bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
DNA metabarcoding as a tool for characterising the spatio-temporal distribution of planktonic larvae in the phylum Echinodermata
Authors: Byrne Ilha , Riginos Cynthia , Uthicke Sven , Brookes Dean , Popovic Iva
Published: April 2024

Metabarcoding is revolutionising the analysis of biodiversity in marine ecosystems, especially as it provides a means of detecting and identifying cryptic life stages in field samples. The planktonic larval stage of many species underpins the abundance and distribution of adult populations but is challenging to characterise given the small size of larvae and diffuse distributions in pelagic waters. Yet, planktonic larval dynamics are key to understanding phenomena observed in adult populations, such as the boom-and-bust dynamics exhibited by some echinoderms. Rapid changes in echinoderm population density can have significant effects on local benthic ecosystems. For example, outbreaks of the crown-of-thorns sea star (CoTS) on the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) have led to considerable declines in coral cover. Here, we used a DNA metabarcoding approach to investigate the spatio-temporal distribution and diversity of echinoderm larvae on the GBR, including CoTS. Generalised linear mixed models revealed that echinoderm larval richness, was significantly correlated with temporal variables (i.e. season and year) which is consistent with expected fluctuations in larval output based on adult spawning periodicity. However, neither site-specific differences in echinoderm larval richness, nor correlations between larval composition and environmental, temporal, or spatial variables were found. This study validates the utility of metabarcoding approaches for detecting and characterising echinoderm larvae, including CoTS, which could prove useful to future monitoring efforts. Our findings suggest that metabarcoding can be used to better understand the life history of planktonic larvae, and analyses combining environmental (e.g., temperature, nutrients) and oceanographic (e.g., currents) data could deliver valuable information on the factors influencing their spatio-temporal distributions.
Changes in Hormonal Profiles and Corresponding Gene Expressions During the Initiation and Development of Juice Sac Primordia in Citrus Ovaries and Fruitlets
Authors: Assili Siwar , Doron-Faigenboim Adi , Moreno Alfonso Ant Albacete , Rivero Rosa M. , Sadka Avi
Published: April 2024

The edible part of citrus fruit is composed of juice vesicles/sacs which develop from the endocarp, the two to three inner cell layers of the white spongy peel termed albedo. Juice sac primordia usually appear 1 week after anthesis. Hormones, especially auxin and gibberellin, play a role in pericarp development during the ovary-to-fruit transition, but their effect on juice vesicle induction has not been studied. Here, hormone profiling in the pericarp and changes in the expression of their corresponding genes in the endocarp and pericarp were compared between two citrus cultivars: Calabria citron, in which juice sacs develop normally, and Yemenite citron, in which juice sac formation does not initiate. Most of the identified hormones, abscisic acid, gibberellin A4, indole-3-acetic acid, isopentenyladenine, jasmonic acid and zeatin riboside, were at higher levels in Yemenite than in Calabria. Overall, changes in abscisic acid levels in the pericarp were very well correlated with changes in the expression of abscisic acid-related genes in the endocarp. However, the application of various hormones, including abscisic acid, to Calabria flowers failed to arrest juice sac initiation. The possible involvement of abscisic acid and other hormones in the process of juice vesicle initiation and pericarp growth is discussed.
Approach to simple kidney cysts in children
Authors: Dell Katherine M. , Hartung Erum A.
Published: April 2024

The finding of a simple kidney cyst in a child can pose a diagnostic and management challenge for pediatric nephrologists, urologists, and primary care providers. The reported prevalence varies from 0.22 to 1% in large ultrasonography-based series of more than 10,000 children each. The true prevalence, however, may be higher or lower, as factors such as variations in referral patterns, indications for ultrasonography, or technical considerations could impact prevalence rates. For many patients, simple kidney cysts may be found incidentally when imaging is performed for another indication. Although simple cysts can occur in children, they may also represent the first sign of autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) or other less common cystic kidney diseases. Definitive guidelines regarding the evaluation and monitoring of children with simple kidney cysts have not been established. The desire on the part of the practitioner and/or parents to establish a definitive diagnosis should be balanced with the cost and inconvenience of repeated imaging and visits with specialists. The goals of this review are to (1) outline the definition, epidemiology, clinical presentation, and natural history of simple kidney cysts in childhood; (2) describe clinical features that could suggest a diagnosis other than a simple kidney cyst; and (3) present a suggested framework for evaluating and monitoring of children with one or more simple kidney cysts.

Graphical Abstract
Analysis of the distribution of energy poverty in southern Spain: the relevance of working at the neighbourhood level
Authors: Clavijo-Núñez Susana , Herrera-Limones Rafael , Rey-Pérez Julia , Roa-Fernández Jorge , Hernández-Valencia Miguel
Published: April 2024

This article proposes a hybrid methodology to represent the energy poverty situation in neighbourhoods with high vulnerability indices, using public data sources and surveys designed for local contexts. As an innovation, the method includes aspects of feminisation poverty, household health and information collected directly from the case study population. The San Pablo neighbourhood, in southern Spain, has been taken as a case study, to extrapolate the strategy to similar European neighbourhoods. The research has made it possible to identify new factors affecting the energy poverty situation, such as the domestic burden associated with households or the lack of accessibility to dwellings. The incorporation of this type of indicators, which have been analysed according to sex, has made it possible to highlight the process of feminisation of energy poverty in the territory under study. Based on the groups identified as the most vulnerable, new lines of research are opened to define actions and best practices that can be implemented to improve household energy vulnerability.
Optimization of pollutants removal from anaerobically digested dairy wastewater by electro-oxidation process: a response surface methodology modeling and validation
Authors: Das Ashish Kumar , Reza Arif , Chen Lide
Published: April 2024

The release of anaerobically digested dairy wastewater (ANDDW) without a treatment can lead to severe environmental pollution, prompting the exploration of effective and sustainable treatment methods. Amidst various wastewater treatment approaches, the electro-oxidation (EO) process is considered as a promising, clean, and adaptable solution. In this study, the major operational parameters viz. current density, electrolyte concentration, treatment time, and mixing speed of an EO comprising Ti/PbO2 anode and stainless-steel cathode, were optimized using response surface methodology (RSM) for efficient removal of chemical oxygen demand (COD), ammonia nitrogen (NH3-N), total phosphorus (TP), orthophosphate (OP), total nitrogen (TN), and total Kjeldahl nitrogen (TKN) from ANDDW. Optimal conditions were identified as a current density of 90 mA cm−2, 0.08% electrolyte concentration, 180 min treatment time, and 400 rpm mixing speed. Under the optimum conditions, the COD, NH3-N, TP, OP, TN, and TKN removal efficiencies were 78.36, 63.93, 87.41, 92.39, 67.01, and 81.42%, respectively. Furthermore, the reaction rate followed the first-order kinetic model for the pollutants removal with correlation coefficients (R2) close to 1. The findings highlight the potential of using the EO process to treat high pollutant-laden ANDDW and encourage further studies to confirm the corresponding outcomes on a pilot scale.

Graphical abstract
Reliability, Validity and Acceptability of the PEDI-CAT with ASD Scales for Australian Children and Youth on the Autism Spectrum
Authors: Chamberlain Angela , D’Arcy Emily , Whitehouse Andrew JO , Wallace Kerry , Hayden-Evans Maya , Girdler Sonya , Milbourn Benjamin , Bölte Sven , Evans Kiah
Published: April 2024

Purpose

The PEDI-CAT (ASD) is used to assess functioning of children and youth on the autism spectrum; however, current psychometric evidence is limited. This study aimed to explore the reliability, validity and acceptability of the PEDI-CAT (ASD) using a large Australian sample.

Methods

Caregivers of 134 children and youth on the spectrum participated in clinical assessments involving the administration of the PEDI-CAT (ASD), Vineland-3, PEDI-CAT (Original) and a feedback instrument. The PEDI-CAT (ASD) content was compared to the ICF Core Sets for ASD to summarize areas of functioning assessed and relevance to autism.

Results

The PEDI-CAT (ASD) demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency and test-re-test reliability. Parallel forms reliability with the PEDI-CAT (Original) included significant correlations (good to excellent), however, t-tests showed significantly higher Social/Cognitive scores for the ASD version. Convergent validity results demonstrated that most PEDI-CAT (ASD) and Vineland-3 core domains were significantly correlated (poor to good). Content analysis revealed that the PEDI-CAT (ASD) covered less than half of the ICF Core Sets for ASD (mostly Activities and Participation codes). Just over half the codes assigned to the PEDI-CAT (ASD) were represented in the ICF Core Sets for ASD. Feedback on the acceptability of the measure was mixed, but overall was it was considered user-friendly and efficient.

Conclusion

The PEDI-CAT (ASD) had adequate psychometric properties and acceptability as a measure of Activities and Participation codes. However, it lacks comprehensiveness and relevance when compared to the ICF Core Sets for ASD and has the potential to overestimate functioning.
Lóngyóu tones and tone sandhi
Authors: Chen Sherry Yong , Kenstowicz Michael J.
Published: April 2024

This paper is a descriptive and analytic study of the tones and tone sandhi of the Southern Wu dialect of Lóngyóu (龙游), a city of c. 400,000 inhabitants located about 375 km southwest of Shanghai in Western Zhejiang Province, China. It is based on data collected in 2018 from two female native speakers. Our data is analyzed with Praat (Boersma and Weenick in Praat: doing phonetics by computer, 1992–2021) to document the F0 and duration correlates to the tonal categories and their sandhi changes. Evidence is presented for the representation of the tones in terms of Register and Contour (Bao in On the nature of tone, 1990; The structure of tone, Oxford University Press, 1999). One of the sandhis is analyzed as the conjunction of two Optimality Theoretic (Prince and Smolensky in Optimality theory, MIT Press, 1993, 2004) markedness constraints. A lexically-determined reflex of the Middle Chinese chiuhsheng metatony is also documented.
How Does China Conduct Industrial Policy: Analyzing Words Versus Deeds
Authors: García-Herrero Alicia , Krystyanczuk Michal
Published: April 2024

This paper analyzes how China’s industrial policy works focusing on the setting of objectives (“words”) and their implementation (“deeds”). In particular, we investigate how objectives vary across central and local Five-Year Plans (FYPs), in terms of industry preferences, and also compare such objectives with those included in China’s landmark industrial policy, “Made in China 2025.” Notwithstanding China’s centralization of policy planning, we find relevant sectoral differences between central and provincial planning and key industrial policy documents. Secondly, we look at how decisions are made in the realm of China’s industrial policy (“deeds”). To this end, we assess empirically why certain companies are selected under the most recent grand industrial policy strategy, the 10,000 Little Giants, a spin-off of “Made in China 2025.” Out of the key four criteria of selection (i.e., “words”), one is missed in most cases, namely the concentration of the business activity in the relevant sector. Secondly, the intensity of R&D is only significant in the most recent batches of selected companies. For the last two (revenue generation and leverage), there is no noticeable difference between the selected companies and the others. Our results point to the complexities in conducting industrial policy in China as words and deeds do not necessarily align.
Very-early-onset Inflammatory Bowel Disease in an Infant with a Partial RIPK1 Deletion
Authors: Tuna Kırsaçlıoğlu Ceyda , Frohne Alexandra , Kuloğlu Zarife , Kristofersdottir Isidora , Demir Engin , Altuntaş Cansu , Haskoloğlu Zehra Şule , Çobanoğlu Fatma Nazan , Kendirli Tanıl , Özdemir Halil , Özçakar Zeynep Birsin , Savaş Berna , Doğu Figen , İkincioğulları Aydan , Boztug Kaan , Kansu Aydan
Published: April 2024

The monogenic causes of very-early-onset inflammatory bowel disease (VEO-IBD) have been defined by genetic studies, which were usually related to primary immunodeficiencies. Receptor-interacting serine/threonine-protein kinase-1 (RIPK1) protein is an important signalling molecule in inflammation and cell death pathways. Its deficiency may lead to various clinical features linked to immunodeficiency and/or inflammation, including IBD. Here, we discuss an infant with malnutrition, VEO-IBD, recurrent infections and polyathritis who has a homozygous partial deletion in RIPK1 gene.
Rethinking Regularization with Random Label Smoothing
Authors: dos Santos Claudio Filipi Gonçalves , Papa João Paulo
Published: April 2024

Regularization helps to improve machine learning techniques by penalizing the models during training. Such approaches act in either the input, internal, or output layers. Regarding the latter, label smoothing is widely used to introduce noise in the label vector, making learning more challenging. This work proposes a new label regularization method, Random Label Smoothing, that attributes random values to the labels while preserving their semantics during training. The idea is to change the entire label into fixed arbitrary values. Results show improvements in image classification and super-resolution tasks, outperforming state-of-the-art techniques for such purposes.
The Politics of Personal Crisis: How Life Disruptions Shape Political Participation
Authors: Ojeda Christopher , Michener Jamila , Haselswerdt Jake
Published: April 2024

Economic risk and instability are urgent and central facts in the lives of increasing numbers of Americans. Though experienced as “personal,” the causes of life disruptions like unemployment, eviction, and loss of health insurance are also deeply political. In this paper, we build on existing “single crisis” studies to offer a comprehensive theoretical and empirical picture of how life disruptions shape political behavior. We use several large surveys to show that personal crises generally dampen turnout but sometimes spur other political acts. We also find that highly politicized crises (such as those related to COVID) boost all forms of participation. Our findings speak to the importance of considering life disruptions in the study of political behavior, particularly in an era when the lives of Americans are especially precarious.
Longitudinal effects of socioeconomic status on first and second language reading development: evidence from Chinese children learning English
Authors: Pan Jinger , McBride Catherine , Kwan Joyce Lok Yin , Shu Hua
Published: April 2024

While it has been shown that socioeconomic status (SES) is important for children’s literacy development in their first language (L1), less is known about its association with reading in a second language (L2). The present study examined the different effects of SES on the acquisition of reading in Chinese as L1 and English as L2 from ages 7 to 11, among 291 Chinese children. The results showed that the contribution of SES to Chinese word reading was not significant. In contrast, SES significantly predicted English word reading. Mediation analyses revealed that SES had direct and indirect effects on English word reading, through phonological awareness and letter name knowledge, but only an indirect effect on Chinese word reading through phonological awareness and vocabulary knowledge. These findings highlight the importance of SES for reading acquisition in L2, and the influence of language-specific characteristics on the cognitive/linguistic skills required to master reading in a specific language.
A Diagnostic Facet Status Model (DFSM) for Extracting Instructionally Useful Information from Diagnostic Assessment
Authors: Wang Chun
Published: April 2024

Modern assessment demands, resulting from educational reform efforts, call for strengthening diagnostic testing capabilities to identify not only the understanding of expected learning goals but also related intermediate understandings that are steppingstones on pathways to learning goals. An accurate and nuanced way of interpreting assessment results will allow subsequent instructional actions to be targeted. An appropriate psychometric model is indispensable in this regard. In this study, we developed a new psychometric model, namely, the diagnostic facet status model (DFSM), which belongs to the general class of cognitive diagnostic models (CDM), but with two notable features: (1) it simultaneously models students’ target understanding (i.e., goal facet) and intermediate understanding (i.e., intermediate facet); and (2) it models every response option, rather than merely right or wrong responses, so that each incorrect response uniquely contributes to discovering students’ facet status. Given that some combination of goal and intermediate facets may be impossible due to facet hierarchical relationships, a regularized expectation–maximization algorithm (REM) was developed for model estimation. A log-penalty was imposed on the mixing proportions to encourage sparsity. As a result, those impermissible latent classes had estimated mixing proportions equal to 0. A heuristic algorithm was proposed to infer a facet map from the estimated permissible classes. A simulation study was conducted to evaluate the performance of REM to recover facet model parameters and to identify permissible latent classes. A real data analysis was provided to show the feasibility of the model.
Population growth of two limno-terrestrial Antarctic microinvertebrates in different aqueous soil media
Authors: McCarthy Jordan S. , Brown Kathryn E. , King Catherine K. , Nielsen Uffe N. , Plaisted Katie , Wallace Stephanie M. N. , Reichman Suzie M.
Published: April 2024

Terrestrial microinvertebrates provide important carbon and nutrient cycling roles in soil environments, particularly in Antarctica where larger macroinvertebrates are absent. The environmental preferences and ecology of rotifers and tardigrades in terrestrial environments, including in Antarctica, are not as well understood as their temperate aquatic counterparts. Developing laboratory cultures is critical to provide adequate numbers of individuals for controlled laboratory experimentation. In this study, we explore aspects of optimising laboratory culturing for two terrestrially sourced Antarctic microinvertebrates, a rotifer (Habrotrocha sp.) and a tardigrade (Acutuncus antarcticus). We tested a soil elutriate and a balanced salt solution (BSS) to determine their suitability as culturing media. Substantial population growth of rotifers and tardigrades was observed in both media, with mean rotifer population size increasing from 5 to 448 ± 95 (soil elutriate) and 274 ± 78 (BSS) individuals over 60 days and mean tardigrade population size increasing from 5 to 187 ± 65 (soil elutriate) and 138 ± 37 (BSS) over 160 days. We also tested for optimal dilution of soil elutriate in rotifer cultures, with 20–80% dilutions producing the largest population growth with the least variation in the 40% dilution after 36 days. Culturing methods developed in this study are recommended for use with Antarctica microinvertebrates and may be suitable for similar limno-terrestrial microinvertebrates from other regions.
Soil organic carbon as an indicator of land use impacts in life cycle assessment
Authors: De Laurentiis Valeria , Maier Stephanie , Horn Rafael , Uusitalo Ville , Hiederer Roland , Chéron-Bessou Cécile , Morais Tiago , Grant Tim , Milà i Canals Llorenç , Sala Serenella
Published: April 2024

Purpose

Anthropogenic activities are a major driver of soil and land degradation. Due to the spatial heterogeneity of soil properties and the global nature of most value chains, the modelling of the impacts of land use on soil quality for application in life cycle assessment (LCA) requires a regionalised assessment with global coverage. This paper proposes an approach to quantify the impacts of land use on soil quality, using changes in soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks as a proxy, following the latest recommendation of the Life Cycle Initiative.

Methods

An operational set of SOC-based characterisation factors for land occupation and land transformation were derived using spatial datasets (1 km resolution) and aggregated at the national and global levels. The developed characterisation factors were tested by means of a case study analysis, investigating the impact on soil quality caused by land use activities necessary to provide three alternative energy supply systems for passenger car transport (biomethane, ethanol, and solar electricity). Results obtained by applying characterisation factors at local, regional, and national levels were compared, to investigate the role of the level of regionalisation on the resulting impacts.

Results and discussion

Global maps of characterisation factors are presented for the 56 land use types commonly used in LCA databases, together with national and global values. Urban and industrial land uses present the highest impacts on SOC stocks, followed by severely degraded pastures and intensively managed arable lands. Instead, values obtained for extensive pastures, flooded crops, and urban green areas often report an increase in SOC stocks. Results show that the ranking of impacts of the three energy systems considered in the case study analysis is not affected by the level of regionalisation of the analysis. In the case of biomethane energy supply, impacts assessed using national characterisation factors are more than double those obtained with local characterisation factors, with less significant differences in the other two cases.

Conclusions

The integration of soil quality aspects in life cycle impact assessment methods is a crucial challenge due to the key role of soil conservation in ensuring food security and environmental protection. This approach allows the quantification of land use impacts on SOC stocks, taken as a proxy of soil quality. Further research needs to improve the assessment of land use impacts in LCA are identified, such as the ability to reflect the effects of agricultural and forestry management practices.
Dissipation-based life cycle impact assessment of mineral resource use—a review, case study, and implications for the product environmental footprint
Authors: Berger Markus
Published: April 2024

Purpose

Impacts of mineral resource use on the availability of resources can be assessed using a broad range of methods. Until recently, life cycle inventory (LCI) and life cycle impact assessment (LCIA) models have been based on resource extraction. As extracted resources are not necessarily “lost” for future use, recent methodological developments have shifted the focus from resource extraction to resource dissipation. This paper aims at reviewing dissipation-based LCIA methods, testing them in a case study, analyzing potential implications for the product environmental footprint (PEF), and providing recommendations for future method development.

Method

Five recently developed LCIA methods have been reviewed and compared based on 22 criteria, such as the forms and time horizons of dissipation considered, scientific publication, and number of characterization factors (CFs). Additionally, the abiotic depletion potential (ADP) method has been included to serve as a non-dissipation-based reference. All methods are tested in a case study on a theoretical product, designed solely for demonstration purposes, and consisting of 1 kg of the metals aluminum, cobalt, copper, molybdenum, nickel, and zinc. In addition to the absolute LCIA results, the contributions of metal production stages and individual resource extractions/emissions have been investigated. Finally, normalization and weighting have been carried out to analyze consequences of replacing ADP with the new dissipation-based methods in the context of PEF.

Results and discussion

Most recently developed LCIA methods take a long-term perspective, cover emissions of resources to the environment (and partly technosphere), and vary in the number of CFs and resources covered. The case study results obtained by ADP are dominated by the molybdenum dataset; the results of the dissipation-based LCIA methods are strongly influenced by the cobalt dataset. All results are strongly sensitive to the LCI database used (ecoinvent or GaBi). Normalization and weighting revealed that the mineral resource use impact result dominates the aggregated PEF score (57%), when using the currently recommended ADP model. Shifting from the resource extraction-based ADP to dissipation-based models can reduce the contribution to 23% or < 1% depending on the method.

Conclusion

The development of methods addressing mineral resource use in LCIA has shifted from resource extraction to dissipation. The analyzed methods are applicable and lead to different findings than the extraction-based ADP. Using the newly developed methods in the context of PEF would significantly change the relevance of the mineral resource use impact category in comparison to other environmental impacts.
Modelling the Impact of NETosis During the Initial Stage of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
Authors: Suvandjieva Vladimira , Tsacheva Ivanka , Santos Marlene , Kararigas Georgios , Rashkov Peter
Published: April 2024

The development of autoimmune diseases often takes years before clinical symptoms become detectable. We propose a mathematical model for the immune response during the initial stage of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus which models the process of aberrant apoptosis and activation of macrophages and neutrophils. NETosis is a type of cell death characterised by the release of neutrophil extracellular traps, or NETs, containing material from the neutrophil’s nucleus, in response to a pathogenic stimulus. This process is hypothesised to contribute to the development of autoimmunogenicity in SLE. The aim of this work is to study how NETosis contributes to the establishment of persistent autoantigen production by analysing the steady states and the asymptotic dynamics of the model by numerical experiment.
Maxillofacial fractures among non-indigenous ethnic groups in the Irish national maxillofacial unit: a review
Authors: Costello Liam , Ogunbowale Akinsola , Ekanayake Kumara
Published: April 2024

Background

This study investigates maxillofacial fractures in non-indigenous ethnic groups who were reviewed in the national maxillofacial unit in Ireland. The aim of this study was to highlight any potential trends in presentation of facial fractures in non-indigenous groups in comparison to previous reports which have included all ethnicities. This unique study is based on the fact that Ireland has only recently transformed into a diverse, multi-cultural country. This is unlike countries such as the UK and USA which have a long history of multicultural integration.

Materials and methods

This retrospective study evaluated the trauma database of 4761 patients with 5038 fractures who attended the national maxillofacial unit over a 5-year period from 2015 to 2019. Parameters included age, gender, mechanism of injury, fracture sustained, time of the day, day of the week, month of injury, and the referral source were obtained from patient records.

Results

The study identified 456 patients who did not identify as being born in Ireland, with 384 males and 72 females. The most common fracture seen was of the zygomatic bone, and the most common mechanism of injury was alleged assault for this cohort. Most injuries occurred in late afternoon with Friday being the most common day of the week.

Conclusion

This study shows how maxillofacial units need to adapt to the changing trends in Irish demographics with increased demand for resources such as translation services. A further study could evaluate the rapidly changing demographic with mass migration of people currently seeking refuge in Western Europe.
Integrals of groups. II
Authors: Araújo João , Cameron Peter J. , Casolo Carlo , Matucci Francesco , Quadrelli Claudio
Published: April 2024

An integral of a group G is a group H whose derived group (commutator subgroup) is isomorphic to G. This paper continues the investigation on integrals of groups started in the work [1]. We study:

A sufficient condition for a bound on the order of an integral for a finite integrable group (Theorem 2.1) and a necessary condition for a group to be integrable (Theorem 3.2).

The existence of integrals that are p-groups for abelian p-groups, and of nilpotent integrals for all abelian groups (Theorem 4.1).

Integrals of (finite or infinite) abelian groups, including nilpotent integrals, groups with finite index in some integral, periodic groups, torsion-free groups and finitely generated groups (Section 5).

The variety of integrals of groups from a given variety, varieties of integrable groups and classes of groups whose integrals (when they exist) still belong to such a class (Sections 6 and 7).

Integrals of profinite groups and a characterization for integrability for finitely generated profinite centreless groups (Section 8.1).

Integrals of Cartesian products, which are then used to construct examples of integrable profinite groups without a profinite integral (Section 8.2).

We end the paper with a number of open problems.
Primary Care and Surgical Collaborations in Addressing Breast Cancer: A Comprehensive Review
Authors: Oyetoran Anuoluwa , Sircar Samantha , Oladeru Oluwadamilola , Johnson Kim Barbel
Published: April 2024

Purpose of Review

This review explores the collaboration between primary care physicians (PCPs) and surgical specialists in breast cancer management. It outlines their evolving roles focusing on early detection, treatment decisions, and patient-centered care. It also addresses challenges, emphasizes interdisciplinary communication, and discusses opportunities for improved breast cancer care.

Recent Findings

Recent research highlights the expanded role of PCPs in comprehensive breast cancer care, from diagnosis, treatment, survivorship, and prevention. Surgeons play a crucial role in decision-making and personalized treatment planning. Collaborative approaches, including multidisciplinary teams, show improved diagnoses and outcomes. Advances in breast cancer research, such as targeted treatments and immunotherapy, offer promising avenues for enhanced care.

This article advocates for a transformative landscape in breast cancer care, with PCPs and surgeons leading collaborative efforts. Future research lies in the exploration of targeted treatments and the commitment to a holistic, patient-centered approach.
A new workflow for warning and controlling the water invasion
Authors: Zhang Peijun , Fan Hairun , Wen Guangyao , Mu Lingyu , Cheng Weiheng , Wang Xiaochen , Gao Chengwu , Gong Xinglin , Zhao Xurong
Published: April 2024

Warning and controlling the water invasion in water-driving reservoirs is significant because water invasion will seriously hamper well productivity and gas recovery. Unfortunately, there are few comprehensive methods to control water invasion. First, we establish and verify a water invasion model of reservoir scale. Then, a new workflow for warning and controlling the water invasion is proposed using the numerical simulation method. The workflow first judges the water invasion characteristics, determines the water invasion index based on the production data, and then controls the water invasion by finding and closing the perforation layer of serious water production. Finally, the optimal water control scheme is obtained by comparing water and gas production. The results show that the accuracy of the geological reserves of the established water invasion model is 99% and has a good pressure fitting result. The early warning chart for the gas reservoir in the west of Amu Darya B area is drawn, including the early warning pressure and the level 1, level 2, and level 3 early warning water–gas ratio, which is convenient for field application. For the water-driving wells west of area B, the early warning value of the water–gas ratio increases with the increase of gas production rate during fixed production and decreases with the increase of bottom hole pressure during constant pressure production. Closing the harmful perforation from the water-finding study will significantly reduce the water while retaining the gas production. After water control technology, water production decreased by 90.9%, while gas production decreased by only 9.7%.
Exploring Machine Learning Techniques for Accurate Prediction of Methane Hydrate Formation Temperature in Brine: A Comparative Study
Authors: Aleem Waqas , Ahmad Sheraz , Qamar Sabih , Hussain Maham , Ali Omer , Rauf Abdul
Published: April 2024

Accurate estimation of formation conditions plays a pivotal role in effectively managing various processes related to hydrates, including flow assurance, deep-water drilling, and hydrate-based technology development. The formation temperature of methane hydrates in the presence of brine greatly affects the efficacy and accuracy of these processes. This work presents a comprehensive and novel comparative analysis of nine distinct machine learning models for accurate prediction of formation temperatures of methane hydrate. This study investigated the application of major machine learning (ML) algorithms including multiple linear regression (MLR), long short-term memory (LSTM), radial basis function (RBF), support vector machine (SVM), artificial neural network (ANN), gradient boosting regression (GBR), gradient process regression (GPR), random forest (RF), and K-nearest neighbor (KNN). The model accuracy was validated against a large dataset comprising of over 1000 data points with diverse range of salt concentrations. In this regard, model accuracies were compared using several metrics including R2, ARD, and AARD. The experimental results exhibited KNN algorithm to be fast-converging, accurate, and consistent over the entire range of data points with an R2 score of 0.975 and AARD of 0.385%. The results enable efficient and accurate temperature estimation with ML algorithms for multiple hydrate-related processes.
Spatial-attention ConvMixer architecture for classification and detection of gastrointestinal diseases using the Kvasir dataset
Authors: Demirbaş Ayşe Ayyüce , Üzen Hüseyin , Fırat Hüseyin
Published: April 2024

Gastrointestinal (GI) disorders, encompassing conditions like cancer and Crohn’s disease, pose a significant threat to public health. Endoscopic examinations have become crucial for diagnosing and treating these disorders efficiently. However, the subjective nature of manual evaluations by gastroenterologists can lead to potential errors in disease classification. In addition, the difficulty of diagnosing diseased tissues in GI and the high similarity between classes made the subject a difficult area. Automated classification systems that use artificial intelligence to solve these problems have gained traction. Automatic detection of diseases in medical images greatly benefits in the diagnosis of diseases and reduces the time of disease detection. In this study, we suggested a new architecture to enable research on computer-assisted diagnosis and automated disease detection in GI diseases. This architecture, called Spatial-Attention ConvMixer (SAC), further developed the patch extraction technique used as the basis of the ConvMixer architecture with a spatial attention mechanism (SAM). The SAM enables the network to concentrate selectively on the most informative areas, assigning importance to each spatial location within the feature maps. We employ the Kvasir dataset to assess the accuracy of classifying GI illnesses using the SAC architecture. We compare our architecture’s results with Vanilla ViT, Swin Transformer, ConvMixer, MLPMixer, ResNet50, and SqueezeNet models. Our SAC method gets 93.37% accuracy, while the other architectures get respectively 79.52%, 74.52%, 92.48%, 63.04%, 87.44%, and 85.59%. The proposed spatial attention block improves the accuracy of the ConvMixer architecture on the Kvasir, outperforming the state-of-the-art methods with an accuracy rate of 93.37%.
Optimizing indoor air quality and energy efficiency in multifamily residences: Advanced passive pipe system parametrics study
Authors: Obeidat L. M. , Jones J. R. , Mahaftha D. M. , Amhamed A. I. , Alrebei O. F.
Published: April 2024

This research focuses on enhancing natural ventilation in multifamily residential buildings to improve air quality and minimize reliance on mechanical ventilation, thereby reducing energy consumption. The study pioneers the integration of passive pipe systems within structural floor slabs and building envelopes, aiming to overcome the inherent challenges of indoor environmental quality (IEQ) related to design constraints, occupant behavior, and urban context. Our innovative approach, utilizing a novel application of Grasshopper for precise architectural modeling and Ansys for advanced multiphysics simulation, enables a detailed comparative analysis of airflow dynamics across various system configurations. A comprehensive literature review underscores the significance of natural ventilation as a key passive cooling strategy, vital for reducing energy use and enhancing IEQ in the face of urbanization challenges. Our empirical findings reveal that configurations with more inlet and outlet pipes significantly outperform simpler ones, with a notable configuration of 11 pipes (5 × 6) achieving an actual-to-required ventilation rate increase in 158.15%. This evidence highlights the substantial benefits of adopting complex system configurations for improved ventilation efficiency. The study’s outcomes include impactful design recommendations for adopting enhanced natural ventilation strategies in multifamily residential buildings. These recommendations promise to inform sustainable urban planning and building management strategies, offering a scalable solution for cities seeking to balance growth with environmental sustainability. By demonstrating the clear advantages of targeted passive cooling interventions, this research contributes valuable insights toward achieving energy efficiency and superior IEQ in residential buildings, paving the way for future exploration in diverse climatic and urban contexts.
High-performance liquid chromatography-based analytical techniques for simultaneous determination of Naltrexone hydrochloride (NTX) and Bupropion hydrochloride (BUP): a comprehensive review
Authors: Zehra Sehrish , Saeed Muhammad Asad , Zaman M. , Hassan Sadia , Fazal-Ur-Rehman
Published: April 2024

The confluence of Bupropion Hydrochloride and Naltrexone Hydrochloride within a composite pharmaceutical formulation has garnered the prestigious endorsement of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its targeted application in addressing the pervasive issue of obesity. Naltrexone hydrochloride, a semi-synthetic opioid compound, exerts its therapeutic influence through competitive antagonism of the mu receptors, while Bupropion hydrochloride, a tricyclic antidepressant, operates by impeding the reuptake of dopamine, thus amplifying its activity in distinctive cerebral domains. Notably, Naltrexone's impact is modulated through the intricate manipulation of pro-opiomelanocortin neurons within the hypothalamus, underscoring the amalgamated efficacy of this unique tandem in the protracted management of obesity. This scholarly exposition focalizes on the meticulous delineation of high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)-based analytical methodologies, meticulously tailored for the concurrent quantification of naltrexone hydrochloride (NTX) and bupropion hydrochloride (BUP). This comprehensive review scrutinizes an array of analytical strategies, traversing from archetypal HPLC (high performance liquid chromatography) methodologies to the burgeoning realm of environmentally conscious chromatographic approaches. Each method undergoes scrupulous examination, elucidating the nuanced applications, from the constitution of the mobile phase and judicious column selection to the refinement of optimal flow rates. Moreover, the review orchestrates a comprehensive evaluation of the validation parameters intrinsic to these analytical approaches, fortifying the reliability and precision of their findings. This erudite exploration not only encapsulates the diversity of chromatographic techniques but also expounds on the methodological robustness that underpins the determination of these pharmacologically significant compounds. In doing so, it elevates the pursuit of scientific excellence in pharmaceutical analysis, contributing significantly to the ongoing discourse in this critical field.

Graphical abstract
Semi-automatic recognition of rock mass discontinuity based on 3D point clouds
Authors: Chen Na , Wu Xiaochan , Xiao Henglin , Yao Chi , Cheng Yuke
Published: April 2024

Information on rock mass discontinuities is crucial for rock mass stability analysis. Due to the low efficiency, incompleteness, and potential risk of the traditional compass methods in measuring discontinuities, three-dimensional light detection, ranging, and other remote sensing methods have become essential. In this study, voxel filtering was used to subsample a point cloud so that its feature points were retained while reducing the computational load. An improved regional growing (RG) algorithm was then used to extract rock mass discontinuities. A software Geocloud v1.0 was developed based on the proposed method to semi-automatically recognize discontinuities. Additionally, two groups of sensitivity experiments were performed to analyze the influence of different numbers of nearest neighbors and maximum RG angles on the extraction of discontinuities. Results showed that most of the discontinuities could be accurately recognized with different thresholds. Furthermore, the accuracy of the proposed method was verified by real geometries, on a real highway slope, and in a natural quarry. Finally, the efficiency of the proposed method was proven using comparative computational experiments.
On the spectrum of tridiagonal operators in the context of orthogonal polynomials
Authors: Lasser Rupert , Obermaier Josef
Published: April 2024

The basis for our studies is a large class of orthogonal polynomial sequences $$(P_n)_{n\in {{\mathbb {N}}}_0}$$

(

P
n

)

n
∈

N
0

, which is normalized by $$P_n(x_0)=1$$

P
n

(

x
0

)

=
1

for all $$n\in {\mathbb {N}}_0$$

n
∈

N
0

where the coefficients in the three-term recurrence relation are bounded. The goal is to check if $$x_0 \in {\mathbb {R}}$$

x
0

∈
R

is in the support of the orthogonalization measure $$\mu $$
μ
. For this purpose, we use, among other things, a result of G. H. Hardy concerning Cesàro operators on weighted $$l^2$$

l
2

-spaces. These investigations generalize ideas from Lasser et al. (Arch Math 100:289–299, 2013).
Food waste biochar: a sustainable solution for agriculture application and soil–water remediation
Authors: Pradhan Snigdhendubala , Parthasarathy Prakash , Mackey Hamish R. , Al-Ansari Tareq , McKay Gordon
Published: April 2024

Biochar is a promising pyrolysed carbon-enriched soil amendment and has excellent properties for agriculture production and to remediate environmental pollution. A set of reviews were conducted on biochar production by pyrolysis process from various waste biomass which has drawn extensive interest due to the low cost of production with several benefits. As many potential technologies have been developed, there are still several knowledge gaps that have been identified for some key points to contribute a comprehensive study towards soil fertility, nutrient and water retention, soil microbial activity, plant growth and yield, pollution remediation, mitigation of greenhouse gas emission and an improvement in the farmer’s economy to achieve maximum profit by adopting environmentally friendly technique “pyrolysis”. Therefore, this review explored a detailed study on food waste biochar production by the pyrolysis process and its impact on different applications as an amendment. Slow pyrolysis process at low and medium temperatures is a potential amendment for agriculture production and soil and water remediation by enhancing biochar properties like carbon, BET surface area, cation exchange capacity, zeta potential, and nutrient content, etc. with minimum ash content. The biochar enhances soil water and nutrient retention capacity, crop yield, and improved microbial community at different soil quality. Additionally, food waste to biochar is a realistic adsorbent and economical carbon sequester to mitigate GHG emissions. This review conducted a brief assessment of the knowledge gaps and future research directions for researchers, encouraging investigators, stakeholders, and policymakers to make the best possible decision for food waste valorization.
A positive feedback inhibition of isocitrate dehydrogenase 3β on paired-box gene 6 promotes Alzheimer-like pathology
Authors: Wang Xin , Liu Qian , Yu Hai-tao , Xie Jia-zhao , Zhao Jun-ning , Fang Zhi-ting , Qu Min , Zhang Yao , Yang Ying , Wang Jian-Zhi
Published: April 2024

Impaired brain glucose metabolism is an early indicator of Alzheimer’s disease (AD); however, the fundamental mechanism is unknown. In this study, we found a substantial decline in isocitrate dehydrogenase 3β (IDH3β) levels, a critical tricarboxylic acid cycle enzyme, in AD patients and AD-transgenic mice’s brains. Further investigations demonstrated that the knockdown of IDH3β induced oxidation-phosphorylation uncoupling, leading to reduced energy metabolism and lactate accumulation. The resulting increased lactate, a source of lactyl, was found to promote histone lactylation, thereby enhancing the expression of paired-box gene 6 (PAX6). As an inhibitory transcription factor of IDH3β, the elevated PAX6 in turn inhibited the expression of IDH3β, leading to tau hyperphosphorylation, synapse impairment, and learning and memory deficits resembling those seen in AD. In AD-transgenic mice, upregulating IDH3β and downregulating PAX6 were found to improve cognitive functioning and reverse AD-like pathologies. Collectively, our data suggest that impaired oxidative phosphorylation accelerates AD progression via a positive feedback inhibition loop of IDH3β-lactate-PAX6-IDH3β. Breaking this loop by upregulating IDH3β or downregulating PAX6 attenuates AD neurodegeneration and cognitive impairments.