Trivedi Siddharth J , Nagaratnam Sai , Duggins Andrew , Kizana Eddy , Thiagalingam Aravinda , Thomas Liza
Published: March 2024

Aims

Embolic stroke of undetermined source (ESUS) results in significant morbidity. A left atrial (LA) myopathy is implicated in a proportion of these patients. We hypothesized that LA shape varies by cause of stroke [CE (cardioembolic) vs. ESUS].

Methods and results

A total of 236 ischaemic stroke and atrial fibrillation (AF) patients and controls were recruited prospectively. AF was classified as paroxysmal AF (PAF) or persistent AF (PersAF). Stroke patients comprised CE stroke secondary to AF and ESUS. There were 81 AF (47 PAF, 34 PersAF), 50 ESUS, 57 CE patients [subdivided into CE with PAF (CEpaf) and CE with PersAF (CEpers)], and 48 controls. Echocardiographic parameters including LA volume, function, and shape/sphericity (3D LA sphericity and 2D-derived LA circularity, ellipticity, sphericity, and eccentricity indices) were evaluated. Increased LA volume and sphericity with LA dysfunction were present in CE, AF, and ESUS groups compared with controls. K-means cluster analysis demonstrated a spectrum of LA myopathy with controls at the lowest and CEpers and PersAF at the upper extremes, with ESUS, PAF, and CEpaf being similar and falling between these extremes. After adjusting for age, sex, and left ventricular (LV) and LA parameters, LA sphericity markers differentiated ESUS from controls (P < 0.01).

Conclusion

Alterations in LA shape are present in ESUS, AF, and CE patients, particularly increased spherical remodelling. The novel markers of LA sphericity proposed may identify LA myopathy in ESUS patients and potentially guide management for secondary prevention.
The association of appendicular lean mass and grip strength with low-density lipoprotein, very low-density lipoprotein, and high-density lipoprotein particle diameter: a Mendelian randomization study of the UK Biobank cohort
Authors: Kirwan Richard , Mazidi Mohsen , Butler Tom , Perez de Heredia Fatima , Lip Gregory Y H , Davies Ian G
Published: March 2024

Aims

Reduced muscle mass and reduced strength are frequently associated with both alterations in blood lipids and poorer cardiometabolic outcomes in epidemiological studies; however, a causal association cannot be determined from such observations. Two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) was applied to assess the association of genetically determined appendicular lean mass (ALM) and handgrip strength (HGS) with serum lipid particle diameter.

Methods and results

Mendelian randomization was implemented using summary-level data from the largest genome-wide association studies on ALM (n = 450 243), HGS (n = 223 315), and lipoprotein [low-density lipoprotein (LDL), very LDL (VLDL), and high-density lipoprotein (HDL)] particle diameters (n = 115 078). Inverse variance-weighted (IVW) method was used to calculate the causal estimates. Weighted median-based method, MR-Egger, and leave-one-out method were applied as sensitivity analysis. Greater ALM had a statistically significant positive effect on HDL particle diameter (MR-Egger: β = 0.055, SE = 0.031, P = 0.081; IVW: β = 0.068, SE = 0.014, P < 0.001) and a statistically significant negative effect on VLDL particle diameter (MR-Egger: β = −0.114, SE = 0.039, P = 0.003; IVW: β = −0.081, SE = 0.017, P < 0.001). Similarly, greater HGS had a statistically significant positive effect on HDL particle diameter (MR-Egger: β = 0.433, SE = 0.184, P = 0.019; IVW: β = 0.121, SE = 0.052, P = 0.021) and a statistically significant negative effect on VLDL particle diameter (MR-Egger: β = −0.416, SE = 0.163, P = 0.011; IVW: β = −0.122, SE = 0.046, P = 0.009). There was no statistically significant effect of either ALM or HGS on LDL particle diameter.

Conclusion

There were potentially causal associations between both increasing ALM and HGS and increasing HDL particle size and decreasing VLDL particle size. These causal associations may offer possibilities for interventions aimed at improving cardiovascular disease risk profile.
Diploid genome assembly of the Malbec grapevine cultivar enables haplotype-aware analysis of transcriptomic differences underlying clonal phenotypic variation
Authors: Calderón Luciano , Carbonell-Bejerano Pablo , Muñoz Claudio , Bree Laura , Sola Cristobal , Bergamin Daniel , Tulle Walter , Gomez-Talquenca Sebastian , Lanz Christa , Royo Carolina , Ibáñez Javier , Martinez-Zapater José Miguel , Weigel Detlef , Lijavetzky Diego
Published: March 2024

To preserve their varietal attributes, established grapevine cultivars (Vitis vinifera L. ssp. vinifera) must be clonally propagated, due to their highly heterozygous genomes. Malbec is a France-originated cultivar appreciated for producing high-quality wines and is the offspring of cultivars Prunelard and Magdeleine Noire des Charentes. Here, we have built a diploid genome assembly of Malbec, after trio binning of PacBio long reads into the two haploid complements inherited from either parent. After haplotype-aware deduplication and corrections, complete assemblies for the two haplophases were obtained with a very low haplotype switch-error rate (<0.025). The haplophase alignment identified > 25% of polymorphic regions. Gene annotation including RNA-seq transcriptome assembly and ab initio prediction evidence resulted in similar gene model numbers for both haplophases. The annotated diploid assembly was exploited in the transcriptomic comparison of four clonal accessions of Malbec that exhibited variation in berry composition traits. Analysis of the ripening pericarp transcriptome using either haplophases as a reference yielded similar results, although some differences were observed. Particularly, among the differentially expressed genes identified only with the Magdeleine-inherited haplotype as reference, we observed an over-representation of hypothetically hemizygous genes. The higher berry anthocyanin content of clonal accession 595 was associated with increased abscisic acid responses, possibly leading to the observed overexpression of phenylpropanoid metabolism genes and deregulation of genes associated with abiotic stress response. Overall, the results highlight the importance of producing diploid assemblies to fully represent the genomic diversity of highly heterozygous woody crop cultivars and unveil the molecular bases of clonal phenotypic variation.
Research on the current situation and countermeasures of low-carbon ecological urban development: a case study of Guangdong Province
Authors: Lyu Shun , Zhang Junting , Xu Zihua
Published: March 2024

Current global climate change, increasing energy depletion, and continuous environmental degradation have made it crucial to transform the economic development model into a low-carbon economy. Urban development, being one of the major sources of carbon emissions, has made low-carbon and ecological urban development an important topic on the international agenda. This article uses principal component analysis and the entropy weight method to quantitatively evaluate the development of low-carbon ecological cities in Guangdong Province from three aspects: economic and social factors, living environment, and resource and environmental factors. Based on the current situation, it proposes development strategies to provide references and guidance for further low-carbon ecological economic development in Guangdong Province. In the current world situation, with global climate warming, increasing energy depletion, and continuous environmental deterioration, the transformation of the economic development model into a low-carbon economy is of great significance. Urban development, being a major source of carbon emissions, makes low-carbon and ecological urban development an increasingly prominent topic in international societal development. This paper quantitatively evaluates the development of low-carbon and ecological cities in Guangdong Province using principal component analysis (PCA) and the entropy weight method. The results indicate that economic and social development plays a decisive role in the development of low-carbon cities. Strategies for development are proposed in response to the current situation, providing guidance and reference for further progress toward a low-carbon and ecological economy in Guangdong Province.
A low-carbon polygeneration system based on a waste heat recovery system, a LNG cold energy process, and a CO2 liquefaction and separation unit
Authors: Ghasemi Amir , Rad Hima Nikafshan , Golizadeh Farid
Published: March 2024

Expanding energy conversion plants that simultaneously produce water and energy can address multiple issues in these two major fields. Additionally, utilizing waste heat energy from fossil fuel-driven plants rather than releasing it into the atmosphere can provide both thermodynamic and environmental benefits. A new polygeneration plant that integrates a waste heat recovery process and a CO2 liquefaction and separation process is developed and analyzed through a multi-criteria assessment (thermodynamic, economic, and environmental). The plant is capable of producing several advantageous products, including power, natural gas, desalinated water, and liquefied CO2. The polygeneration plant employs cold energy of liquefied natural gas (LNG) for condensation processes, a novel approach. Results indicate a net power rate of ~41.96 MW, with 166.8, 4912.8, and 972.6 mol/s for liquefied CO2, natural gas, and desalinated water, sequentially. The plant exhibits energy efficiency and exergy efficiency of ~31.6% and ~86.5%, respectively. The cost feasibility shows that electricity production carries a unit cost of 0.0474 US$/kWh, while liquefied CO2 production cost was about 0.0742 US$/kgCO2. The plant is estimated to emit roughly 0.0343 kg/kWh of carbon dioxide. The energy and exergy efficiencies decrease by ~9% and 2%, respectively, as the seawater feed rate increases from 13 to 23 kg/s. A comprehensive comparison indicates that the studied polygeneration plant yields superior economic, thermodynamic, and environmental performance compared to similar facilities. Furthermore, the proposed plant is capable of meeting its own power demands and does not require electricity from the grid.
Hybrid energy storage system control strategy to smooth power fluctuations in microgrids containing photovoltaics
Authors: Ye Gaoxiang , Yang Jie , Xia Fangzhou , Shao Feifan , Xu Jingyou , Yang Zili , Peng Wenyan , Zheng Zijian
Published: March 2024

The use of a hybrid energy storage system (HESS) consisting of lithium-ion batteries and supercapacitors (SCs) to smooth the power imbalance between the photovoltaics and the load is a widespread solution, and a reasonable probabilistic allocation of the batteries and SCs affects the performance of the HESS. This paper focuses on developing a simple and effective power allocation strategy for the HESS. The moving average filtering (MAF) is considered to effectively decompose the low-frequency components as well as the high-frequency components in the signal and is simple to implement, and we spoil the low-frequency components decomposed by MAF several times to obtain more excellent low-frequency components; moreover, during HESS charging, when the state of charge (SOC) of the SC is high, we reduce the SC’s charging power by decreasing the number of times of MAF usage while ensuring the performance. During the HESS discharging, when the SOC of the SC is low, this strategy is also used to reduce the SC’s discharging power to ensure the SC’s safe operation. The proposed approach is fully validated, and it has excellent performance.
Egg-Clutch Biomechanics Affect Escape-Hatching Behavior and Performance
Authors: Güell B A , McDaniel J G , Warkentin K M
Published: March 2024

Synopsis

Arboreal embryos of phyllomedusine treefrogs hatch prematurely to escape snake predation, cued by vibrations in their egg clutches during attacks. However, escape success varies between species, from ∼77% in Agalychnis callidryas to just ∼9% in A. spurrelli at 1 day premature. Both species begin responding to snake attacks at similar developmental stages, when vestibular mechanosensory function begins, suggesting that sensory ability does not limit the hatching response in A. spurrelli. Agalychnis callidryas clutches are thick and gelatinous, while A. spurrelli clutches are thinner and stiffer. We hypothesized that this structural difference alters the egg motion excited by attacks. Since vibrations excited by snakes must propagate through clutches to reach embryos, we hypothesized that the species difference in attack-induced hatching may reflect effects of clutch biomechanics on the cues available to embryos. Mechanics predicts that thinner, stiffer structures have higher free vibration frequencies, greater spatial attenuation, and faster vibration damping than thicker, more flexible structures. We assessed clutch biomechanics by embedding small accelerometers in clutches of both species and recording vibrations during standardized excitation tests at two distances from the accelerometer. Analyses of recorded vibrations showed that A. spurrelli clutches have higher free vibration frequencies and greater vibration damping than A. callidryas clutches. Higher frequencies elicit less hatching in A. callidryas, and greater damping could reduce the amount of vibration embryos can perceive. To directly test if clutch structure affects escape success in snake attacks, we transplanted A. spurrelli eggs into A. callidryas clutches and compared their escape rates with untransplanted, age-matched conspecific controls. We also performed reciprocal transplantation of eggs between pairs of A. callidryas clutches as a method control. Transplanting A. spurrelli embryos into A. callidryas clutches nearly tripled their escape success (44%) compared to conspecific controls (15%), whereas transplanting A. callidryas embryos into different A. callidryas clutches only increased escape success by 10%. At hatching competence, A. callidryas eggs are no longer jelly-encapsulated, while A. spurrelli eggs retain their jelly coat. Therefore, we compared the hatching response and latency of A. spurrelli in de-jellied eggs and their control, jelly-encapsulated siblings using manual egg-jiggling to simulate predation cues. Embryos in de-jellied eggs were more likely to hatch and hatched faster than control siblings. Together, our results suggest that the properties of parentally produced egg-clutch structures, including their vibration biomechanics, constrain the information available to A. spurrelli embryos and contribute to interspecific differences in hatching responses to predator attacks.
Intraspecific Variation in the Placement of Campaniform Sensilla on the Wings of the Hawkmoth Manduca Sexta
Authors: Stanchak K E , Deora T , Weber A I , Hickner M K , Moalin A , Abdalla L , Daniel T L , Brunton B W
Published: March 2024

Synopsis

Flight control requires active sensory feedback, and insects have many sensors that help them estimate their current locomotor state, including campaniform sensilla (CS), which are mechanoreceptors that sense strain resulting from deformation of the cuticle. CS on the wing detect bending and torsional forces encountered during flight, providing input to the flight feedback control system. During flight, wings experience complex spatio-temporal strain patterns. Because CS detect only local strain, their placement on the wing is presumably critical for determining the overall representation of wing deformation; however, how these sensilla are distributed across wings is largely unknown. Here, we test the hypothesis that CS are found in stereotyped locations across individuals of Manduca sexta, a hawkmoth. We found that although CS are consistently found on the same veins or in the same regions of the wings, their total number and distribution can vary extensively. This suggests that there is some robustness to variation in sensory feedback in the insect flight control system. The regions where CS are consistently found provide clues to their functional roles, although some patterns might be reflective of developmental processes. Collectively, our results on intraspecific variation in CS placement on insect wings will help reshape our thinking on the utility of mechanosensory feedback for insect flight control and guide further experimental and comparative studies.
The Vagueness of Religion
Authors: Dole Andrew C
Published: March 2024

A concept is vague if it admits of borderline cases—cases in which it is not clear whether the concept applies. Thus vague concepts are concepts without sharp boundaries. I argue that religion is vague, and I draw conclusions from this claim for both framing up conceptions of religion and studying it. One result will be to undermine arguments to the effect that any account of religion that does not sharply demarcate the religious from the nonreligious is somehow defective. Another will be that admitting the existence of borderline cases relieves us of the obligation to seek high levels of precision in our various usages of the term. And a third will be that is it not at all clear that any periods of human history can be characterized as times “before religion” on any but the narrowest of definitions.
GPU parallel computation strategy for electrothermal coupling problems using improved assembly-free FEM
Authors: Wu Shaowen , Wang Youyuan , Hou Jinhong , Meng Ruixiao
Published: March 2024

The analysis of electrothermal coupling problems finds extensive application in engineering. However, for large-scale electrothermal coupling problems, the time cost and storage requirements for solving them using the finite element method (FEM) are substantial. We optimize the finite element electrothermal coupling computation from two aspects: computational speed and storage usage. Based on the assembly-free FEM, we explore the symmetry of element matrices to reduce storage for second-order tetrahedral elements and propose a graphics processing unit (GPU) parallel algorithm to improve computational speed. At the same time, we allocate the parallel parts of an electrothermal coupling problem to two GPUs to improve the speed further. In addition, for the three types of boundary conditions in electrothermal coupling problems, we design parallel application methods suitable for assembly-free FEM. Finally, we compare our strategy with methods from other literature through the numerical experiment. Our method reduces the element matrices’ storage by 45%. Compared with the solution process using the element level method and degree of freedom level method, our strategy achieves average acceleration ratios of 5.83 and 1.38, respectively.
Sexual dimorphism in subterranean amphipod crustaceans covaries with subterranean habitat type
Authors: Premate Ester , Fišer Žiga , Biró Anna , Copilaş-Ciocianu Denis , Fromhage Lutz , Jennions Michael , Borko Špela , Herczeg Gábor , Balázs Gergely , Kralj-Fišer Simona , Fišer Cene
Published: March 2024

Sexual dimorphism can evolve in response to sex-specific selection pressures that vary across habitats. We studied sexual differences in subterranean amphipods Niphargus living in shallow subterranean habitats (close to the surface), cave streams (intermediate), and cave lakes (deepest and most isolated). These three habitats differ because at greater depths there is lower food availability, reduced predation, and weaker seasonality. Additionally, species near the surface have a near-even adult sex ratio (ASR), whereas species from cave lakes have a female-biased ASR. We hypothesized (a) a decrease in sexual dimorphism from shallow subterranean habitats to cave lake species because of weaker sexual selection derived from changes in the ASR and (b) an increase in female body size in cave lakes because of stronger fecundity selection on account of oligotrophy, reduced predation, and weaker seasonality. We measured body size and two sexually dimorphic abdominal appendages for all 31 species and several behaviours related to male competition (activity, risk-taking, exploration) for 12 species. Species with an equal ASR that live close to the surface exhibited sexual dimorphism in all three morphological traits, but not in behaviour. The body size of females increased from the surface to cave lakes, but no such trend was observed in males. In cave lake species, males and females differed neither morphologically nor behaviourally. Our results are consistent with the possibility that sexual and fecundity selection covary across the three habitats, which indirectly and directly, respectively, shape the degree of sexual dimorphism in Niphargus species.
Regulating Platform Fees under Price Parity
Authors: Gomes Renato , Mantovani Andrea
Published: March 2024

Online intermediaries greatly expand consumer information, but also raise sellers’ marginal costs by charging high commissions. To prevent disintermediation, some platforms adopted price parity and anti-steering provisions, which restrict sellers’ ability to use alternative sales channels. Whether to uphold, reform, or ban these provisions has been at the center of the policy debate, but, so far, little consensus has emerged. As an alternative, this paper studies how to cap platforms’ commissions. The utilitarian cap reflects the Pigouvian precept according to which the platform should charge net fees no greater than the informational externality it exerts on other market participants.
Music Therapy to Facilitate Relationship Completion at the End of Life: A Mixed-Methods Study
Authors: Hsieh Fu-Nien , Shoemark Helen , Magee Wendy L
Published: March 2024

The concept of relationship completion is embodied as the core belief for end-of-life care in Taiwan, known as the Four Expressions in Life. No studies have been published investigating and trying to understand how music therapy facilitates the Four Expressions in Life. This convergent mixed-methods study examined the effects of music therapy to facilitate relationship completion for patients at the end of life and their families in Taiwan, and explored their personal experiences in music therapy sessions. Thirty-four patients at end-of-life care and 36 of their family members participated in a single music therapy session with a one-group pretest-posttest design using standardized quality-of-life measures for patients at the end of life and families. A nested sample of 5 patients and 9 family members completed semi-structured interviews. Significant differences between the pre and post session scores were revealed for patients in the Life Completion subscale of the QUAL-E (p < .001), and the global QoL Indicator (p < .001), and for families in the Completion subscale of the QUAL-E (Fam) (p < .001), and the Overall Quality of Life (p < .001). Four themes around opportunities emerged from the interviews: the opportunity for exploration, for connection, for expression, and for healing. The integrated findings suggest that music therapy facilitated relationship completion and improved quality of life for both patients and their families. Furthermore, this study supports that the transformative level of music therapy practice within a single session for end-of-life care is attainable.
Bilateral carotid body tumours: a case report from surgeon’s perspective
Authors: Chandra Sakaran Kishen Raj , Tiew Toot , Kamil Khidhir , Habeebullah Khan Hisham Arshad , Idris Mohamad Azim , Safri Lenny Suryani
Published: March 2024

Carotid body tumour (CBT) is the most common paraganglioma of the head and neck and may compromise neurovascular structures such as carotid vessels, and cranial nerves. Intracranial extension from the mass is possible if left untreated. The main treatment for CBT is surgical resection albeit extremely challenging due to tumour hypervascularity and its relationship to the carotid artery. A bilateral CBT, however, is a rare occurrence. Herein, we present a case of a man who presented to us with bilateral painless and palpable neck mass. He underwent staged bilateral CBT excision and it was complicated with left hypoglossal nerve palsy, which recovered over time.
Iatrogenic eventration of the hemidiaphragm in a post-bariatric surgery patient
Authors: Long Leonora E , Alhayo Sam Tharwat , Talbot Michael
Published: March 2024

The aim of this report is to describe the management of an iatrogenic diaphragmatic eventration following surgery to relieve neurogenic symptoms of thoracic outlet syndrome in a patient with a prior history of sleeve gastrectomy. We discuss the case of a 46-year-old woman with a 6-month history of gastro-oesophageal reflux and dyspnoea. Imaging demonstrated a left hemidiaphragm eventration and hiatus hernia. The patient underwent laparoscopic plication of the left hemidiaphragm, repair of the hiatus hernia, and an omega loop gastric bypass, with satisfactory resolution of her symptoms. This demonstrates that surgical diaphragmatic plication has good outcomes in cases where the abdominal anatomy is already altered as a result of previous bariatric surgery, and that concurrent hiatus hernia repair, plication of iatrogenic diaphragm eventration, and sleeve to gastric bypass conversion satisfactorily relieve reflux and dyspnoea in a morbidly obese patient.
Epidemiology of coccidioidomycosis in Argentina, an update
Authors: Viale Mariana Noelia , López-Joffre María Cecilia , Motter Andrea Nora , Mansilla Patricia Evangelina , Vivot Flavia Gisele , Muise Acevedo Facundo Manuel , David Viviana del Valle , Carrizo Silvia Guadalupe , Serrano Julián , Chacón Yone , Miranda Patricia Carola , Alvarez Christian , Colombres María Sofía , Riera Fernando , Dávalos Florencia , Fernández Norma , Fernández Analía , Posse Gladys , Fraenza Laura , Giordano Alejandrina , Ampuero Adela , Amigot Susana , Guelfand Liliana , Formosa Patricia , Machain Mónica , Saavedra Romina , Giusiano Gustavo , Toranzo Adriana Inés , Canteros Cristina Elena
Published: March 2024

The National Reference Laboratory in Clinical Mycology of Argentina conducted a retrospective review of human coccidioidomycosis cases diagnosed by the National Mycology Laboratory Network of Argentina between 2010 and 2022 to determine the burden of the disease in the country. A total of 100 human coccidioidomycosis cases were documented, with a higher prevalence in male patients (male-to-female ratio of 1.9:1), with a median age of 41 years. Comparing the number of cases between two 10-year periods (2000–2009 and 2010–2019), the increase was 36.51% (from 63 to 86 cases). Among the 100 recorded cases, 79 tested positive using the double immunodiffusion test. Spherules were observed in 19 cases through histopathology or direct microscopic examination and the fungus was isolated in 39 cases. Thirty-six isolates were identified as Coccidioides posadasii through partial sequencing of the Ag2/PRA gene. Catamarca province had the highest number of cases, comprising 64% of the total, with an incidence rate above 1.0–2.5/100,000 inhabitants until 2018. However, there has been a recent downward trend in the region from 2018 to 2022. It is concerning that more than half of diagnosed cases were chronic pulmonary or disseminated forms, indicating a lack of early disease detection. To rectify this issue, it is imperative to conduct targeted training programs for healthcare personnel and enhance public awareness within the endemic area. This will contribute to a better understanding of the true burden of coccidioidomycosis and enable the implementation of appropriate sanitary control measures.
The Physics of Indirect Estimators of Lyman Continuum Escape and their Application to High-Redshift JWST Galaxies
Authors: Choustikov Nicholas , Katz Harley , Saxena Aayush , Cameron Alex J , Devriendt Julien , Slyz Adrianne , Rosdahl Joki , Blaizot Jeremy , Michel-Dansac Leo
Published: March 2024

Reliable indirect diagnostics of LyC photon escape from galaxies are required to understand which sources were the dominant contributors to reionization. While multiple LyC escape fraction (fesc) indicators have been proposed to trace favourable conditions for LyC leakage from the interstellar medium of low-redshift ‘analogue’ galaxies, it remains unclear whether these are applicable at high redshifts where LyC emission cannot be directly observed. Using a library of 14 120 mock spectra of star-forming galaxies with redshifts 4.64 ≤ z ≤ 10 from the SPHINX20 cosmological radiation hydrodynamics simulation, we develop a framework for the physics that leads to high fesc. We investigate LyC leakage from our galaxies based on the criteria that successful LyC escape diagnostics must (i) track a high-specific star formation rate, (ii) be sensitive to stellar population age in the range 3.5–10 Myr representing the times when supernova first explode to when LyC production significantly drops, and (iii) include a proxy for neutral gas content and gas density in the interstellar medium. O32, ΣSFR, MUV, and H β equivalent width select for one or fewer of our criteria, rendering them either necessary but insufficient or generally poor diagnostics. In contrast, UV slope (β), and E(B − V) match two or more of our criteria, rendering them good fesc diagnostics (albeit with significant scatter). Using our library, we build a quantitative model for predicting fesc based on direct observables. When applied to bright z > 6 Ly α emitters observed with JWST, we find that the majority of them have $f_{\rm esc} \lesssim 10~{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$.