bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Synthesis, characterization, antifungal properties of quaternary ammonium salts derived from natural rosin
Authors: Xu Yanran , Niu Yanfei , Wu Chunhua , Yan Jia , Rao Xiaoping , Shi Zhengjun , Xu Kaimeng , Algadi Hassan , Guo Zhanhu
Published: September 2023

In the paper, five quaternary ammonium salts derived from rosin were synthesized, characterized and their antifungal activities against different molds were studied. Choline quaternary ammonium salt and tetramethylammonium hydroxide were synthesized from dehydroabietic acid and the rosin ethanolamine ester quaternary ammonium salts which are new compounds were synthesized from propylene pimaric acid. Their structures were confirmed by FTIR, 1HNMR, 13CNMR, and high resolution mass spectrometry. The antifungal activities of the synthesized quaternary ammonium salts from rosin acid were tested by Oxford cup method, and their minimum inhibitory concentration was determined. The results show that quaternary ammonium salts derived from rosin acid have inhibitory effects on bamboo slices to some extent. Among them, propylene pimaric acid ethanolamine ester quaternary ammonium salts (A1 and A2) showed obvious antifungal activity in the Oxford cup test. The Oxford cup activity test and anti-mildew effect of quaternary ammonium salts (B1 and B2) synthesized from rosin acid are significant, and there are almost no mould growth on bamboo slices. It can be inferred that A1, A2, B1 and B2 are expected to be used as bamboo mildew inhibitors.

Graphical abstract

Five quaternary ammonium salts derived from rosin were synthesized and characterized; and their antifungal activities against different molds were studied.
SAMHD1 expression is a surrogate marker of immune infiltration and determines prognosis after neoadjuvant chemotherapy in early breast cancer
Authors: Gutiérrez-Chamorro Lucía , Felip Eudald , Castellà Eva , Quiroga Vanessa , Ezeonwumelu Ifeanyi Jude , Angelats Laura , Esteve Anna , Perez-Roca Laia , Martínez-Cardús Anna , Fernandez Pedro Luis , Ferrando-Díez Angelica , Pous Anna , Bergamino Milana , Cirauqui Beatriz , Romeo Marga , Teruel Iris , Mesia Ricard , Clotet Bonaventura , Riveira-Muñoz Eva , Margelí Mireia , Ballana Ester
Published: September 2023

Purpose

The lack of validated surrogate biomarkers is still an unmet clinical need in the management of early breast cancer cases that do not achieve complete pathological response after neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT). Here, we describe and validate the use of SAMHD1 expression as a prognostic biomarker in residual disease in vivo and in vitro.

Methods

SAMHD1 expression was evaluated in a clinical cohort of early breast cancer patients with stage II-III treated with NACT. Heterotypic 3D cultures including tumor and immune cells were used to investigate the molecular mechanisms responsible of SAMHD1 depletion through whole transcriptomic profiling, immune infiltration capacity and subsequent delineation of dysregulated immune signaling pathways.

Results

SAMHD1 expression was associated to increased risk of recurrence and higher Ki67 levels in post-NACT tumor biopsies of breast cancer patients with residual disease. Survival analysis showed that SAMHD1-expressing tumors presented shorter time-to-progression and overall survival than SAMHD1 negative cases, suggesting that SAMHD1 expression is a relevant prognostic factor in breast cancer. Whole-transcriptomic profiling of SAMHD1-depleted tumors identified downregulation of IL-12 signaling pathway as the molecular mechanism determining breast cancer prognosis. The reduced interleukin signaling upon SAMHD1 depletion induced changes in immune cell infiltration capacity in 3D heterotypic in vitro culture models, confirming the role of the SAMHD1 as a regulator of breast cancer prognosis through the induction of changes in immune response and tumor microenvironment.

Conclusion

SAMHD1 expression is a novel prognostic biomarker in early breast cancer that impacts immune-mediated signaling and differentially regulates inflammatory intra-tumoral response.
Effect of biofertilizers and rhizospheric bacteria on growth and root ultrastucture of lettuce
Authors: Montesdeoca-Flores David , Alfayate-Casañas Carmen , Hernández-Bolaños Eduardo , Hernández-González Mercedes , Estupiñan-Afonso Zuleima , Abreu-Acosta Néstor
Published: September 2023

Biofertilization is a technique that uses plant and animal wastes to add organic matter and nutrients to the soil. It can also use microorganisms that can metabolize these by-products to facilitate their absorption by the plant roots. In this study, we tested the effects of rhizospheric bacteria inoculation (T1), a combination of rhizospheric bacteria with liquid fertilizer (T2) and uncombined liquid fertilizer (T3), on the growth, nutritional content, root tissue, and root cells of lettuce plants. The results showed significant positive differences in all treatments compared to control plants, in terms of morphological, nutritional, and productivity parameters. The combination of rhizospheric bacteria with liquid SEFEL fertilizer (T2) yielded the best results, showing increased fresh and dry weight, and diameter. There were no differences between treatments for nutritional content, but each treatment outperformed the control by more than 700% for all macronutrients. The best result was phosphorus content for T1, with 1272.22% more than control. Regarding root structure and ultrastructure, there was no variation in tissue organization compared to control plants, but increases in root hairs (T1), development of transfer cells (T2), and secondary growth (T3) were observed. Additionally, colonization of roots by rhizospheric bacteria was confirmed in all three treatments. In conclusion, this study suggests that inoculating with rhizospheric bacteria is a viable and environmentally friendly biofertilization for lettuce plants.
The impact of environmental regulation and industrial agglomeration on air pollution: on the spatial spillover perspective
Authors: Chen Z. B. , He G. , Jiang S. Z.
Published: September 2023

This paper uses the panel data of 275 prefecture-level cities in China in 2003–2019 and spatial Durbin model to verify the impact of environmental regulation and industrial agglomeration on air pollution. This paper finds that the enforcement intensity of environmental regulations (ER) is not consistent among cities. The effects of strict ER on air pollution in local city are the inverted-U-shape curve. The effects of more stringent ER in adjacent cities j on air pollution in city i are the U-shape curve. The more stringent ER in local city may lead to the decrease in agglomeration of manufacturing sectors (AM), thereby reducing air pollution. The polluting firms may shift production from neighboring cities j with stringent ER to city i with lax ER, thereby leading to the increase in AM, which aggravate air pollution in city i. The more stringent ER in local city i may lead to the increase in agglomeration of productive service industry (AS), thereby reducing air pollution. To avoid the transfer of polluting industrial sectors, the paper suggests that the more stringent implementation of ER should become nationwide actions.
Psychometric properties and factor structure of the diabetes eatıng problem survey- revised (DEPS-R) among adults with type 1 diabetes mellitus
Authors: Atik-Altınok Yasemin , Eliuz-Tipici Beyza , İdiz Cemile , Özgür Su , Ok Ayşe Merve , Karşıdağ Kubilay
Published: September 2023

Background and objective

Although many studies on the Diabetes Eating Problem Survey–Revised (DEPS-R) in adolescents with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1D), the number of studies validating this questionnaire in adults with T1D is limited. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the factor structure of the Turkish version of the DEPS-R in adults with T1D and internal consistency and construct validity.

Methods

A total of 100 patients with T1D, ages 18–50 years, completed the DEPS-R and EDE-Q. In addition to tests of validity, confirmatory factor analysis was conducted to investigate the factor structure of the 6-item Turkish version of DEPS-R.

Results

The Cronbach’s alpha coefficient of the DEPS-R Turkish version was 0.77, suggesting good internal consistency. The median (IQ) DEPS-R score was 15.0 (13.0) among all participants. DEPS-R score was significantly correlated with BMI (r = 0.210; p < 0.05) and EDE-Q (r = 0.586; p < 0.01). There was no correlation between the HbA1c values of participants and neither EDE-Q nor DEPS-R scores. The confirmatory factor analysis results show that the three-factor model was a good fit.

Conclusion

A short, self-administered diabetes-specific screening tool for disordered eating behavior is recommended be used routinely in the clinical care of adults with T1D, and Turkish version of DEPS-R has acceptable internal consistency and construct validity in adults with T1D.

Level of evidence

Level V, descriptive study.

Clinicaltrials.gov registration number NCT05346679/ 21.04.2022 (retrospectively registered)
A multi-task positive-unlabeled learning framework to predict secreted proteins in human body fluids
Authors: He Kai , Wang Yan , Xie Xuping , Shao Dan
Published: September 2023

Body fluid biomarkers are very important, because they can be detected in a non-invasive or minimally invasive way. The discovery of secreted proteins in human body fluids is an essential step toward proteomic biomarker identification for human diseases. Recently, many computational methods have been proposed to predict secreted proteins and achieved some success. However, most of them are based on a manual negative dataset, which is usually biased and therefore limits the prediction performances. In this paper, we first propose a novel positive-unlabeled learning framework to predict secreted proteins in a single body fluid. The secreted protein discovery in a single body fluid is transformed into multiple binary classifications and solved via multi-task learning. Also, an effective convolutional neural network is employed to reduce the overfitting problem. After that, we then improve this framework to predict secreted proteins in multiple body fluids simultaneously. The improved framework adopts a globally shared network to further improve the prediction performances of all body fluids. The improved framework was trained and evaluated on datasets of 17 body fluids, and the average benchmarks of 17 body fluids achieved an accuracy of 89.48%, F1 score of 56.17%, and PRAUC of 58.93%. The comparative results demonstrate that the improved framework performs much better than other state-of-the-art methods in secreted protein discovery.
Asymmetric gradient penalty based on power exponential function for imbalanced data classification
Authors: Zhou Linyong , Ran Guangcan , Tan Hongwei , Xie Xiaoyao
Published: September 2023

Model bias is a tricky problem in imbalanced data classification. An asymmetric gradient penalty method is proposed based on the power exponential function to alleviate this. The methodology integrates a power exponential function as a moderator into the cross-entropy loss of the negative samples, driving the model to focus on hesitant samples while ignoring easy and singular samples. The rationality of the algorithm is explored from the gradient point of view, and it is demonstrated that the approach improves focal loss and asymmetric focal loss. Then, the imbalanced data classification experiments were deployed on MNIST, CIFAR10, CIFAR100, and Caltech101, respectively. For binary classification, datasets with several imbalance ratios constituted by varying the sample size of the majority class and minority class are included in the experiments. In the multi-category classification experiments, we discuss imbalanced datasets with only a single majority category and those with several majority categories and examine step-imbalance datasets and linear-imbalance datasets. The results reveal that the proposed method exhibits competitiveness on various imbalanced datasets and better robustness on high imbalance ratio datasets. Finally, the approach is deployed on the pulsar candidate dataset HTRU, and the state-of-the-art results are yielded. Our code is available at https://github.com/gzmtzly/GPPE.
Geo-environmental and mechanical behaviors of As(V) and Cd(II) co-contaminated soils stabilized by goethite nanoparticles modified biochar
Authors: Feng Chen , Li Jiangshan , Jiang Wenhao , Liu Jindu , Xue Qiang
Published: September 2023

Goethite nanoparticles modified biochar (FBC) could address the weak effectiveness of conventional biochar commonly to process heavy metal(loids)  (HMs) co-contamination with different charges. However, few studies have focused on the change of soil mechanical properties after stabilization. In this study, FBC was synthesized to stabilize simultaneously arsenic (As (V)) (anions) and cadmium (Cd (II)) (cations) in co-contaminated soils. Batch adsorption, leaching toxicity, geotechnical properties and micro-spectroscopic tests were comprehensively adopted to investigate the stabilization mechanism. The results showed that FBC could immobilize As (V) mainly through redox and surface precipitation while stabilizing Cd (II) by electrostatic attraction and complexation, causing soil agglomeration and ultimately making rougher surface and stronger sliding friction of contaminated soils. The maximum adsorption capacity of FBC for As (V) and Cd (II) was 31.96 mg g−1 and 129.31 mg g−1, respectively. Besides, the dosages of FBC required in contaminated soils generally were approximately 57% higher than those in contaminated water. FBC promoted the formation of small macroaggregates (0.25–2 mm) and the shear strengths of co-contaminated soils by 21.40% and 8.34%, respectively. Furthermore, the soil reutilization level was significantly improved from 0.14–0.46 to 0.76–0.83 after FBC stabilization according to TOPSIS method (i.e., technique for order preference by similarity to an ideal solution). These findings confirm the potential of FBC in immobilizing As (V) and Cd (II) of co-contaminated soils and provide a useful reference for green stabilization and remediation of HMs co-contaminated sites.

Graphical Abstract
The optical characteristics and co-evaporation processing of CuInGaSe2 thin film
Authors: Abdulwahed Jazi Abdullah Mohammed , Alshehri Khairiah
Published: September 2023

CuInGaSe2 crystals were synthesized using the traditional melt method. Various thicknesses of thin films were formed on glass substrates at room temperature using the thermal evaporation method. In the wavelength range of 250–2500 nm, the optical absorption spectra of thin films were examined. To calculate the optical band gap of the films, Taucs’ relation was applied. Calculations were made to determine how the film thickness affected the energy gap of CuInGaSe2 thin films. Estimation have been made to show fluctuations in the direct optical band gap values with variations in film thickness, but the indirect band gap energy varies systematically with thickness.
Current challenges in coastal erosion management for southern Asian regions: examples from Thailand, Malaysia, and Sri Lanka
Authors: Saengsupavanich Cherdvong , Ratnayake Amila Sandaruwan , Yun Lee Shin , Ariffin Effi Helmy
Published: September 2023

Different countries practice various approaches to coastal erosion management, which have characteristics strengths and weaknesses. Protection of the land from coastal erosion is a complex task, and it depends on many socioeconomic and environmental factors. Asian countries have unique cultural, social, environmental, and political behaviors. Therefore, the objectives of this study are to analyze the current status of coastal management in Thailand, Malaysia, and Sri Lanka, and to synthesize a common coastal management framework for those countries. In this study, we analyzed the situation of coastal erosion, and the existing responsible government department and their legal authorities in Thailand, Malaysia, and Sri Lanka. After that, we evaluated specific challenges and common issues in the management of coastal erosion. The main challenges can be summarized as rapid urbanization and the construction of infrastructure along the coasts, rising sea levels as a consequence of climate change, inadequate coastal zone planning and management framework, a deficit of sediment supply compared to erosion rates, and face constraints in terms of financial and technical resources for coastal erosion management. A multi-faceted approach is required to address these challenges, and it combines both structural and non-structural measures. For example, this approach involves (i) sustainable coastal zone planning, (ii) the implementation of nature-based solutions, (iii) restoration of natural coastal features, (iv) regulation of coastal development activities, and (v) the integration of climate change considerations into coastal management practices. Finally, collaborative efforts among government agencies, researchers, local communities, and international organizations are crucial for successful coastal erosion management in Thailand, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, and potentially other Asian regions.
The Economics of Social Protection
Authors: Pestieau Pierre
Published: September 2023

The objective of this Element is to provide an analysis of social protection from an economic perspective. It relies on tools and methods widely used in public and insurance economics and comprises four main section besides the introduction. The first section is devoted to the design of social protection programs and their political sustainability. The second section assesses the efficiency and performance of social protection programs, and of the welfare state as a whole. In the third section, the relative merits of social and private insurance are analyzed as well as the design of optimum insurance contract with emphasis on health and pensions. The last section focuses on the implications of asymmetric information that may lead governments to adopt policies that would otherwise be rejected in a perfect information setting.
Experimental Design and Data Analysis for Biologists
Authors: Quinn Gerry P. , Keough Michael J.
Published: September 2023

Applying statistical concepts to biological scenarios, this established textbook continues to be the go-to tool for advanced undergraduates and postgraduates studying biostatistics or experimental design in biology-related areas. Chapters cover linear models, common regression and ANOVA methods, mixed effects models, model selection, and multivariate methods used by biologists, requiring only introductory statistics and basic mathematics. Demystifying statistical concepts with clear, jargon-free explanations, this new edition takes a holistic approach to help students understand the relationship between statistics and experimental design. Each chapter contains further-reading recommendations, and worked examples from today's biological literature. All examples reflect modern settings, methodology and equipment, representing a wide range of biological research areas. These are supported by hands-on online resources including real-world data sets, full R code to help repeat analyses for all worked examples, and additional review questions and exercises for each chapter.
Evidence of housing instability identified by addresses, clinical notes, and diagnostic codes in a real-world population with substance use disorders
Authors: Harris Daniel R. , Anthony Nicholas , Quesinberry Dana , Delcher Chris
Published: September 2023

Introduction:

Housing instability is a social determinant of health associated with multiple negative health outcomes including substance use disorders (SUDs). Real-world evidence of housing instability is needed to improve translational research on populations with SUDs.

Methods:

We identified evidence of housing instability by leveraging structured diagnosis codes and unstructured clinical data from electronic health records of 20,556 patients from 2017 to 2021. We applied natural language processing with named-entity recognition and pattern matching to unstructured clinical notes with free-text documentation. Additionally, we analyzed semi-structured addresses containing explicit or implicit housing-related labels. We assessed agreement on identification methods by having three experts review of 300 records.

Results:

Diagnostic codes only identified 58.5% of the population identifiable as having housing instability, whereas 41.5% are identifiable from addresses only (7.1%), clinical notes only (30.4%), or both (4.0%). Reviewers unanimously agreed on 79.7% of cases reviewed; a Fleiss’ Kappa score of 0.35 suggested fair agreement yet emphasized the difficulty of analyzing patients having ambiguous housing situations. Among those with poisoning episodes related to stimulants or opioids, diagnosis codes were only able to identify 63.9% of those with housing instability.

Conclusions:

All three data sources yield valid evidence of housing instability; each has their own inherent practical use and limitations. Translational researchers requiring comprehensive real-world evidence of housing instability should optimize and implement use of structured and unstructured data. Understanding the role of housing instability and temporary housing facilities is salient in populations with SUDs.
Neighbours and relatives: accounting for spatial distribution when testing causal hypotheses in cultural evolution
Authors: Bromham Lindell , Yaxley Keaghan J.
Published: September 2023

Many important and interesting hypotheses about cultural evolution are evaluated using cross-cultural correlations: if knowing one particular feature of a culture (e.g. environmental conditions such as temperature, humidity or parasite load) allows you to predict other features (e.g. language features, religious beliefs, cuisine), it is often interpreted as indicating a causal link between the two (e.g. hotter climates carry greater disease risk, which encourages belief in supernatural forces and favours the use of antimicrobial ingredients in food preparation; dry climates make the production of distinct tones more difficult). However, testing such hypotheses from cross-cultural comparisons requires us to take proximity of cultures into account: nearby cultures share many aspects of their environment and are more likely to be similar in many culturally inherited traits. This can generate indirect associations between environment and culture which could be misinterpreted as signals of a direct causal link. Evaluating examples of cross-cultural correlations from the literature, we show that significant correlations interpreted as causal relationships can often be explained as a result of similarity between neighbouring cultures. We discuss some strategies for sorting the explanatory wheat from the co-varying chaff, distinguishing incidental correlations from causal relationships.
Improving antimicrobial use through better diagnosis: The relationship between diagnostic stewardship and antimicrobial stewardship
Authors: Ku Tsun Sheng N. , Al Mohajer Mayar , Newton James A. , Wilson Marie H. , Monsees Elizabeth , Hayden Mary K. , Messacar Kevin , Kisgen Jamie J. , Diekema Daniel J. , Morgan Daniel J. , Sifri Costi D. , Vaughn Valerie M.
Published: September 2023

Executive summary

Antimicrobial stewardship programs (ASPs) exist to optimize antibiotic use, reduce selection for antimicrobial-resistant microorganisms, and improve patient outcomes. Rapid and accurate diagnosis is essential to optimal antibiotic use. Because diagnostic testing plays a significant role in diagnosing patients, it has one of the strongest influences on clinician antibiotic prescribing behaviors. Diagnostic stewardship, consequently, has emerged to improve clinician diagnostic testing and test result interpretation. Antimicrobial stewardship and diagnostic stewardship share common goals and are synergistic when used together. Although ASP requires a relationship with clinicians and focuses on person-to-person communication, diagnostic stewardship centers on a relationship with the laboratory and hardwiring testing changes into laboratory processes and the electronic health record. Here, we discuss how diagnostic stewardship can optimize the “Four Moments of Antibiotic Decision Making” created by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and work synergistically with ASPs.
Anti-work offers many opportunities for I-O psychologists
Authors: Alliger George M. , McEachern Peter J.
Published: September 2023

Anti-work philosophy holds that work, in and of itself, tends to be harmful for most people. Some anti-work theorists even advocate for the abolition of paid employment altogether. We argue that, while endorsement of the radical ideology of anti-work is in no way necessary for I/O psychologists, considering the thinking behind these ideas can be beneficial. In fact, reviewing the tenets of anti-work may prompt some to a broad reconsideration of the nature and purpose of the I/O field and its role, nested as it is in potentially problematic power dynamics both within organizations and in broader society. In this article, after describing anti-work’s core tenets, we outline a number of research directions and practical applications inspired by this perspective. While in some cases these may involve the creation of new theory, constructs, and interventions, they often simply entail the repurposing or refocusing of existing ones that are more attuned to the problematic nature of work. Possibilities for research include, but are not limited to, the examination of the prevalence and nature of “managerialism,” how we might better understand the psychological character of organized labor and its outcomes, and how to encourage healthier manifestations of employee engagement. In terms of practice, we bring to the reader’s attention how anti-work might inspire extensions or adjustments in how we recruit and onboard, train managers, improve job characteristics, measure performance and work with unions and other political advocates. Ultimately, consideration of anti-work’s assertion of the inevitable authoritarian character of employment, combined with I/O psychology’s emphases on objectivity and the translation of science into practice, can spark inquiry and innovation.
An experimental study on the settling velocity of inertial particles in different homogeneous isotropic turbulent flows
Authors: Ferran Amélie , Machicoane Nathanaël , Aliseda Alberto , Obligado Martín
Published: September 2023

We propose an experimental study on the gravitational settling velocity of dense, sub-Kolmogorov inertial particles under different background turbulent flows. We report phase Doppler particle analyser measurements in a low-speed wind tunnel uniformly seeded with micrometre scale water droplets. Turbulence is generated with three different grids (two consisting of different active-grid protocols while the third is a regular static grid), allowing us to cover a very wide range of turbulence conditions in terms of Taylor-scale-based Reynolds numbers (

$Re_\lambda \in [30\unicode{x2013}520]$

), Rouse numbers (

$Ro \in [0\unicode{x2013}5]$

) and volume fractions (

$\phi _v \in [0.5\times 10^{-5}\unicode{x2013}2.0\times 10^{-5}]$

). We find, in agreement with previous works, that enhancement of the settling velocity occurs at low Rouse number, while hindering of the settling occurs at higher Rouse number for decreasing turbulence energy levels. The wide range of flow parameters explored allowed us to observe that enhancement decreases significantly with the Taylor–Reynolds number and is significantly affected by the volume fraction

$\phi _v$

. We also studied the effect of large-scale forcing on settling velocity modification. The possibility of changing the inflow conditions by using different grids allowed us to test cases with fixed

$Re_\lambda$

and turbulent intensity but with different integral length scale. Finally, we assess the existence of secondary flows in the wind tunnel and their role on particle settling. This is achieved by characterising the settling velocity at two different positions, the centreline and close to the wall, with the same streamwise coordinate.
The interaction of gravity currents in a porous layer with a finite edge
Authors: Zheng Zhong
Published: September 2023

The interactions of upper (lighter) and lower (heavier) gravity currents are closely related to fluid-phase resource recovery in porous layers and cleaning of confined spaces. The addition of a second current increases the sweep efficiency of fluid displacement. In this paper, we first derive two ordinary differential equations to describe the interaction of gravity currents in the quasi-steady regime. Two asymptotic regimes are identified, characterised by whether or not the two currents attach to each other, depending on whether the source fluxes are large enough. In the attached regime, a symmetry condition is also identified that describes whether or not the pumping and buoyancy forces balance each other. The model also leads to analytical solutions for the interface shape of the interacting currents in both the detached and attached regimes and for both symmetric and asymmetric currents. For symmetric currents, analytical solutions can also be obtained for the pressure distribution along cap rocks and the sweep efficiency of flooding processes. A particularly interesting aspect is that the displaced fluid remains quiescent at any steady state, regardless of whether the currents attach to each other. Correspondingly, the interface shape of the currents can be described by relatively simple equations and solutions, as if the currents propagate independently in unconfined porous layers. Time transition towards quasi-steady solutions is provided, employing time-dependent numerical solutions of two coupled partial differential equations for dynamic current interaction.
Selling Clinical Biospecimens: Guidance for Researchers and Private Industry
Authors: Schwartz Peter H. , Hartsock Jane A.
Published: September 2023

The recently revised Common Rule requires that donors of biospecimens for research be informed if their specimens might be used for commercial profit. The Common Rule, however, does not apply to sharing or selling de-identified biospecimens that are “leftover” from clinical uses. As a result, many medical researchers remain uncertain of their legal and ethical obligations when a commercial entity expresses interest in these specimens.
PROOF SYSTEMS FOR TWO-WAY MODAL MU-CALCULUS
Authors: AFSHARI BAHAREH , ENQVIST SEBASTIAN , LEIGH GRAHAM E. , MARTI JOHANNES , VENEMA YDE
Published: September 2023

We present sound and complete sequent calculi for the modal mu-calculus with converse modalities, aka two-way modal mu-calculus. Notably, we introduce a cyclic proof system wherein proofs can be represented as finite trees with back-edges, i.e., finite graphs. The sequent calculi incorporate ordinal annotations and structural rules for managing them. Soundness is proved with relative ease as is the case for the modal mu-calculus with explicit ordinals. The main ingredients in the proof of completeness are isolating a class of non-wellfounded proofs with sequents of bounded size, called slim proofs, and a counter-model construction that shows slimness suffices to capture all validities. Slim proofs are further transformed into cyclic proofs by means of re-assigning ordinal annotations.
New Narratives and Old Myths: History Textbooks in Kazakhstan
Authors: Burkhanov Aziz , Sharipova Dina
Published: September 2023

This article focuses on the role of textbooks in the construction of national identity by analyzing state-approved versions of national identity and history in Kazakhstan. By doing so, this project seeks to highlight what understanding of identity prevails in the history textbooks of Kazakhstan, what narratives regarding the key historic events are promoted, particularly with respect to the Dzhungar wars, annexation of Kazakh Khanate by the Russian Empire, and the Soviet era. Finally, this article compares the main narratives in the textbooks published in Kazakh and Russian languages to illustrate differences and various understandings of identity in the two linguistic realms of Kazakhstan. The article argues that Kazakhstan’s textbooks combine new, independence-focused narratives with the old approaches and partial reproduction of the Soviet symbolic discourse.
Population Aging and Bank Risk-Taking
Authors: Doerr Sebastian , Kabaş Gazi , Ongena Steven
Published: September 2023

What are the implications of an aging population for financial stability? To examine this question, we exploit geographic variation in aging across U.S. counties. We establish that banks with higher exposure to aging counties increase loan-to-income ratios. Laxer lending standards lead to higher nonperforming loans during downturns, suggesting higher credit risk. Inspecting the mechanism shows that aging drives risk-taking through two contemporaneous channels: deposit inflows due to seniors’ propensity to save in deposits; and depressed local investment opportunities due to seniors’ lower credit demand. Banks thus look for riskier clients, especially in counties where they operate no branches.
Experiencing food insecurity in childhood: influences on eating habits and body weight in young adulthood
Authors: Dubois Lise , Bédard Brigitte , Goulet Danick , Prud’homme Denis , Tremblay Richard E , Boivin Michel
Published: September 2023

Objective:

To examine how food insecurity in childhood up to adolescence relates to eating habits and weight status in young adulthood.

Design:

A longitudinal study design was used to derive trajectories of household food insecurity from age 4·5 to 13 years. Multivariable linear and logistical regression analyses were performed to model associations between being at high risk of food insecurity from age 4·5 to 13 years and both dietary and weight outcomes at age 22 years.

Setting:

A birth cohort study conducted in the Province of Quebec, Canada.

Participants:

In total, 698 young adults participating in the Québec Longitudinal Study of Child Development.

Results:

After adjusting for sex, maternal education and immigrant status, household income and type of family, being at high risk (compared with low risk) of food insecurity in childhood up to adolescence was associated with consuming higher quantities of sugar-sweetened beverages (ßadj: 0·64; 95 % CI (0·27, 1·00)), non-whole-grain cereal products (ßadj: 0·32; 95 % CI (0·07, 0·56)) and processed meat (ßadj: 0·14; 95 % CI (0·02, 0·25)), with skipping breakfast (ORadj: 1·97; 95 % CI (1·08, 3·53)), with eating meals prepared out of home (ORadj: 3·38; 95 % CI (1·52, 9·02)), with experiencing food insecurity (ORadj: 3·03; 95 % CI (1·91, 4·76)) and with being obese (ORadj: 2·01; 95 % CI (1·12, 3·64)), once reaching young adulthood.

Conclusion:

Growing up in families experiencing food insecurity may negatively influence eating habits and weight status later in life. Our findings reinforce the importance of public health policies and programmes tackling poverty and food insecurity, particularly for families with young children.
Variables Associated with Emotional Symptom Severity in Primary Care Patients: The Usefulness of a Logistic Regression Equation to Help Clinical Assessment and Treatment Decisions
Authors: Aguilera-Martín Ángel , Gálvez-Lara Mario , Muñoz-Navarro Roger , González-Blanch César , Ruiz-Rodríguez Paloma , Cano-Videl Antonio , Moriana Juan Antonio
Published: September 2023

The aim of this study is to contribute to the evidence regarding variables related to emotional symptom severity and to use them to exemplify the potential usefulness of logistic regression for clinical assessment at primary care, where most of these disorders are treated. Cross-sectional data related to depression and anxiety symptoms, sociodemographic characteristics, quality of life (QoL), and emotion-regulation processes were collected from 1,704 primary care patients. Correlation and analysis of variance (ANOVA) tests were conducted to identify those variables associated with both depression and anxiety. Participants were then divided into severe and nonsevere emotional symptoms, and binomial logistic regression was used to identify the variables that contributed the most to classify the severity. The final adjusted model included psychological QoL (p < .001, odds ratio [OR] = .426, 95% CI [.318, .569]), negative metacognitions (p < .001, OR = 1.083, 95% CI [1.045, 1.122]), physical QoL (p < .001, OR = .870, 95% CI [.841, .900]), brooding rumination (p < .001, OR = 1.087, 95% CI [1.042, 1.133]), worry (p < .001, OR = 1.047, 95% CI [1.025, 1.070]), and employment status (p = .022, OR [.397, 2.039]) as independent variables, ρ2 = .326, area under the curve (AUC) = .857. Moreover, rumination and psychological QoL emerged as the best predictors to form a simplified equation to determine the emotional symptom severity (ρ2 = .259, AUC = .822). The use of statistical models like this could accelerate the assessment and treatment-decision process, depending less on the subjective point of view of clinicians and optimizing health care resources.
Russian thistle (Salsola tragus) postharvest control and plant dispersal
Authors: Oreja Fernando H. , Lyon Drew J. , Gourlie Jennifer , Wetzel Henry C. , Barroso Judit
Published: September 2023

Russian thistle is one of the most important broadleaf weeds in the semiarid U.S. Pacific Northwest. It consumes soil water after wheat harvest, compromising the yield of the following crop. The objectives of this work were to determine the impact of post–wheat harvest herbicide application timing on Russian thistle control and of stubble height on Russian thistle postharvest control and plant dispersal. For the first objective, experiments were conducted at the Columbia Basin Agricultural Research Center, Adams, OR (CBARC), and the Lind Dryland Research Station, Lind, WA (LDRS), in 2020 and 2021. Herbicides evaluated included paraquat, glyphosate, and either bromoxynil + pyrasulfotole (CBARC) or bromoxynil + metribuzin (LDRS). The different post–wheat harvest application timings were 24 h and 1, 2, and 3 wk after harvest. For the second objective, two stubble heights (short and tall) were compared for their impact on control at CBARC and in a production field near Ione, OR. Paraquat provided the greatest control in all scenarios, with no differences in application timings or stubble height. Impacts of application timings were not clear for glyphosate or bromoxynil mixtures. For glyphosate treatments, control in short stubble was 11% greater than in tall stubble in both years. Control was also greater in short stubble for the bromoxynil + pyrasulfotole application in 2020. However, Russian thistle plant dispersal was greater in short stubble at both locations. At CBARC, plant dispersal in short stubble was 58%, compared to 18% in tall stubble. Near Ione, plant dispersal in flattened stubble was 88%, compared to 43% in nonflattened short stubble. Leaving tall stubble at harvest should be considered to reduce Russian thistle plant dispersal if the infestation is going to be left untreated after harvest; otherwise, short stubble might result in better Russian thistle control when using systemic herbicides, such as glyphosate.
Tuber development and propagation are inhibited by GA3 effects on the DELLA-dependent pathway in purple nutsedge (Cyperus rotundus)
Authors: Wei Chen-Yang , Fan Dan-Li , Liu Shu-Yu , Yi Shan-Chi , Yu Shi-Xian , Zhao Guo-Chao , Liu Xiao-Liang , Tang Wen-Wei
Published: September 2023

Purple nutsedge (Cyperus rotundus L.) is a globally distributed noxious weed that poses a significant challenge for control due to its fast and efficient propagation through the tuber, which is the primary reproductive organ. Gibberellic acid (GA3) has proven to be crucial for tuberization in tuberous plants. Therefore, understanding the relationship between GA3 and tuber development and propagation of C. rotundus will provide valuable information for controlling this weed. This study shows that the GA3 content decreases with tuber development, which corresponds to lower expression of bioactive GA3 synthesis genes (CrGA20ox, two CrGA3ox genes) and two upregulated GA3 catabolism genes (CrGA2ox genes), indicating that GA3 is involved in tuber development. Simultaneously, the expression of two CrDELLA genes and CrGID1 declines with tuber growth and decreased GA3, and yeast two-hybrid assays confirm that the GA3 signaling is DELLA-dependent. Furthermore, exogenous application of GA3 markedly reduces the number and the width of tubers and represses the growth of the tuber chain, further confirming the negative impact that GA3 has on tuber development and propagation. Taken together, these results demonstrate that GA3 is involved in tuber development and regulated by the DELLA-dependent pathway in C. rotundus and plays a negative role in tuber development and propagation.
Climate, Variability, and Climate Sensitivity of “Middle Atmosphere” Chemistry Configurations of the Community Earth System Model Version 2, Whole Atmosphere Community Climate Model Version 6 (CESM2(WACCM6))
Authors: Davis N. A. , Visioni D. , Garcia R. R. , Kinnison D. E. , Marsh D. R. , Mills M. , Richter J. H. , Tilmes S. , Bardeen C. G. , Gettelman A. , Glanville A. A. , MacMartin D. G. , Smith A. K. , Vitt F.
Published: September 2023

Simulating whole atmosphere dynamics, chemistry, and physics is computationally expensive. It can require high vertical resolution throughout the middle and upper atmosphere, as well as a comprehensive chemistry and aerosol scheme coupled to radiation physics. An unintentional outcome of the development of one of the most sophisticated and hence computationally expensive model configurations is that it often excludes a broad community of users with limited computational resources. Here, we analyze two configurations of the Community Earth System Model Version 2, Whole Atmosphere Community Climate Model Version 6 (CESM2(WACCM6)) with simplified “middle atmosphere” chemistry at nominal 1 and 2° horizontal resolutions. Using observations, a reanalysis, and direct model comparisons, we find that these configurations generally reproduce the climate, variability, and climate sensitivity of the 1° nominal horizontal resolution configuration with comprehensive chemistry. While the background stratospheric aerosol optical depth is elevated in the middle atmosphere configurations as compared to the comprehensive chemistry configuration, it is comparable among all configurations during volcanic eruptions. For any purposes other than those needing an accurate representation of tropospheric organic chemistry and secondary organic aerosols, these simplified chemistry configurations deliver reliable simulations of the whole atmosphere that require 35% and 86% fewer computational resources at nominal 1 and 2° horizontal resolution, respectively.
Propagation Analysis Method Considering Angular Spread for Random Electromagnetic Waves in Magnetized Cold Plasma
Authors: Ota Mamoru , Tanaka Yuji , Kasahara Yoshiya
Published: September 2023

Random waves can be described as the sum of numerous plane waves, and stochastic processes describe their properties. Various methods have been used to widely investigate the propagation characteristics of electromagnetic waves in magnetized cold plasma based on a single‐plane wave approximation. On the other hand, the properties of random waves are difficult to analyze using these methods. Instead, a framework of the wave distribution function (WDF) should be employed. In this study, we provide an explicit expression for an integration kernel in a magnetized cold plasma used for the WDF method. We show that the kernel can be approximated in the case of ultralow frequency/very low frequency (ULF/VLF) parts of whistler‐mode waves with quasi‐parallel propagation. We also propose a method for estimating a WDF representing a directional distribution of the wave energy density based on the principle of maximum entropy using three‐component spectral matrix data of the magnetic field. Based on the insights obtained from the proposed method, we define a quantity called “sharpness,” which provides spreading of wave normal angles. The sharpness is particularly effective in showing the spread of the wave normal angles for random non‐single‐plane waves. Compared with the conventional methods which evaluate the propagation properties (such as planarity), the “sharpness” exhibited a low calculation load and can be implemented easily for onboard processing.
Knockdown of PGC1α suppresses dysplastic oral keratinocytes proliferation through reprogramming energy metabolism
Authors: Liu Yunkun , Huang Nengwen , Qiao Xianghe , Gu Zhiyu , Wu Yongzhi , Li Jinjin , Wu Chengzhou , Li Bo , Li Longjiang
Published: September 2023

Oral potentially malignant disorders (OPMDs) are precursors of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). Deregulated cellular energy metabolism is a critical hallmark of cancer cells. Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma coactivator-1 alpha (PGC1α) plays vital role in mitochondrial energy metabolism. However, the molecular mechanism of PGC1α on OPMDs progression is less unclear. Therefore, we investigated the effects of knockdown PGC1α on human dysplastic oral keratinocytes (DOKs) comprehensively, including cell proliferation, cell cycle, apoptosis, xenograft tumor, mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), mitochondrial electron transport chain complexes (ETC), reactive oxygen species (ROS), oxygen consumption rate (OCR), extracellular acidification rate (ECAR), and glucose uptake. We found that knockdown PGC1α significantly inhibited the proliferation of DOKs in vitro and tumor growth in vivo, induced S-phase arrest, and suppressed PI3K/Akt signaling pathway without affecting cell apoptosis. Mechanistically, downregulated of PGC1α decreased mtDNA, ETC, and OCR, while enhancing ROS, glucose uptake, ECAR, and glycolysis by regulating lactate dehydrogenase A (LDHA). Moreover, SR18292 (an inhibitor of PGC1α) induced oxidative phosphorylation dysfunction of DOKs and declined DOK xenograft tumor progression. Thus, our work suggests that PGC1α plays a crucial role in cell proliferation by reprograming energy metabolism and interfering with energy metabolism, acting as a potential therapeutic target for OPMDs.
Mie scatterers bring a resonator to an exceptional point
Authors: Hong Kai , Chen Lin
Published: September 2023

Exceptional points have given rise to many intriguing optical phenomena that are of fundamental importance for a variety of breakthrough technologies. The pre-defined Mie scatterers can bring a resonator to an exceptional point, and result in enhanced quality factor through coherently suppressing the backward scattering.