bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Differences in excito‐repellent behavior between susceptible and permethrin‐resistant strains of Aedes aegypti upon exposure to insecticide‐treated fabric
Authors: Agramonte Natasha M. , Bernier Ulrich R. , Gezan Salvador A. , Bloomquist Jeffrey R.
Published: September 2023

BACKGROUND

An important component of the biological activity of pyrethroids, when used in disease vector control, is excito‐repellency. In this study, behavioral differences between insecticide susceptible (Orlando) and pyrethroid resistant (Puerto Rican) strains of Aedes aegypti were explored in a round glass arena using fabrics treated with permethrin, etofenprox, deltamethrin, or DDT. Repellency was evaluated across several variables, including the time to first flight (TFF), number of landings (NOL), total flight time (TFT), and maximum surface contact (MSC), all by video analysis.

RESULTS

Results from the Orlando strain indicated they were less likely than the Puerto Rican strain to tolerate tarsal contact with the treated fabrics. All four response variables indicated that the mosquito flight and landing behavior was most affected by pyrethroid resistance [knockdown resistance (kdr)] status. In other experiments, mosquitoes were surgically altered, with antennae ablated bilaterally, and these mosquitoes were more likely to stay on the treated surfaces for longer periods of time, irrespective of any chemical exposure. There were also differences in the responses to antennal ablation between the two strains of mosquitoes, indicating that resistance factors, probably kdr, influence the reactivity of mosquitoes to pyrethroid and DDT treatments, and that it was not completely negated by antennal ablation.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings confirm the role of antennal olfactory components in the expression of excito‐repellent behaviors, and also support the hypothesis that excito‐repellency from pyrethroid/DDT exposure is probably due to a combination of sublethal neurotoxic excitation and interactions with the olfactory system. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.
Climate change may drive the distribution of tribe Zyginelline pests in China and the Indo‐China Peninsula to shift towards higher latitude river‐mountain systems
Authors: Ran Wei‐Wei , Luo Gui‐Mei , Zhao Yuan‐Qi , Li Can , Dietrich Christopher H. , Song Yue‐Hua
Published: September 2023

BACKGROUND

Tribe Zyginelline leafhoppers can transmit plant viruses and are important pests that affect agriculture, forestry, and animal husbandry, causing serious economic losses. The potential distribution patterns of Zyginellini will change under climate change. Therefore, the best‐performing random forest and maximum entropy models among 12 commonly used ecological niche models, alongside an ensemble model, were selected to predict the changes in habitat suitability distribution of Zyginellini under current and future climate scenarios [represented by two shared socio‐economic pathways (SSPs), namely SSP126 and SSP585, for three periods (2050s, 2070s, and 2090s)] in China and the Indo‐China Peninsula for the first time.

RESULTS

The results revealed that the distribution of Zyginellini was mainly dominated by minimum temperature of coldest month. Under current and future climate scenarios, Zyginellini was mostly distributed southeast of the 400 mm equivalent precipitation line in China, and Vietnam. Under the future SSP126 scenario, the alert areas will mainly be concentrated in Hunan, Jiangxi, Zhejiang, Anhui, and Hebei in China, alongside Myanmar and Thailand in the Indo‐China Peninsula. Meanwhile, in the SSP585 scenario, the alert areas in China will increase, whereas there will be little change in the Indo‐China Peninsula. Interestingly, from the current to the future, the cores of Zyginelline distribution occurred around rivers and mountains, and shifted from Guizhou along the Yuanjiang River system to higher latitudes in Hunan.

CONCLUSION

Zyginellini prefers higher latitude river‐mountain systems under climate change. Our results will contribute to effective pest control strategies and biogeographical research for Zyginellini alongside other Cicadellidae insects. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.
Quantum Annealing with Inequality Constraints: The Set Cover Problem
Authors: Djidjev Hristo N.
Published: September 2023

Quantum annealing is a promising method for solving hard optimization problems by transforming them into quadratic unconstrained binary optimization (QUBO) problems. However, when constraints are involved, particularly multiple inequality constraints, incorporating them into the objective function poses challenges. In this paper, the authors present two novel approaches for solving problems with multiple inequality constraints on a quantum annealer and apply them to the set cover problem (SCP). The first approach uses the augmented Lagrangian method to represent the constraints, while the second approach employs a higher‐order binary optimization (HUBO) formulation. The experiments show that both approaches outperform the standard approach for solving the SCP on the D‐Wave Advantage quantum annealer. The HUBO formulation performs slightly better than the augmented Lagrangian method in solving the SCP, but its scalability in terms of embeddability in the quantum chip is worse. The results demonstrate that the proposed augmented Lagrangian and HUBO methods can successfully implement a large number of inequality constraints, making them applicable to a broad range of constrained problems beyond the SCP.
Controlled Polarized Optical Excitation Method on Ensembles of Nitrogen‐Vacancy Centers in Diamonds
Authors: Guo Ji , Li Ziyan , Zhang Ning , Guo Qiang , Wang Guanxue , Gao Xiumin , Zhuang Songlin
Published: September 2023

Crystal axes must be distinguished in vector magnetic measurements of ensemble nitrogen‐vacancy (NV) centers in diamonds. However, achieving crystal axes distinction in confocal systems without a magnetic bias field is challenging. Thus, a controlled polarized optical excitation method to overcome this problem is proposed. The polarization angle of the excitation beam can be adjusted in free space using an optical pen for higher controllable degrees of freedom. Compared to previous optical excitation methods, the proposed method improves the maximum suppression by 19.2% and the maximum excitation by 42.4%. Moreover, the proposed method has a decoupling effect on NV axis resonances with a similar change trend. This method can easily replace existing optical excitation methods in NV measurement systems and is a powerful tool for ensembles of NV centers’ vector measurements without relying on magnetic bias fields.
Impact of COVID‐19 pandemic on assisted reproductive technology treatment under voluntary lockdown in Japan
Authors: Jwa Seung Chik , Kuwahara Akira , Ishihara Osamu , Fujiwara Hiroyuki
Published: September 2023

To investigate the impact of a state of emergency (i.e., voluntary lockdown) during the COVID‐19 epidemic, we conducted a retrospective cohort study using the Japanese nationwide registry. In comparison with those during 2019, the number of treatment cycles decreased in April 2020 (−9.5%) to its lowest point in May (−24.1%). The magnitude of the decline was three times larger for frozen cycles (−37.0%) than for fresh cycles (−12.4%). The decrease was significantly smaller for women aged <35 years (−31.0%) than for the older groups (−39.0% to −39.7%). Under voluntary lockdown, a considerable decrease was observed especially for frozen cycles and older women.
Low‐operation voltage conductive‐bridge random access memory based on amorphous NbS2
Authors: Lu Bojing , Hu Dunan , Wu Min , Yang Ruqi , Ding Yuying , Huang Jingyun , Zhang Qinghua , Ye Zhizhen , Hou Yang , Lu Jianguo
Published: September 2023

Amorphous NbS2 was proposed as the resistive switching (RS) layer for conductive‐bridge random access memory (CBRAM) for the first time, with Cu and Au as the top and bottom electrodes, respectively. NbS2 films were prepared at room temperature, which exhibited an amorphous structure and did not crystalize even annealed at 500°C, showing good thermal stability. The amorphous NbS2 CBRAM devices present stable bipolar non‐volatile RS characteristics. Repetitive RS behavior is demonstrated in amorphous NbS2 CBRAMs. The operating voltage during all RS cycles is less than 1 V, demonstrating that the NbS2 CBRAM is a low‐operation voltage memory device. The distribution of the high and low resistive state resistance is relatively concentrated, and the on‐off ratio has been kept above 100, offering a sufficient data read/write window. The formation and fracture of the Cu metal conductive filament is considered to be the RS mechanism by analyzing the dependence of current and voltage in logarithmic coordinates. Our study demonstrated that amorphous NbS2 is a promising material for low‐operation voltage CBRAM.
Optimization of Port Angle for Narrow‐Width Mold Flow Field under High Casting Speed Based on Large Eddy Simulation and High‐Temperature Measurement of Velocity
Authors: Guo Yi , Yang Jian , Liu Jian-Qiu
Published: September 2023

Herein, the flow field of the mold through numerical simulation and high‐temperature measurement is studied, and discussed the effects of casting speed and port angle on the flow field of the 880 mm wide mold. The velocities near the mold surface of the numerical simulation are in good agreement with those of the high‐temperature measurement. As the casting speed continues to increase, the surface flow velocity of the mold also increases. When the casting speed increases to 1.8 m min−1, the flow pattern of the mold exhibits a strong double‐roll flow, the strong jet increases the risk of argon bubbles being captured by the solidification front inside the mold. As the port angle of the submerged entry nozzle (SEN) gradually increases, the surface flow velocity of the mold gradually decreases. By appropriately increasing the port angle of the SEN to 20°, the surface flow velocity of the mold decreases, and the stability of the molten steel–slag interface improves. At the same time, there is no significant change in the distribution of argon bubbles, and the removal rate of inclusions is the highest.
A taxonomy of metrics for human representations in digital engineering
Authors: Miller Michael E. , Spatz Emily
Published: September 2023

As humans play a significant role in maintaining, supporting, and operating systems, it is important to include humans in digital engineering models to ensure that the sociotechnical system is capable of meeting stakeholder requirements. The current research proposes a taxonomy of metrics and taxonomic nomenclature useful for representing humans in systems engineering and integration. This taxonomy is intended to provide a structure for considering metrics in frameworks such as the Objectives and Metrics portion of the human view architecture, as well as in trade studies which may be represented in MBSE models. The proposed taxonomy categorizes human‐centered metrics into four categories, including those affecting system performance, system readiness, interface fitness, and occupational health and safety. It is further recognized that many of these metrics can be affected by the mental or physical state of the human, which are commonly captured in human factors metrics, such as workload or situation awareness. It is proposed that this taxonomy can guide the selection of human‐centered metrics which affect the system's ability to meet system stakeholder requirements.
Application of soft systems methodology to frame the challenges of integrating autonomous trains within a legacy rail operating environment
Authors: Morey Emily J. , Galvin Kevin , Riley Thomas , Wilson R. Eddie
Published: September 2023

Increased demand on rail, due to climate initiatives and passenger numbers, places significant pressure on existing railway operations; specifically on capacity, operational flexibility, and network robustness. These pressures are exacerbated by constraints, which prevent the construction of new track and infrastructure. This results in the need to use existing infrastructure and operating processes. One proposed solution is digitalization, which results in autonomous rail, where automated and connected intelligent transport systems facilitate smart traffic management. However, this generates the challenge of integrating autonomous trains and their associated technologies with existing infrastructure and operations. To understand this issue from an enterprise level, this paper has applied Brian Wilson's Soft Systems Methodology (a variation of Checkland's methodology) to the problem situation. This methodology explores and investigates the existing rail system in Great Britain (UK less Northern Ireland) and its stakeholders. The paper aims to propose a solution into how to transform the legacy system into one which incorporates autonomous operations and ultimately becomes fully autonomous. It culminates in a series of models that are relevant to those with a legitimate interest in the system. The models identify the activities required to analyze whether autonomy is worthwhile and if it is, how to successfully integrate it with legacy operations. Additionally, the models provide the basis for which a formal stakeholder analysis can take place.
Disclosures 6: Notifying parents about student suspensions, Part 2
Authors: Rainsberger Richard
Published: September 2023

Last month, we talked about Marilyn who was suspended from classes but never told her parents. When she and her parents showed up to move into her dorm room for the spring semester, the dorm counselor told her, in the presence of her parents, that she had been suspended. Not only was this a violation of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, as I pointed out, but it was an embarrassing situation for both the student and the parents.
An OpenAI roundup: What marketers are saying about ChatGPT
Authors: Talarico Donna
Published: September 2023

Launched in November 2022 by OpenAI, ChatGPT is an artificial intelligence language model that can be used in countless ways. In short, it's a powerful chatbot that participates in human‐like conversations with users like you and me. When I asked ChatGPT how higher education could use its technology to market to adult learners, it suggested the following ideas:
Review when FERPA allows a college to disclose student education records
Authors: Lyerly Eric
Published: September 2023

Generally, the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act prohibits postsecondary institutions from disclosing personally identifiable information from a student's education record to a third party without the student's consent. However, FERPA permits an educational institution to make a nonconsensual disclosure in certain circumstances. This article explores the various exceptions to FERPA's general consent requirement (https://bit.ly/3Nu74UK).
5 questions with: Meaghan Milliorn of University of Arkansas at Little Rock
Authors: Talarico Donna
Published: September 2023

Meaghan Milliorn is the Director of Digital Strategy at University of Arkansas at Little Rock. She is an alumna of UA Little Rock, and she's worked at the school for 13 years. Today, she oversees the web team. We asked her five questions about her recent accomplishments.
What's Next: Education leaders ponder the fallout from the Supreme Court affirmative action decision
Authors: D’Orio Wayne
Published: September 2023

When the Supreme Court outlawed affirmative action for college admissions in its late June decision, that specific result had been expected for months. While there has been plenty of parsing of what the decision means, and what it doesn’t, the bigger question for college officials is what's next?
Enhanced coagulation coupled with cyclic IX adsorption–ARP regeneration for removal of PFOA in drinking water treatment
Authors: Cui Junkui , Deng Yang
Published: September 2023

Laboratory investigations were conducted to demonstrate a potentially transformative, cost‐efficient per‐ and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) treatment approach, consisting of enhanced coagulation and repeated ion exchange (IX)–advanced reduction process (ARP) for concurrent PFAS removal and IX resin regeneration. Enhanced alum coagulation at the optimal conditions (pH 6.0, 60 mg/L alum) could preferentially remove high molecular‐weight, hydrophobic natural organic matter (NOM) from 5.0‐ to ~1.2‐mg/L DOC in simulated natural water. This facilitated subsequent IX adsorption of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA, a model PFAS in this study) (20 μg/L) using IRA67 resin by minimizing the competition of NOM for functional sites on the resin. The PFOA/NOM‐laden resin was then treated by ARP, generating hydrated electrons (eaq−) that effectively degraded PFOA. The combined IX‐ARP regeneration process was applied over six cycles to treat PFOA in pre‐coagulated simulated natural water, nearly doubling the PFOA removal compared with the control group without ARP regeneration. This study underscores the potential of enhanced coagulation coupled with cyclic IX‐ARP regeneration as a promising, cost‐effective solution for addressing PFOA pollution in water.

Practitioner Points

Enhanced alum coagulation can substantially mitigate NOM to favor the following IX removal of PFOA in water.

Cyclic IX adsorption–ARP regeneration offers an effective, potentially economical solution to the PFOA pollution in water.

ARP can effectively degrade PFOA during the ARP regeneration of PFOA/NOM‐laden resin.
Elemental studies and mapping of cholesterol and pigment gallstones using scanning electron microscopy–energy dispersive spectroscopy
Authors: Bali Varun , Khajuria Yugal , Manyar Vidit , Rai Pradeep K. , Kumar Upendra , Ghany Charles , Tripathi Shipra , Singh Vivek K.
Published: September 2023

Gallstone formation is one of the most severe human diseases, with regional differences in gallstone composition worldwide. The formation of gallstones inside the gallbladder is a complex process and is still under debate despite advances in instrumentation. This study was an in‐depth analysis of the chemical, structural, and elemental composition of cholesterol and pigment‐type gallstones using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy–energy dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy (SEM–EDS). Thermal gravimetric and differential scanning calorimetry (TG‐DSC) analysis was also carried out on gallstones to predict their thermal behavior. FTIR spectroscopy was employed to distinguish the cholesterol and pigment gallstones. Using SEM, we performed the morphological studies of gallstone and EDS were carried out to analyze elemental distribution within the gallstones. Elemental imaging and mapping of the major and minor elements within the cholesterol and black pigment gallstones were carried out, revealing the stone's heterogeneous nature. The level of heavy and toxic elements was found to be higher in pigment stones than in cholesterol gallstones. The results obtained from TG‐DSC are well correlated and supported by the results from FTIR spectroscopy.
Ethical, Legal, Social, and Epistemological Considerations of Radiation Exposure
Authors: Dobney Alexandra , González Abel Julio , Oughton Deborah , Romain Frances , Meskens Gaston , Bourguignon Michel , Wils Tim , Perko Tanja , Socol Yehoshua
Published: September 2023

This chapter will explore the ethical, social, epistemological, and legal considerations relevant to radiobiology. This chapter will cover the basic principles relevant to each aspect along with more in-depth analyses where relevant. Each section will be followed by exercises to help the reader to better understand and assimilate the content of the sections.
Basic Concepts of Radiation Biology
Authors: Baeyens Ans , Abrantes Ana Margarida , Ahire Vidhula , Ainsbury Elizabeth A. , Baatout Sarah , Baselet Bjorn , Botelho Maria Filomena , Boterberg Tom , Chevalier Francois , Da Pieve Fabiana , Delbart Wendy , Edin Nina Frederike Jeppesen , Fernandez-Palomo Cristian , Geenen Lorain , Georgakilas Alexandros G. , Heynickx Nathalie , Meade Aidan D. , Michaelidesova Anna Jelinek , Mistry Dhruti , Montoro Alegría , Mothersill Carmel , Pires Ana Salomé , Reindl Judith , Schettino Giuseppe , Socol Yehoshua , Selvaraj Vinodh Kumar , Sminia Peter , Vermeulen Koen , Vogin Guillaume , Waked Anthony , Wozny Anne-Sophie
Published: September 2023

Radiation biology is the study of the effects of ionizing radiation on biological tissues and living organisms. It combines radiation physics and biology. The purpose of this chapter is to introduce the terminology and basic concepts of radiobiology to create a better understanding of the ionizing radiation interactions with a living organism. This chapter firstly describes the different types of radiation, the sources, and the radiation interactions with matter. The basic concepts of radioactivity and its applications are also included. Ionizing radiation causes significant physical and chemical modifications, which eventually lead to biological effects in the exposed tissue or organism. The physical quantities and units needed to describe the radiation are introduced here. Eventually, a broad range of biological effects of the different radiation types are addressed. This chapter concludes with a specific focus on the effects of low doses of radiation.
The Lack of What …?: First-in-Family Learners and Their University Experience
Authors: O’Shea Sarah , May Josephine , Stone Cathy , Delahunty Janine
Published: September 2023

This chapter explores how the First-in-Family (FiF) cohort is theorised and defined in various geographical and cultural contexts. Beginning with a critique around a lack of clarity of this cohort, the chapter moves to a review of related topics within the broad field of university participation and student engagement. O’Shea, May, Stone and Delahunty demonstrate the ways in which the FiF group is collectively framed as ‘lacking’. This deficit is articulated through reference to cultural, social, familial, academic and economic capitals. The chapter discusses how this focus on lack only serves to further disenfranchise these learners, arguably contributing to a pervasive sense of dislocation within the higher education environment. Chapter 3 continues this discussion by ‘disrupting’ this deficit framing through reference to narrative vignettes derived from the research projects.
What Am I Waiting for?
Authors: O’Shea Sarah , May Josephine , Stone Cathy , Delahunty Janine
Published: September 2023

Entering formal university study as the first person in one’s immediate family to do so is inevitably a major challenge. This chapter discusses some of the key factors that influenced the first-in-family (FiF) students who participated in Study B (as discussed in Chap. 1) to make the decision to undertake formal study at university level. It also examines the process of adjustment for these students and others around them to their new role as students. In the process of becoming a university student and identifying themselves as such, there were significant personal changes and transformations that emerged for these students. These are explored, along with the role that the institution can play in helping to transition the student into this new environment and in continuing to support the student’s journey.
Trailblazing: Motivations and Relationship Impacts for First-in-Family Enabling Students
Authors: O’Shea Sarah , May Josephine , Stone Cathy , Delahunty Janine
Published: September 2023

This chapter investigates the experiences of first-in-family enabling students as they reflect on their participation in university. Due to university outreach and participation agendas, this cohort is increasing annually in Australia although they are little researched. The data has been harvested from interviews and surveys and analysed using biographical method to explore these enabling students’ motivations and relationship impacts. The chapter shows how their motivations are deeply embedded and complexly formulated within temporal and relational contexts as well as within their broader social, cultural and economic locations. Their trailblazing engagement in higher education is shown to be a social as much as an individual action, having impacts far beyond the transformations that the enabling learner personally experiences.
‘So How Was Big School Today?’ Family Perceptions of HE Participation
Authors: O’Shea Sarah , May Josephine , Stone Cathy , Delahunty Janine
Published: September 2023

O’Shea, May, Stone and Delahunty have indicated how attending university for first-in-family students can lead to significant personal transformation but highlight how the embodied nature of this experience can remain hidden or overlooked in the literature. Equally, the effects that university participation has on those around the student remain unclear, particularly understandings about how their attendance impacts upon the perceptions and ambitions of significant others. This chapter seeks to explore the reactions of family members to this higher education odyssey, particularly how this decision reverberated within the household. Findings indicate that university participation does not only impact on students in an emotional and potentially transformative sense but also on those closest to them, leading to new conversations in the home place and in some cases, broader educational futures.
Parents Managing University and Family Life
Authors: O’Shea Sarah , May Josephine , Stone Cathy , Delahunty Janine
Published: September 2023

Many first-in-family students begin their university journey not as traditional school leavers, but as mature-age students who have busy family lives, often with young children, as well as working lives to manage. While families can be powerful sources of inspiration, support and encouragement, their demands and expectations can also be problematic and stressful, at times needing careful negotiation. This chapter explores the role that family played in the lives of the mature-age students with children, who formed a significant part of the cohort in Study B. The positive contribution of family; the challenges arising from family needs and demands; and the implications of gendered practices of child care and domestic responsibilities are examined. This chapter also points to the need for institutions to better understand and accommodate the particular needs of parent-students.
Systems with Homogeneous Workloads
Authors: Serazzi Giuseppe
Published: September 2023

In order to smoothly create the modeling knowledge in the readers, in this chapter we analyze some elementary problems that can be considered as a reference for the implementation of more complex ones. To start with simple models, we consider a load consisting of requests having similar characteristics, i.e., single class workloads. We hope that readers can gain experience step by step analyzing models of increasing complexity. It must be pointed out that even with these simple models many interesting performance problems can be addressed. Two capacity planning studies are presented for a web server and a data center, respectively. A version of the latter parameterized at system-level with service demands is also analyzed. The identification of the workload that allows a server to work in the optimal operating point concludes the chapter.
Systems with Heterogeneous Workloads
Authors: Serazzi Giuseppe
Published: September 2023

Today’s workloads consist of applications having very different characteristics in terms of service requirements, performance objectives, and arrival processes. In this chapter we consider models executing this type of workloads, referred to as multiclass workloads, consisting of customers having significantly different service requests.  In this case, to achieve the necessary accuracy in the performance forecast, it is required to model the workload as consisting of multiple class of customers and to compute the performance estimates for each class. A phenomenon characterizing multiclass models, is the bottleneck switch: the congested resource, the bottleneck, that determine the performance of the global system, can dynamically change depending on the modifications in the mix of applications in execution. When the bottleneck migrates from one resource to another, performance may change abruptly! The first case study described in this chapter is an example purposely designed to emphasize the impact of the bottleneck switch on the performance of the system. The second case study concerns the optimization of a data center with focus on the bottleneck identification and load balancing.
Reasoning in Assumption-Based Argumentation Using Tree-Decompositions
Authors: Popescu Andrei , Wallner Johannes P.
Published: September 2023

We address complex reasoning tasks in assumption-based argumentation (ABA) by developing dynamic programming algorithms based on tree-decompositions. As one of the prominent approaches in computational argumentation, our focus is on NP-hard reasoning in ABA. We utilize tree-width, a structural measure describing closeness to trees, for an approach to handle computationally complex tasks in ABA. We contribute to the state of the art by first showing that many reasoning tasks in ABA are fixed-parameter tractable w.r.t. tree-width using Courcelle’s theorem, informally signaling wide applicability of dynamic programming algorithms for ABA. Secondly, we develop such algorithms operating on tree-decompositions of given ABA frameworks. We instantiate the algorithms in the recent D-FLAT framework allowing for declarative and extensible specification of dynamic programming algorithms. In an experimental evaluation on a resulting prototype, we show promise of the approach in particular for complex counting tasks.
Short Boolean Formulas as Explanations in Practice
Authors: Jaakkola Reijo , Janhunen Tomi , Kuusisto Antti , Rankooh Masood Feyzbakhsh , Vilander Miikka
Published: September 2023

We investigate explainability via short Boolean formulas in the data model based on unary relations. As an explanation of lengthk, we take a Boolean formula of lengthkthat minimizes the error with respect to the target attribute to be explained. We first provide novel quantitative bounds for the expected error in this scenario. We then also demonstrate how the setting works in practice by studying three concrete data sets. In each case, we calculate explanation formulas of different lengths using an encoding in Answer Set Programming. The most accurate formulas we obtain achieve errors similar to other methods on the same data sets. However, due to overfitting, these formulas are not necessarily ideal explanations, so we use cross validation to identify a suitable length for explanations. By limiting to shorter formulas, we obtain explanations that avoid overfitting but are still reasonably accurate and also, importantly, human interpretable.
Food Security in Rural Bihar: Some Findings from a Longitudinal Survey
Authors: Dutta Swati , Mishra Sunil K. , Sharma Alakh N.
Published: September 2023

Bihar is among the poorest states in the country with a very high incidence of poverty. Although in recent years it has witnessed a high rate of growth, the state continues to be among the economically most backward states, with one of the lowest per capita incomes. During the year 2020–21, the per capita net state domestic product (NSDP) of Bihar (Rs. 46,292) was only 36 per cent of India (Rs. 128,829).
Carroll stories
Authors: de Boer Jan , Hartong Jelle , Obers Niels A. , Sybesma Watse , Vandoren Stefan
Published: September 2023

Abstract

We study various aspects of the Carroll limit in which the speed of light is sent to zero. A large part of this paper is devoted to the quantization of Carroll field theories. We show that these exhibit infinite degeneracies in the spectrum and may suffer from non-normalizable ground states. As a consequence, partition functions of Carroll systems are ill-defined and do not lead to sensible thermodynamics. These seemingly pathological properties might actually be a virtue in the context of flat space holography.

Better defined is the Carroll regime, in which we consider the leading order term in an expansion around vanishing speed of light without taking the strict Carroll limit. Such an expansion may lead to sensible notions of Carroll thermodynamics. An interesting example is a gas of massless particles with an imaginary chemical potential conjugate to the momentum. In the Carroll regime we show that the partition function of such a gas leads to an equation of state with w = −1.

As a separate story, we study aspects of Carroll gravity and couplings to Carrollian energy-momentum tensors. We discuss many examples of solutions to Carroll gravity, including wormholes, Maxwell fields, solutions with a cosmological constant, and discuss the structure of geodesics in a Carroll geometry. The coupling of matter to Carroll gravity also allows us to derive energy-momentum tensors for hypothetical Carroll fluids from expanding relativistic fluids as well as directly from hydrostatic partition functions.
Quasi-Arithmetic Means Ad Libitum
Authors: Leonetti Paolo
Published: September 2023

Let $$\alpha _1, \ldots , \alpha _m$$

α
1

,
…
,

α
m

be two or more positive reals with sum 1, let $$C\subseteq {\mathbb {R}}^k$$

C
⊆

R

k

be an open convex set, and $$f: C\rightarrow {\mathbb {R}}^k$$

f
:
C
→

R

k

be a continuous injection with convex image. For each nonempty set $$S\subseteq C$$

S
⊆
C

, let $${\mathscr {M}}(S)$$

M
(
S
)

be the family of quasi-arithmetic means of all m-tuples of vectors in C with respect to f and the weights $$\alpha _1,\ldots ,\alpha _m$$

α
1

,
…
,

α
m

, that is, the family $$\begin{aligned} {\mathscr {M}}(S)= \left\{ f^{-1}\left( \alpha _1f(x_1)+\cdots +\alpha _mf(x_m)\right) : x_1,\ldots ,x_m \in S \right\} . \end{aligned}$$

M

(
S
)

=

f

-
1

α
1

f

(

x
1

)

+
⋯
+

α
m

f

(

x
m

)

:

x
1

,
…
,

x
m

∈
S

.

We provide a simple necessary and sufficient condition on S for which the infinite iteration $$\bigcup _{n}{\mathscr {M}}^n(S)$$

⋃
n

M

n

(
S
)

is relatively dense in the convex hull of S.
Isotope-labeling in situ derivatization and HS-SPME arrow GC–MS/MS for simultaneous determination of fatty acids and fatty acid methyl esters in aqueous matrices
Authors: Tintrop Lucie K. , Lieske-Overgrand Jana R. , Wickneswaran Kaliyani , Abis Rukiyye , Brunstermann Ruth , Jochmann Maik A. , Schmidt Torsten C.
Published: September 2023

Fatty acids (FAs) and fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs) co-occur in many samples, and analysis of both substance classes is frequently of high interest. To this end, this study introduces the first method for simultaneous determination of FAs and FAMEs including fully automated solvent-free solid-phase microextraction (SPME) arrow headspace extraction combined with isotope-labeling in situ FA derivatization with deuterated methanol (CD3OD). By using the chromatographic isotope effect (ΔRt = 0.03 min) and the + 3 m/z mass shift, FAs can be selectively differentiated from the FAMEs during gas chromatography tandem-mass spectrometry (GC–MS/MS) operated in the multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) aquisition mode. Additionally, an approach is presented to predict the retention times of deuterated compounds. Optimization of the derivatization conditions was accomplished by design of experiments and found to be 20 min, 50 °C, 4 v/v% CD3OD, and pH 2.1. During method validation, FAs and FAMEs were calibrated in different concentration ranges by standard addition in five real matrices and ultrapure water leading to good linearities and method detection limits for FAs ranging from 1–30 µg L−1 and for FAMEs from 0.003–0.72 µg L−1. FAs and FAMEs were detected in real samples from surface water, wastewater treatment plant effluent, and three different bioreactor samples and could be quantified in concentrations ranging from 2–1056 µg L−1 for FAs and 0.01–14 µg L−1 for FAMEs.

Graphical Abstract
On the birational section conjecture with strong birationality assumptions
Authors: Bresciani Giulio
Published: September 2023

Let$X$Xbe a curve over a field$k$kfinitely generated over ℚ and$t$tan indeterminate. We prove that, if$s$sis a section of$\pi _{1}(X)\to \operatorname{Gal}(k)$π1(X)→Gal(k)such that the base change$s_{k(t)}$sk(t)is birationally liftable, then$s$scomes from geometry. As a consequence we prove that the section conjecture is equivalent to the cuspidalization of all sections over all finitely generated fields.
b-Coloring Parameterized by Clique-Width
Authors: Jaffke Lars , Lima Paloma T. , Lokshtanov Daniel
Published: September 2023

We provide a polynomial-time algorithm for b-Coloring on graphs of constant clique-width. This unifies and extends nearly all previously known polynomial time results on graph classes, and answers open questions posed by Campos and Silva (Algorithmica 80(1), 104–115, 2018) and Bonomo et al. (Graphs and Combinatorics 25(2), 153–167, 2009). This constitutes the first result concerning structural parameterizations of this problem. We show that the problem is $$\textsf{FPT}$$
FPT
when parameterized by the vertex cover number on general graphs, and on chordal graphs when parameterized by the number of colors. Additionally, we observe that our algorithm for graphs of bounded clique-width can be adapted to solve the Fall Coloring problem within the same runtime bound. The running times of the clique-width based algorithms for $$b$$
b
-Coloring and Fall Coloring are tight under the Exponential Time Hypothesis.
Genomic and proteomic characterization of vB_SauM-UFV_DC4, a novel Staphylococcus jumbo phage
Authors: da Silva Jéssica Duarte , Melo Luís D. R. , Santos Sílvio B. , Kropinski Andrew M. , Xisto Mariana Fonseca , Dias Roberto Sousa , da Silva Paes Isabela , Vieira Marcella Silva , Soares José Júnior Ferreira , Porcellato Davide , da Silva Duarte Vinícius , de Paula Sérgio Oliveira
Published: September 2023

Staphylococcusaureus is one of the most relevant mastitis pathogens in dairy cattle, and the acquisition of antimicrobial resistance genes presents a significant health issue in both veterinary and human fields. Among the different strategies to tackle S. aureus infection in livestock, bacteriophages have been thoroughly investigated in the last decades; however, few specimens of the so-called jumbo phages capable of infecting S. aureus have been described. Herein, we report the biological, genomic, and structural proteomic features of the jumbo phage vB_SauM-UFV_DC4 (DC4). DC4 exhibited a remarkable killing activity against S. aureus isolated from the veterinary environment and stability at alkaline conditions (pH 4 to 12). The complete genome of DC4 is 263,185 bp (GC content: 25%), encodes 263 predicted CDSs (80% without an assigned function), 1 tRNA (Phe-tRNA), multisubunit RNA polymerase, and an RNA-dependent DNA polymerase. Moreover, comparative analysis revealed that DC4 can be considered a new viral species belonging to a new genus DC4 and showed a similar set of lytic proteins and depolymerase activity with closely related jumbo phages. The characterization of a new S. aureus jumbo phage increases our understanding of the diversity of this group and provides insights into the biotechnological potential of these viruses.

Key points

• vB_SauM-UFV_DC4 is a new viral species belonging to a new genus within the class Caudoviricetes.

• vB_SauM-UFV_DC4 carries a set of RNA polymerase subunits and an RNA-directed DNA polymerase.

• vB_SauM-UFV_DC4 and closely related jumbo phages showed a similar set of lytic proteins.
Long-axial field-of-view PET/CT for the assessment of inflammation in calcified coronary artery plaques with [68 Ga]Ga-DOTA-TOC
Authors: Mingels Clemens , Sari Hasan , Gözlügöl Nasir , Bregenzer Carola , Knappe Luisa , Krieger Korbinian , Afshar-Oromieh Ali , Pyka Thomas , Nardo Lorenzo , Gräni Christoph , Alberts Ian , Rominger Axel , Caobelli Federico
Published: September 2023

Purpose

Inflamed, prone-to-rupture coronary plaques are an important cause of myocardial infarction and their early identification is crucial. Atherosclerotic plaques are characterized by overexpression of the type-2 somatostatin receptor (SST2) in activated macrophages. SST2 ligand imaging (e.g. with [68 Ga]Ga-DOTA-TOC) has shown promise in detecting and quantifying the inflammatory activity within atherosclerotic plaques. However, the sensitivity of standard axial field of view (SAFOV) PET scanners may be suboptimal for imaging coronary arteries. Long-axial field of view (LAFOV) PET/CT scanners may help overcome this limitation. We aim to assess the ability of [68 Ga]Ga-DOTA-TOC LAFOV-PET/CT in detecting calcified, SST2 overexpressing coronary artery plaques.

Methods

In this retrospective study, 108 oncological patients underwent [68 Ga]Ga-DOTA-TOC PET/CT on a LAFOV system. [68 Ga]Ga-DOTA-TOC uptake and calcifications in the coronary arteries were evaluated visually and semi-quantitatively. Data on patients’ cardiac risk factors and coronary artery calcium score were also collected. Patients were followed up for 21.5 ± 3.4 months.

Results

A total of 66 patients (61.1%) presented with calcified coronary artery plaques. Of these, 32 patients had increased [68 Ga]Ga-DOTA-TOC uptake in at least one coronary vessel (TBR: 1.65 ± 0.53). Patients with single-vessel calcifications showed statistically significantly lower uptake (SUVmax 1.10 ± 0.28) compared to patients with two- (SUVmax 1.31 ± 0.29, p < 0.01) or three-vessel calcifications (SUVmax 1.24 ± 0.33, p < 0.01). There was a correlation between coronary artery calcium score (CACS) and [68 Ga]Ga-DOTA-TOC uptake, especially in the LAD (p = 0.02). Stroke and all-cause death occurred more frequently in patients with increased [68 Ga]Ga-DOTA-TOC uptake (15.63% vs. 0%; p:0.001 and 21.88% vs. 6.58%; p: 0.04, respectively) during the follow-up period.

Conclusion

[68 Ga]Ga-DOTA-TOC as a marker for the macrophage activity can reveal unknown cases of inflamed calcified coronary artery plaques using a LAFOV PET system. [68 Ga]Ga-DOTA-TOC uptake increased with the degree of calcification and correlated with higher risk of stroke and all-cause death. [68 Ga]Ga-DOTA-TOC LAFOV PET/CT may be useful to assess patients’ cardiovascular risk.
Prostate-specific membrane antigen radioguided surgery with negative histopathology: an in-depth analysis
Authors: Koehler Daniel , Trappe Samuel , Shenas Farzad , Karimzadeh Amir , Apostolova Ivayla , Klutmann Susanne , Ambrosini Francesca , Budäus Lars , Falkenbach Fabian , Knipper Sophie , Maurer Tobias
Published: September 2023

Purpose

To identify reasons for negative histopathology of specimens from prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) radioguided surgery (PSMA-RGS) in recurrent prostate cancer (PCa) after prostatectomy.

Methods

Of 302 patients who underwent PSMA-RGS, 17 (5.6%) demonstrated a negative histopathology. Preoperative data, PSMA PET, PSMA SPECT, and follow-up information were analyzed retrospectively to differentiate true/false positive (TP/FP) from true/false negative (TN/FN) lesions.

Results

The median prostate-specific antigen at PET was 0.4 ng/ml (interquartile range [IQR] 0.3–1.2). Twenty-five index lesions (median short axis 7 mm, IQR 5–8; median long-axis 12 mm, IQR 8–17) had a median SUVmax of 4 (IQR 2.6–6; median PSMA expression score 1, IQR 1–1). Six lesions were TP, twelve were FP, one was TN, and six remained unclear. All TP lesions were in the prostatic fossa or adjacent to the internal iliac arteries. Three suspected local recurrences were FP. All FP lymph nodes were located at the distal external iliac arteries or outside the pelvis. A low PSMA-expressing TN node was identified next to a common iliac artery. Unclear lesions were located next to the external iliac arteries or outside the pelvis.

Conclusion

In most cases with a negative histopathology from PSMA-RGS, lesions were FP on PSMA PET. Unspecific uptake should be considered in low PSMA-expressing lymph nodes at the distal external iliac arteries or outside the pelvis, especially if no PSMA-positive lymph nodes closer to the prostatic fossa are evident. Rarely, true positive metastases were missed by surgery or histopathology.
Dear territory or dear partner? Causes and consequences of breeding dispersal in a highly territorial bird of prey with a strong pair bond
Authors: Passarotto Arianna , Morosinotto Chiara , Brommer Jon E. , Aaltonen Esa , Ahola Kari , Karstinen Teuvo , Karell Patrik
Published: September 2023

Territorial species are unlikely to show extensive movements between breeding seasons. This is especially true for long-lived species, which often have strong pair bonding and can occupy the same territory for years. However, also in such species, individuals may face situations that can lead to a territory shift. Here, we use a comprehensive dataset documenting 40 years of breeding behavior in tawny owl (Strix aluco) – a long-lived species with high site tenacity and mate fidelity – to examine the factors affecting the decisions whether or not to move to another breeding territory and how far, as well as the fitness consequences thereof. We found that the likelihood and distance of movement in either sexes is strongly associated with a change of partner, indicating that mate loss may cause breeding dispersal. Moreover, mate change, not movement to a new territory, had negative effects on subsequent reproductive performance: individuals that changed partner were more likely to skip reproduction in the subsequent year and, in those cases they bred, they produced smaller clutches and raised fewer offspring. Our findings indicate that tawny owls change territory almost exclusively when searching for a new partner and that mate change has profound consequences on their subsequent breeding performance. Overall, our study provides evidence that in tawny owls territoriality and monogamy are associated and strongly linked to fitness, but mate fidelity may be more important than site fidelity, likely because sexes are involved in specific tasks and their cooperation ensures breeding success and, consequently, increases fitness.

Significance statement

Breeding dispersal, the movement of individuals between breeding sites, can entail high costs for animal fitness, especially for territorial species, which display strong site fidelity. We studied the factors associated with breeding dispersal and the consequences on breeding performances in tawny owl (Strix aluco), a highly territorial species. We found that tawny owls moved more frequently to another breeding territory when the mate died. Either sexes showed an equal probability to move, but the effect was stronger in females than in males after a mate change. Moreover, owls that changed partner showed delayed reproduction, smaller clutch and a higher probability to skip reproduction. Our findings show that in tawny owls territoriality and monogamy are associated and strongly linked to fitness, but mate fidelity may be more important than site fidelity, likely because sexes share the costs of holding the territory.
Indicators for a circular economy in a regional context: an approach based on Wielkopolska region, Poland
Authors: Cader Justyna , Koneczna Renata , Marciniak Artur
Published: September 2023

In recent years, the European Commission has made a significant commitment to transition to a circular economy (CE). At the same time, tracking progress in CE implementation remains a major challenge, especially at the regional level. In this context, a set of CE indicators has been proposed for key areas of a selected region of Poland – Wielkopolska, as an area promoting a holistic approach to development through the CE concept. The available scientific literature and key national and regional policies were reviewed. In addition, a desk-research analysis of 22 CE strategic documents of European regions was performed. Applying the aforementioned methods and expert interviews, a set of key 93 indicators was selected within the province’s dominant industries, such as agri-food, industrial processing, mobility and transport, construction and energy. Also, focus was paid to the socio-innovation area. The proposed framework for tracking CE development allows adequate capture of CE’s effects at the regional level. They also provide recommendations for creating monitoring in regions with similar economic profiles.