bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Diagnostic Accuracy of Four-Dimensional Computed Tomography in Preoperative Localization of Primary Hyperparathyroidism After Negative or Inconclusive Sestamibi: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis
Authors: Smayra Karen , Miangul Shahid , Nasr Joseph , Sato Alma , Lee Sum-Yu C. , Bitton Liranne , El Ghazal Nour , Alexander Kyle G. , Nakanishi Hayato , Than Christian A. , Uberoi Raman
Published: November 2024

Objective

The aim of the study is to assess the diagnostic accuracy of 4-dimensional computed tomography (4D-CT) scans for patients with primary hyperparathyroidism (pHPT) after negative or inconclusive Technetium-99m sestamibi single-photon emission computed tomography scan.

Methods

A literature search of several databases was conducted from inception to August 2023. Eligible studies reported adult patients (>18 years old) who underwent 4D-CT after negative or inconclusive sestamibi results. The pooled proportions were analyzed using a random-effects model. This review was registered in PROSPERO (CRD42023446285).

Results

From 208 initial studies screened, 10 met the eligibility criteria, with a total of 335 patients with a diagnosis of pHPT who underwent 4D-CT scans and subsequent surgical exploration. Nine of the studies reported a pooled sensitivity of localization of 71% (0.71; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.610, 0.811, I
2 = 72%). The pooled specificity of localization across 5 studies was calculated at 47% (0.47; 95% CI: −0.111, 1.059, I
2 = 99%). Seven of the included studies reported a pooled positive predictive value of 81% (0.81; 95% CI: 0.708, 0.917, I
2 = 70%), and 6 of the studies reported a negative predictive value of 28% (0.28; 95% CI: −0.114, 0.683, I
2 = 98%).

Conclusions

For pHPT patients with inconclusive sestamibi scans, 4D-CT demonstrates promising results with good diagnostic accuracy for the localization of pHPT. Additional studies evaluating larger groups of patients may provide further support for the use of 4D-CT in this population.
The association between hypertension and different types of dietary carbohydrates
Authors: Rafieipour Alireza , Zeinalabedini Mobina , Shekari Soheila , Azaryan Fatemeh , Salimi Zahra , Hassanpour Ardekanizadeh Naeemeh , Mahmoudi Zahra , Kohansal Atefeh , Shamsi-Goushki Ali , Gholamalizadeh Maryam , Mosavi Jarrahi Seyed Alireza , Khoshdooz Sara , Doaei Saeid , Kooshki Akram
Published: November 2024

Background

Hypertension is the most prominent and well acknowledged chronic disease in developed countries and is a significant contributor to global mortality. The present study aimed to investigate the association between hypertension and different types of dietary carbohydrates.

Method

This cross-sectional study was conducted on 4184 people aged 35–70, including 1239 patients with hypertension and 2945 subjects with normal blood pressure (BP) in Sabzevar, Iran. The dietary intake data were collected through the administration of a semiquantitative Food Frequency Questionnaire. Utilizing Nutritionist IV software, dietary glucose, fructose, simple sugar, carbohydrate, and galactose consumption were evaluated.

Results

A direct association was found between dietary glucose and BP (odds ratio: 1.02; 95% CI: 1.01–1.05; P = 0.04). This association remained significant after adjusting for age. Further adjustments for education, marital status, job, physical activity, and BMI, and additional adjustments for energy intake did not change the results.

Conclusion

In summary, the present study identified a significant association between hypertension and dietary intake of glucose. Considering that carbohydrates are an essential part of the diet worldwide, these findings can be valuable in formulating dietary interventions for hypertensive patients.
Pck2 association with the plasma membrane and efficient response of the cell integrity pathway require regulation of PI4P homeostasis by exomer
Authors: Moscoso-Romero Esteban , Moro Sandra , Duque Alicia , Yanguas Francisco , Valdivieso M.-Henar
Published: November 2024

Exomer is a protein complex that facilitates trafficking between the Golgi and the plasma membrane (PM).
Schizosaccharomyces pombe
exomer is composed of Cfr1 and Bch1, and we have found that full activation of the cell integrity pathway (CIP) in response to osmotic stress requires exomer. In the wild-type, the CIP activators Rgf1 (Rho1 GEF) and Pck2 (PKC homologue) and the MEK kinase Mkh1 localize in the PM, internalize after osmotic shock and re-localize after adaptation. This re-localization is inefficient in exomer mutants. Overexpression of the PM-associated 1-phosphatidylinositol 4-kinase
stt4+
, and deletion of the
nem1+
phosphatase suppress the defects in Pck2 dynamics in exomer mutants, but not their defect in CIP activation, demonstrating that exomer regulates CIP in additional ways. Exomer mutants accumulate PI4P in the TGN, and increasing the expression of the Golgi-associated 1-phosphatidylinositol 4-kinase
pik1+
suppresses their defect in Pck2 dynamics. These findings suggest that efficient PI4P transport from the Golgi to the PM requires exomer. Mutants lacking clathrin adaptors are defective in CIP activation, but not in Pck2 dynamics or in PI4P accumulation in the Golgi. Hence, traffic from the Golgi regulates CIP activation, and exomer participates in this regulation through an exclusive mechanism.
Association of gut microbiota with allograft injury in kidney transplant recipients: a comparative profiling through 16S metagenomics and quantitative PCR
Authors: Charles Priscilla , Kumar Santosh , Girish Kumar C. P. , Parameswaran Sreejith , Viswanathan Pragasam , Nachiappa Ganesh Rajesh
Published: November 2024

Introduction. The existence of a mutual relationship between gut microbiota and immune homeostasis highlights its importance in the context of kidney transplantation.

Gap statement. The translational utility of gut microbiota as a biomarker for allograft injury has not been assessed before.

Aim. In this study, we aimed to characterize the gut microbial diversity in kidney transplant recipients and investigate the alterations in the gut microbial composition in association with allograft injury such as histopathological graft rejection and calcineurin inhibitor toxicity. In addition, we compared the gut microbial quantitation using 16S metagenomics and quantitative PCR (qPCR) to assess its translational utility.

Methodology. In this prospective longitudinal cohort study, we enrolled 38 kidney transplant recipients and collected serial faecal specimens (n=114), once before the induction therapy, and twice after transplant, during the first and third month. We characterized the gut microbial composition through 16S rRNA sequencing and qPCR from the DNA isolates of the samples. The recipients were clinically followed up for a median of 600 days post-transplant. Histopathological evidence of allograft rejection and calcineurin inhibitor toxicity were used for the correlational analysis with gut microbial diversity.

Results. Significant differences in the gut microbial diversity were observed between the pre- and post-transplant samples. Pre-transplant gut microbiota revealed a higher relative abundance of phylum Bacteroidetes in the allograft rejection group, and a higher relative abundance of phylum Firmicutes was observed in the histopathological features of calcineurin inhibitor toxicity (hCNI toxicity) group. We found a high concordance between 16S metagenomics and qPCR outputs for assessing the gut microbial diversity. Furthermore, the receiver operating characteristic curve analysis has also proven that the pre-transplant levels of gut microbial dysbiosis, as a potential predictive biomarker for allograft injury.

Conclusion. Our pilot study found a strong statistical association of gut microbial dysbiosis with kidney allograft injury, highlighting the potential of gut microbiota as a predictive biomarker and that qPCR serves as a more reliable and economic tool for assessing dysbiosis paving the way for its translational utility.
Effect of quantified cranial osteopathic manipulation on wild type and transgenic rat models of Alzheimer’s disease
Authors: Hines De’Yana , Tobey Hope , Dugan Patrick , Boehringer Seth , Helm Richard , Anandakrishnan Ramu , Werre Stephen , VandeVord Pamela , Costa Blaise M.
Published: November 2024

Alzheimer’s Disease is a chronic progressive neurodegenerative disorder that impairs the cerebral lymphatic system and compartmental fluid exchange leading to a decline in cognitive function. Due to the lack of disease modifying medications, non-pharmacological Cranial Osteopathic Manipulation (COM) is evolving as a potential minimally invasive treatment choice. In this work, the effect of quantified COM treatment, using a nanosensor glove, on 3-month-old (Yg) and 18-month-old transgenic (Tg) rat model of Alzheimer’s Disease were studied using the Morris Water Maze (MWM), Western Blots, and Proteomics and Transcriptomics assays. The results revealed that COM had minimal to no significant difference in the behavioral and biochemical parameters in the Yg rats, suggesting COM treatment was harmless. While COM exhibited no significant differences in Tg rat MWM escape latency, navigation to the platform was significantly different on testing days 5 and 6, with p-values of signed initial heading error were 0.014 and 0.034 respectively. This indicates a difference in learning and spatial working memory. A proteomic assay on Tg rat hippocampus identified 51 significantly differentially expressed proteins with 34 associated with neurological disorders, while transcriptome remained indifferent. In this study, for the first time we have established a technique to quantify the force applied during COM treatment on an animal model of AD, offering a more objective approach for evaluating the effect of such treatments. Our results indicate that a quantifiable COM can be applied to rodents and to study the resulting behavioral and biochemical phenotypes.
Non-invasive Preimplantation Genetic Testing of Embryonic Genome in Spent Culture Medium
Authors: Huang Lei , Zou Yangyun , Zhang Ruiqi , Huang Jin , Yin Guangjun , Wang Quangui , Xia Yingying , Jia Jialin , Wu Zeyu , Cao Dandan , Song Weiliang , Tang Yaqiong , Liu Kai , Chai Xiaoran , Chen Guo-Bo , Lu Sijia , Ge Hao , Qiao Jie , Xie Xiaoliang S.
Published: November 2024

Traditionally, preimplantation genetic testing (PGT) for in vitro fertilization (IVF) requires invasive trophectoderm (TE) biopsy, which might be detrimental to the embryo. Recently proposed non-invasive PGT (ni-PGT) utilizing cell-free DNA from spent embryo culture medium (SCM) also faces serious challenges in accuracy, especially for monogenic diseases (niPGT-M), due to trace DNA content, maternal cell contamination, and high Allele Drop-Out (ADO) rates. In this study, an improved linear single-cell whole genome amplification method and a Bayesian linkage analysis model were used to enhance accuracy in niPGT-M. We achieved about 75% report rate across all samples and 100% accuracy in the reported samples. Meanwhile, we reconstructed the embryonic genome and calculated the risk of type II diabetes (T2D) via niPGT-P, consistent well with those from TE biopsy samples. Our approach alleviated the limitations of ni-PGT and offers a promising avenue for advancing noninvasive PGT with potential clinical applications.
Safety and Efficacy of Pemivibart, a Long-Acting Monoclonal Antibody, for Prevention of Symptomatic COVID-19: Interim Results From the CANOPY Clinical Trial
Authors: Wolfe Cameron R. , Cohen Jonathan , Mahoney Kathryn , Holmes Anna , Betancourt Natalia , Gupta Deepali , Tosh Kazima , Narayan Kristin , Campanaro Ed , Katz Chloe , Phelan Anne-Marie , Yalcin Ilker , Wingertzahn Mark , Hawn Pamela , Schmidt Pete , Li Yong , Popejoy Myra ,   the CANOPY Study Group
Published: November 2024

Background

Pemivibart received emergency-use authorization for prevention of symptomatic COVID-19 in moderate-to-severe immunocompromised individuals based on immunobridging analysis in the phase 3 CANOPY trial. We report an interim analysis of safety and efficacy of pemivibart in individuals with (cohort A) or without (cohort B) significant immunocompromise over a contemporary variant landscape.

Methods

Eligible participants (aged ≥18 years; SARS-CoV-2-negative) received 2 intravenous 4500-mg pemivibart infusions (cohort A) or received blinded pemivibart or placebo (2:1, cohort B) 90 days apart. Safety was a primary endpoint. Composite incidence of reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR)-confirmed symptomatic COVID-19, COVID-19 hospitalization, or all-cause mortality was evaluated through month 6 (cohort A) and month 12 (cohort B).

Results

In September-November 2023, 306 participants with immunocompromise received pemivibart in cohort A; 317 received pemivibart and 162 received placebo in cohort B. The most common study drug-related adverse event was infusion-related reactions (cohort A: 11/306 [3.6%]; cohort B: 7/317 [2.2%, pemivibart] and 0/162 [placebo]). Four of 623 (0.6%) participants who received pemivibart experienced anaphylactic reactions (2 non-serious; 2 serious) within 24 hours of dosing. In cohort A, the composite COVID-19 endpoint incidence through month 6 (day 180) was 11/298 (3.7%; 2 deaths [suicide and unknown cause]) in participants who received a first full dose of pemivibart. In cohort B, the composite COVID-19 endpoint incidence through month 6 was 6/317 (1.9%) in participants in the pemivibart group and 19/160 (11.9%) in the placebo group, representing an 84.1% standardized relative risk reduction (RRR) (95% CI, 60.9-93.5; nominalP<.0001) for pemivibart. Through month 12, 15/317 (4.7%; 1 death [cardiac failure]) and 29/160 (18.1%) pemivibart and placebo participants met the composite clinical endpoint, respectively demonstrating a 73.9% standardized RRR (95% CI, 52.8-85.6; nominalP<.0001).

Conclusions

Pemivibart provided pre-exposure prophylactic efficacy against COVID-19 and was well-tolerated by most participants with or without significant immunocompromise.

Anaphylaxis was an important safety risk.

Clinical Trials Registration

NCT06039449

Key points

Pre-exposure prophylactic administration of 2 doses of pemivibart approximately 90 days apart was generally well-tolerated and provided protection against symptomatic COVID-19 through 6 months in individuals with immunocompromise and 12 months in individuals without immunocompromise respectively
Effects of maternal exercise modes on infant cord blood proteome
Authors: Jevtovic Filip , Wisseman Breanna , Jahan Fahmida , Claiborne Alex , Collier David N. , DeVente James E. , Mouro Steven , Zeczycki Tonya , Goodyear Laurie J. , May Linda E.
Published: November 2024

The aim of this study was to show the effects of different maternal exercise modes on infant cord blood proteome. We used infant cord blood from two randomized controlled trials where women with a wide range of BMI and free of pregnancy complications participated in controlled and supervised aerobic, resistance, or combination (aerobic+resistance) exercise from <16 weeks of gestation until delivery. Results of this study showed that infant cord blood proteome is altered in a maternal exercise mode specific manner. Additionally, results showed 61 downregulated proteins common to all exercise modes, which correspond to gas transport, cellular stress response, reactive oxygen species metabolism, and other biological processes. Collectively, these data demonstrate the differential effect of maternal exercise modes on infant cord blood proteome.
Metaproteomics reveals age-specific alterations of gut microbiome in hamsters with SARS-CoV-2 infection
Authors: Creskey Marybeth , Angulo Fabiola Silva , Wu Qing , Tamming Levi , Fekete Emily E F , Cheng Kai , Ning Zhibin , Wang Angela , Rodrigues Patrícia Brito , Rodovalho Vinícius de Rezende , Vinolo Marco Aurélio Ramirez , Figeys Daniel , Li Xuguang , Trottein Francois , Zhang Xu
Published: November 2024

The gut microbiome’s pivotal role in health and disease is well-established. SARS-CoV-2 infection often causes gastrointestinal symptoms and is associated with changes of the microbiome in both human and animal studies. While hamsters serve as important animal models for coronavirus research, there exists a notable void in the functional characterization of their microbiomes with metaproteomics. In this study, we present a workflow for analyzing the hamster gut microbiome, including a metagenomics-derived hamster gut microbial protein database and a data-independent acquisition metaproteomics method. Using this workflow, we identified 32419 protein groups from the fecal microbiomes of young and old hamsters infected with SARS-CoV-2. We showed age-specific changes in the expressions of microbiome functions and host proteins associated with microbiomes, providing further functional insight into the dysbiosis and aberrant cross-talks between the microbiome and host in SARS-CoV-2 infection. Altogether this study established and demonstrated the capability of metaproteomics for the study of hamster microbiomes.
Improving Differentiation of Crohn’s Disease and Ulcerative Colitis Proteomes through Protein-Wide Association Study Feature Selection in Machine Learning
Authors: Gorelik Mark G. , Gorelik Aaron J. , Fishbein Skye R.S. , Fehlmann Tara , Deepak Parakkal , Bogdan Ryan , Dantas Gautam , Jain Umang ,   SPARC IBD Investigators
Published: November 2024

Background and Aims

Diagnostic differentiation between Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) is crucial for timely and suitable therapeutic measures. The current gold standard for differentiating between CD and UC involves endoscopy and histology, which are invasive and costly. We aimed to identify blood plasma proteomic signatures using a Protein-Wide Association Study (PWAS) approach to differentiate CD from UC and evaluate the efficacy of these signatures as features in machine learning (ML) classifiers.

Methods

Among participants (n=1,106; nCD=636; nUC=470) of the Study of a Prospective Adult Research Cohort with IBD (SPARC), plasma protein (n=2,920) levels were estimated using Olink proteomics. A PWAS with Bonferroni correction for multiple testing was used to identify proteins associated with disease states after controlling for age, sex, and disease severity. ML classifiers examined the diagnostic utility of these models. Feature importance was determined via SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) analysis.

Results

Thirteen proteins which were significantly differentially abundant in CD vs UC (all |β|s > 0.22, all adjusted p values < 8.42E-06). Random forest models of proteins differentiated between CD and UC with models trained only on PWAS identified proteins (Average ROC-AUC 0.73) outperforming models trained of the full proteome (Average ROC-AUC 0.62). SHAP analysis revealed that Granzyme B, insulin-like peptide 5 (INSL5), and interleukin-12 subunit beta (IL-12B) were the most important features.

Conclusions

Our findings demonstrate that PWAS-based feature selection approaches are a powerful method to identify features in complex, noisy datasets. Importantly, we have identified novel peptide based biomarkers such as INSL5, that can be potentially used to complement existing strategies to differentiate between CD and UC.
Development and Validation of an Artificial Intelligence-based Pipeline for Predicting Oral Epithelial Dysplasia Malignant Transformation
Authors: Shephard Adam J , Mahmood Hanya , Raza Shan E Ahmed , Damaceno Araujo Anna Luiza , Santos-Silva Alan Roger , Lopes Marcio Ajudarte , Vargas Pablo Agustin , McCombe Kris D. , Craig Stephanie G. , James Jacqueline , Brooks Jill , Nankivell Paul , Mehanna Hisham , Khurram Syed Ali , Rajpoot Nasir M
Published: November 2024

Oral epithelial dysplasia (OED) is a potentially malignant histopathological diagnosis given to lesions of the oral cavity that are at risk of progression to malignancy. Manual grading of OED is subject to substantial variability and does not reliably predict prognosis, potentially resulting in sub-optimal treatment decisions. We developed a Transformer-based artificial intelligence (AI) pipeline for the prediction of malignant transformation from whole-slide images (WSIs) of Haematoxylin and Eosin (H&E) stained OED tissue slides, named ODYN (Oral Dysplasia Network). ODYN can simultaneously classify OED and assign a predictive score (ODYN-score) to quantify the risk of malignant transformation. The model was trained on a large cohort using three different scanners (Sheffield, 358 OED WSIs, 105 control WSIs) and externally validated on cases from three independent centres (Birmingham and Belfast, UK, and Piracicaba, Brazil; 108 OED WSIs). Model testing yielded an F1-score of 0.96 for classification of dysplastic vs non-dysplastic slides, and an AUROC of 0.73 for malignancy prediction, gaining comparable results to clinical grading systems. With further large-scale prospective validation, ODYN promises to offer an objective and reliable solution for assessing OED cases, ultimately improving early detection and treatment of oral cancer.
Investigating the potential role of intimin/invasin in Aeromonas hydrophila virulence in Labeo rohita: a host-microbe interaction study
Authors: Bhattacharyya Agradip , Banerjee Goutam , Chattopadhyay Pritam
Published: November 2024

Aeromonas hydrophilais a primary bacterial pathogen affecting freshwater fish, includingLabeo rohita(rohu), leading to significant losses in aquaculture. This study investigates the probable role of intimin/invasin, known virulence factors in several bacterial pathogens, in the pathogenesis ofA. hydrophilainL. rohita. Using an in-silico approach, we explore the genetic and structural features of these proteins to predict their potential function in facilitating infection. We analysed the distribution of invasin and intimin across 53A. hydrophilagenomes and examined their physicochemical properties, including molecular weight and stability. Additionally, we evaluated the secondary structures to understand their functional roles in host-pathogen interactions. Using homology-based modelling, we generated 3D (tertiary) structures of invasin and intimin and selected the most suitable models for in silico docking experiments with all eight Rohu (Labeo rohita) β-integrins-a crucial step in understanding their interactions with the fish (Rohu) host cells. Due to the unavailability of the crystal structure of Rohu β-integrins, we performed homology-based modelling prior to the docking experiments. Our findings reveal that invasin and intimin are present in only 6 of the 53A. hydrophilastrains examined, primarily in highly virulent strains previously reported. Notably, invasin lacks disulfide bonds and beta turns. 3D modelling indicates a significant binding affinity of invasin with all human β-integrins, suggesting a critical role in host-pathogen interactions.
Optimisation of single-nuclei isolation and RNA sequencing of parasitic nematodes
Authors: Buddenborg Sarah K , Morrison Alison A , Fletcher Anna C , Kieninger Manuela R , Ng Bee Ling , Maitland Kirsty , Hart Emily , Bartley Dave J , Duque-Correa Maria A , Doyle Stephen R
Published: November 2024

Single-cell/nuclei transcriptomics has revolutionised our understanding of cell, tissue, and organismal biology during health and disease of humans and model organisms. However, for non-model species, reassessment and refinement of conventional methods to address novel technical and biological challenges are needed. Here, we evaluate three established nuclei isolation protocols and, building on experiences, optimised single nuclei isolation for parasitic nematodes (SNIP). We test the versatility of SNIP across diverse species and life stages, validating it with snRNA-seq to reveal sex, stage, and tissue-specific gene expression. Optimised protocols will advance the understanding of parasitic nematodes, from fundamental biology to infection and disease.
Discovery of lydiamycin A biosynthetic gene cluster in the plant pathogenRhodococcus fasciansguides structural revision and identification of molecular target
Authors: Ford Jonathan J. , Santos-Aberturas Javier , Hems Edward S. , Sallmen Joseph W. , Bögeholz Lena A. K. , Polturak Guy , Osbourn Anne , Wright Joseph A. , Rodnina Marina V. , Vereecke Danny , Francis Isolde M. , Truman Andrew W.
Published: November 2024

The natural products actinonin and matlystatin feature anN-hydroxy-2-pentyl-succinamyl (HPS) chemophore that facilitates metal chelation and confers their metalloproteinase inhibitory activity. Actinonin is the most potent natural inhibitor of peptide deformylase (PDF) and exerts antimicrobial and herbicidal bioactivity by disrupting protein synthesis. Here, we used a genomics-led approach to identify candidate biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs) hypothesised to produce novel HPS-containing natural products. We show that one of these BGCs is on the pathogenicity megaplasmid of the plant pathogenRhodococcus fasciansand produces lydiamycin A, a macrocyclic pentapeptide. The presence of genes predicted to make a HPS-like chemophore informed the structural recharacterisation of lydiamycin via NMR and crystallography to show it features a rare 2-pentyl-succinyl chemophore. We demonstrate that lydiamycin A inhibits bacterial PDF in vitro and show that a cluster-situated PDF gene confers resistance to lydiamycin A, representing a novel self-immunity mechanism associated with the production of a PDF inhibitor.In plantacompetition assays showed that lydiamycin enhances the fitness ofR. fasciansduring plant colonisation. This study highlights how a BGC can inform the structure, biochemical target and ecological function of a natural product.
Magnetic structure and crystal-field states of antiferromagnetic
CeNiGe3
: Neutron scattering and
μSR
investigations
Authors: Kataria A. , Kumar R. , Adroja D. T. , Ritter C. , Anand V. K. , Hillier A. D. , Huddart B. M. , Lancaster T. , Rols S. , Koza M. M. , Langridge Sean , Sundaresan A.
Published: November 2024

We present the results of microscopic investigations of antiferromagnetic CeNiGe3 using neutron powder diffraction (NPD), inelastic neutron scattering (INS), and muon spin relaxation (μSR) measurements. CeNiGe3 crystallizes in a centrosymmetric orthorhombic crystal structure (space group Cmmm) and undergoes antiferromagnetic (AFM) ordering. The occurrence of long-range AFM ordering at TN≃5.2K is confirmed by magnetic susceptibility, heat capacity, neutron diffraction, and μSR measurements. The NPD data characterize the AFM state with an incommensurate helical magnetic structure having a propagation vector = (0, 0.41, 1/2). In addition, INS measurements at 10 K identified two crystal electric field (CEF) excitations at 9.17 meV and 18.42 meV. We analyzed the INS data using a CEF model for an orthorhombic environment of Ce3+ (J=5/2) and determined the CEF parameters and ground state wave functions of CeNiGe3. Moreover, zero-field μSR data for CeNiGe3 at T<TN show long-range AFM ordering with three distinct oscillation frequencies corresponding to three different internal fields at the muon sites. The internal fields at the muon-stopping sites have been further investigated using density functional theory calculations.

Published by the American Physical Society
2024
Soft-photon theorem for pion-proton elastic scattering revisited
Authors: Lebiedowicz Piotr , Nachtmann Otto , Szczurek Antoni
Published: November 2024

We discuss the reactions πp→πp and πp→πpγ from a general quantum field theory (QFT) point of view, describing these reactions in QCD and lowest relevant order of electromagnetism. We consider the pion-proton elastic scattering both off shell and on shell. The on-shell amplitudes for π±p→π±p scattering are described by two invariant amplitudes, while the off-shell amplitudes contain eight invariant amplitudes. We study the photon emission amplitudes in the soft-photon limit where the center-of-mass photon energy ω→0. The Laurent expansion in ω of the π±p→π±pγ amplitudes is considered and the terms of the orders ω−1 and ω0 are derived. These terms can be expressed by the on-shell invariant amplitudes and their partial derivatives with respect to s and t. The pole term ∝ω−1 in the amplitudes corresponds to Weinberg’s soft-photon theorem and is well known from the literature. We derive the next-to-leading term ∝ω0 using only rigorous methods of QFT. We give the relation of the Laurent series for π0p→π0pγ and Low’s soft-photon theorem. Our formulas for the amplitudes in the limit ω→0 are valid for photon momentum k satisfying k2≥0, k0=ω≥0, that is, for both real and virtual photons. Here we consider a limit where with ω→0 we have also k2→0. We discuss the behavior of the corresponding cross sections for π−p→π−pγ with respect to ω for ω→0. We consider cross sections for unpolarized as well as polarized protons in the initial and final states.

Published by the American Physical Society
2024
Decoherence in a crystal-phase defined double quantum dot charge qubit strongly coupled to a high-impedance resonator
Authors: Ranni Antti , Haldar Subhomoy , Havir Harald , Lehmann Sebastian , Scarlino Pasquale , Baumgartner Andreas , Schönenberger Christian , Thelander Claes , Dick Kimberly A. , Potts Patrick P. , Maisi Ville F.
Published: November 2024

Decoherence of a charge qubit is usually credited to charge noise in the environment. Here we show that charge noise may not be the limiting factor for the qubit coherence. To this end, we study coherence properties of a crystal-phase defined semiconductor nanowire double quantum dot (DQD) charge qubit strongly coupled to a high-impedance resonator using radio-frequency reflectometry. Response of this hybrid system is measured both at a charge noise sensitive operation point (with finite DQD detuning) and at an insensitive point (so-called sweet spot with zero detuning). A theoretical model based on the Jaynes-Cummings Hamiltonian matches the experimental results well and yields only a 10% difference in decoherence rates between the two cases, despite that the sensitivity to detuning charge noise differs by a factor of 5. Therefore, the charge noise is not limiting the coherence in this experiment with this type of semiconducting nanowire qubits.

Published by the American Physical Society
2024
Electric toroidal dipole order and hidden spin polarization in ferroaxial materials
Authors: Bhowal Sayantika , Spaldin Nicola A.
Published: November 2024

We investigate the role of electric toroidal dipoles in the prototypical ferroaxial materials NiTiO3 and K2Zr(PO4)2, which undergo ferroaxial structural phase transitions of order-disorder and displacive type, respectively. Using first-principles electronic structure theory, we compute the evolution across the ferroaxial transitions of the local electric toroidal dipole moments, defined in terms of both the vortices formed by local dipoles as well as the cross product of orbital and spin angular momenta. Our calculations confirm that the electric toroidal dipole acts as the order parameter for these ferroaxial transitions and highlight the importance of spin-orbit coupling in generating a nonzero atomic-site electric toroidal dipole moment. We find that, while the ferroaxial phases of NiTiO3 and K2Zr(PO4)2 preserve global inversion symmetry, they contain inversion-symmetry-broken subunits that generate vortices of local electric dipole moments. In addition to causing the net electric toroidal dipole moment, these vortices induce a hidden spin polarization in the band structure.

Published by the American Physical Society
2024
Collective lattice excitations in the dynamic route for melting hydrodynamic two-dimensional crystals
Authors: Kharbedia Mikheil , Caselli Niccolò , Calero Macarena , Moleiro Lara H. , Castillo Jesús F. , Santiago José A. , Herráez-Aguilar Diego , Monroy Francisco
Published: November 2024

Liquid surface stiffness generates stable Faraday wave (FW) patterns, known as hydrodynamic crystals, which form resonant FW lattices composed of discrete harmonics and subharmonics under monochromatic driving. Key interactions include inertia-driven parametric resonance, which halves subharmonic modes, and surface rigidity harnessing three-wave coupling, which focuses the nonlinear harmonic wave field. Here, we reveal these wave interaction processes allowing coherent FW packets to organize in space and time while also exciting decoherent disorder in the hydrodynamic crystal lattice. Collective excitations are shown to emerge as dispersionless dislocation waves, causing periodic amplitude modulations due to explicit symmetry breaking. From a field theory perspective, we show chaotic FW degeneration leading to hydrodynamic crystal melting via continuous mode halving under forcing, akin to Landau's theory of chaotic turbulence.

Published by the American Physical Society
2024
Erratum: Spin wave stiffness and damping in a frustrated chiral helimagnet
Co8Zn8Mn4
as measured by small-angle neutron scattering [Phys. Rev. Research
4
, 023239 (2022)]
Authors: Ukleev V. , Pschenichnyi K. A. , Utesov O. , Karube K. , Mühlbauer S. , Cubitt R. , Tokura Y. , Taguchi Y. , White J. S. , Grigoriev S. V.
Published: November 2024

Published by the American Physical Society
2024
Bonding properties and crystal packing in β-(SeCl4)4 derived from Hirshfeld Atom Refinement
Authors: Guzmán-Hernández Juan de Dios , Jancik Vojtech
Published: November 2024

Binary chalcogen halogen EX
4 species represent intriguing systems in terms of chemical bonding theories, such as hypervalency and stereoactivity of lone electron pairs. Instead of a simple molecular EX
4 structure, selenium tetrachloride forms an ionic pair, Cl3Se+Cl−, that assembles into a tetrameric (SeCl4)4 structure, namely, tetra-μ3-chlorido-dodecachloridotetraselenium. This article describes the charge–density analysis of the tetrameric molecule of β-SeCl4 based on the aspherical model obtained from Hirshfeld Atom Refinement of the tetrameric molecule and of an explicit cluster of 15 tetramers that simulates the crystal packing. Deformation density, electron localization function (ELF) and Quantum Theory of Atoms in Molecules (QTAIM) were used to evaluate the bonding situation, the electron-density distribution around the Se atom and the interaction energy of the tetramer.
The nonlinear relationship between CEO stock options and strategic risk taking: the moderating role of CEO characteristics
Authors: Zaiane Sedki
Published: November 2024

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to examine the nonlinear relationship between executive stock options and strategic risk taking and to investigate the moderating effect of CEO characteristics (CEO age and tenure). This study aims to analyze whether the impact of executive stock options on strategic risk-taking is moderated by CEO compensation and characteristics.

Design/methodology/approach

This study is based on a sample of 90 French firms for the period extending from 2008 to 2021. To deal with the nonlinear relationship, the author adopts a dynamic threshold model.

Findings

The results reveal that the impact of CEO stock options on firm strategic risk-taking is nonlinear and moderated by CEO age and tenure. Using research and development (R&D) as a measure of risk taking, the author show a positive relationship between executive stock option and R&D below the threshold value of stock option, CEO age and tenure and it becomes negative above.

Research limitations/implications

Stock options, CEO age and tenure shows that CEO characteristics and compensation structure are major determinants in defining the direction of the nonlinear relationship between CEO stock options and firm strategic risk-taking.

Originality/value

The author extends through this paper the existing research on executive stock option, strategic risk-taking and CEO characteristics using a nonlinear dynamic estimator that caters to the problems of endogeneity. Insights from the findings provide boards and regulators with a better understanding of structuring CEO compensation.
Performance analysis of various wall treatments of RANS models for prediction of near-wall turbulence transport characteristics of plane wall jet
Authors: Patari Animesh , Pramanik Shantanu , Mondal Tanmoy
Published: November 2024

Purpose

The present study scrutinizes the relative performance of various near-wall treatments coupled with two-equation RANS models to explore the turbulence transport mechanism in terms of the kinetic energy budget in a plane wall jet and the significance of the near-wall molecular and turbulent shear, to select the best combination among the models which reveals wall jet characteristics most efficiently.

Design/methodology/approach

A two-dimensional steady incompressible plane wall jet in a quiescent surrounding is simulated using ANSYS-Fluent solver. Three near-wall treatments, namely the Standard Wall Function (SWF), Enhanced Wall Treatment (EWT) and Menter-Lechner (ML) treatment coupled with Realisable, RNG and Standard k-e models and also the Standard and Shear-Stress Transport (SST) k-ω models are employed for this investigation.

Findings

The ML treatment slightly overestimated the budget components on an outer scale, whereas the k-ω models strikingly underestimated them. In the buffer layer at the inner scale, the SWF highly over-predicts turbulent production and dissipation and k-ω models over-predict dissipation. Appreciably accurate inner and outer scale k-budgets are observed with the EWT schemes. With a sufficiently resolved near-wall mesh, the Realisable model with EWT exhibits the mean flow, turbulence characteristics and turbulence energy transport even better than the SST k-ω model.

Originality/value

Three distinct near-wall strategies are chosen for comparative performance analysis, focusing not only on the mean flow and turbulence characteristics but the turbulence energy budget as well, for finding the best combination, having potential as a viable and low-cost alternative to LES and DNS for wall jet simulation in industrial application.
Exploring online information sharing patterns among beekeepers: a thematic analysis of user-generated content
Authors: Mansourian Yazdan
Published: November 2024

Purpose

This paper aims to report findings from a qualitative study about the information sharing patterns of beekeepers on online platforms.

Design/methodology/approach

The required data were collected from the publicly available user-generated content on popular beekeeping YouTube videos. Videos with high traffic were defined by the number of views, subscribers and comments. The sample includes 2,000 post-video comments, with the highest contribution in the discussions. The data were categorised through a deductive thematic analysis into ten categories, including information, advice, impression, opinion, responses, expression of personal feelings, general conversations, site processes, video content description and non-response comments.

Findings

The findings show that beekeepers are keen to share their experiences through public online platforms like YouTube and interact with fellow beekeepers and beekeeping enthusiasts. They share a range of beekeeping tips and techniques, varying from hive management and honey production to seasonal hive care and bee feeding. Sharing these practical hints helps them enhance their skills and learn from each other through tutorial videos or community engagement. Their willingness to share information generates a sense of support through online discussions and the formation of communities of practice.

Practical implications

The findings have practical implications for the stakeholders, including amateur beekeepers, beekeeping content creators and information professionals. Understanding the diverse engagement patterns can help YouTubers improve the quality of their videos and engage their audience. Also, information professionals can play various roles, such as curating special collections or local guides for beekeepers, facilitating workshops and promoting citizen science initiatives to help hobbyist beekeepers contribute relevant data to scientific research.

Originality/value

There is little research about the information behaviour patterns among beekeepers, and this paper contributes to this area by providing some empirical findings and attempts to fill the gap to some extent.
Intention to donate in green waqf among Muslim community: Indonesian case
Authors: Huda Nurul , Trianto Budi , Masrizal Masrizal , Maskuroh Nihayatul
Published: November 2024

Purpose

The Indonesian Waqf Board and United Nation Development Program are developing green waqf in Indonesia. Development of green waqf in Indonesia as a response to save the earth from environmental damage and other social impacts. This paper aims to measure public perceptions about willingness to participate in making donations to the green waqf program in Indonesia.

Design/methodology/approach

Modifying the Theory of Reasoned Action framework, questionnaire data were collected from 311 Muslims in Indonesia. Data were analyzed using the partial least squares structural equation modeling method.

Findings

The findings show that attitude, subjective norm, product knowledge and trust influence the Muslims in Indonesia to donate to green waqf. In contrast, Islamic religiosity harms the intention to donate in green waqf but is insignificant.

Research limitations/implications

This research was conducted using a quantitative approach with a limited sample of several communities, so the results cannot be generalized. Further investigation needs to be carried out by involving a more diverse sample to get better results. However, the results of this study can be used as an illustration of how Muslims behave in donating green waqf.

Practical implications

These results imply that to develop green waqf in Indonesia, especially in attracting waqf candidates willing to make donations, waqf institutions must carry out engineering to shape the attitude of prospective donors through various activities such as socialization and education of the green waqf program. Waqf institutions must also build public trust by involving public figures to campaign for the green waqf program. This will likely increase prospective donors’ active participation in donating their money to develop green waqf in Indonesia.

Originality/value

Waqf is a severe concern for the Indonesian Government, including waqf for the environment. To the bets of the authors’ knowledge, this paper is the first attempt to look at the behavior of the green waqf model in Indonesia. Thus, the acceleration of waqf development can be realized and is expected to impact the community significantly.
Climate change, conflict and gender nexus: evidence from Bor County, South Sudan
Authors: Mohammed Umar , Laki Kiden
Published: November 2024

Purpose

This study aims to explore the nexus between gender, conflict and climate change in Bor County, highlighting the negative feedback cycle between climate change and conflict and assuming gender as a framework through which individuals see and interpret climate change and instances of conflict.

Design/methodology/approach

The research employs a qualitative method utilizing carefully designed semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions conducted in Bor, Jonglei State. Data were collected from a diverse sample of 35 interviews and one focus group discussion (FGD) involving various stakeholders. The research study encompassed a total of 70 participants. The study employs reflexive thematic methods in the data analysis.

Findings

This research reveals Bor County’s enduring climate challenges: extreme temperatures, erratic rainfall and shifting seasonal patterns have led to droughts and severe floods. These disruptions affect livelihoods, trigger displacement and escalate community conflicts. Similarly, conflict exacerbates environmental degradation and undermines economic activities. In effect, climate change and conflict are self-perpetuating cycles. However, while climate change may contribute to conflicts in Bor, Jonglei state underlying causes predate current climate changes and would likely persist. The study further shows that gendered perceptions of climate change and conflict reveal distinct concerns among women and men, with women more attuned to resource implications while men prioritize immediate security. Moreover, women are disproportionately affected by both climate change and conflict, exacerbating their vulnerability due to structural inequalities.

Practical implications

This study provides policymakers and stakeholders valuable insights into climate change-conflict and Gender Nexus in Bor. Incorporating a gender-sensitive and inclusive perspective into developing justice procedures involving national consultations, bills and enforcement procedures is imperative.

Originality/value

This is the first work to examine climate, conflict and gender nexus in Bor County, South Sudan.
Plant and frugivore species characteristics drive frugivore contributions to seed dispersal effectiveness in a hyperdiverse community
Authors: Campagnoli Mariana , Christianini Alexander , Peralta Guadalupe
Published: November 2024

Seed dispersal by frugivores is a crucial step of the life cycle of most plants, influencing plant population and community dynamics. Although very important for most ecosystems, we are just beginning to understand which are the mechanisms driving frugivore‐mediated seed dispersal. Most studies identifying the drivers of seed dispersal use interaction frequency as a proxy for estimating seed dispersal success, rather than looking at the functional outcomes of those interactions (e.g., contributions to successful seed germination). A valuable tool to link plant–frugivore interactions to seed dispersal success is the seed dispersal effectiveness (SDE) framework, which accounts for the quantity and quality components of seed dispersal.

We evaluated which mechanisms, including morphological traits, trait matching and phenological overlap of interacting species, as well as degree of frugivory and feeding behaviour of frugivores, influenced the quantity (interaction frequency and number of seeds dispersed per visit) and quality (seed germination after gut passage) components of SDE. To this end, we combined three methods (focal observations, mist‐netting and camera traps) to sample interactions between plants, birds and mammals in a species‐rich community of Cerrado in southeastern Brazil.

We recorded 590 pairwise interactions between 34 plants and 49 frugivores. We found that phenological overlap among interacting species explained most of the variation in interaction frequencies. Trait matching affected the number of seeds dispersed per visit more for gulpers than mashers and peckers, and frugivore body mass and seed sizes positively affected seed germination. Finally, interaction frequencies had a stronger contribution to SDE, compared with the number of seeds dispersed per visit and seed germination, indicating an indirect effect of phenological overlap on SDE.

Synthesis. We found that highly abundant plant–frugivore species with the most overlap in their phenologies also yield the highest values of SDE, suggesting that phenological overlap was the most important driver of SDE in this hyperdiverse community. However, the number of seeds dispersed per visit also influenced SDE and seed germination was species‐specific, suggesting that estimating SDE at the community level is necessary to understand how communities work, and the current and future challenges they face.

Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.