bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Structure and function of the yeast amino acid-sensing SEAC-EGOC supercomplex
Authors: Tafur Lucas , Bonadei Lenny , Zheng Yiqiang , Loewith Robbie
Published: October 2024

The Seh1-associated complex (SEAC) transduces amino acid signals to the Target of Rapamycin Complex 1 (TORC1), a master regulator of cell growth located on the vacuole membrane. The SEAC acts as a GTPase activating protein (GAP) for Gtr1, a small GTPase that forms a heterodimer with Gtr2, and as part of the EGO complex (EGOC), relays nutrient signals to TORC1. The SEAC is composed of two subcomplexes, SEACIT, an inhibitor of TORC1 that contains the GAP activity, and SEACAT, that has been proposed to regulate the activity of SEACIT. However, molecular details of its regulation are unclear. Here, we determined the cryo-electron microscopy structure of the SEAC-EGOC supercomplex and studied its function in TORC1 amino acid signalling. A single SEAC can interact with two EGOC molecules via SEACIT, binding exclusively to the “active” version of the EGOC as their interaction depends on Gtr1 being loaded with GTP. SEACAT does not modulate nor interact with the EGOC. The GAP activity of the SEAC is essential for the regulation of TORC1 by amino acids, and its loss phenocopies the lack of Gtr1-Gtr2, establishing the SEAC-EGOC complex as an amino acid-sensing hub. Despite being located far from the active site, deletion of Sea2, or its N-terminal β-propeller domain, also results in defects in amino acid signalling to TORC1. We propose that the SEAC-EGOC supercomplex integrates coatomer-like mechanisms of regulation via bidirectional feedback between GAP-GTPase (SEACIT-EGOC) and coat (SEACAT) modules that explain the functional interaction between Sea2 and the GAP activity. Given the conservation between the SEAC and its mammalian ortholog GATOR, we envision that this mechanism is similar in different organisms.
Layer 6 corticothalamic neurons induce high gamma oscillations through cortico-cortical and cortico-thalamo-cortical pathways
Authors: Russo S. , Dimwamwa E. D. , Stanley G. B.
Published: October 2024

Layer 6 corticothalamic (L6CT) neurons project to both cortex and thalamus, inducing multiple effects including the modulation of cortical and thalamic firing, and the emergence of high gamma oscillations in the cortical local field potential (LFP). We hypothesize that the high gamma oscillations driven by L6CT neuron activation are shaped by the dynamic engagement of intracortical and cortico-thalamo-cortical circuits. To test this, we optogenetically activated L6CT neurons in NTSR1-cre mice expressing channelrhodopsin-2 in L6CT neurons. Leveraging the vibrissal pathway in awake, head-fixed mice, we presented ramp-and-hold light at different intensities while recording neural activity in the primary somatosensory barrel cortex (S1) and the ventral posteromedial nucleus (VPm) of the thalamus using silicon probes. We found that the activation of S1 L6CT neurons induces high-frequency LFP oscillations in S1 that are modulated in frequency, but not in amplitude, across light intensities and over time. To identify which neuronal classes contribute to these oscillations, we examined the temporal evolution of firing rate in S1 and VPm. While most S1 neurons were steadily suppressed, VPm and S1 Layer 4 fast spiking (L4 FS) neurons evolved from being suppressed to facilitated within 500 ms, suggesting differential recruitment of the intracortical vs cortico-thalamo-cortical pathways. Finally, we found that LFP frequency selectively correlates with VPm firing rate. Taken together, our data suggest that L6CT neurons sculpt the frequency of S1 LFP high gamma oscillations through cortico-thalamo-cortical circuits, linking the recurrent interactions mediated by L6CT neurons to the high gamma oscillations observed across physiological and pathological conditions.

Significance Statement

Layer 6 corticothalamic (L6CT) neurons are strategically positioned to modulate the cortex and the thalamus allowing them to engage distinct, yet interlocked, circuits. Here we show that the activation of L6CT neurons in the mouse primary somatosensory cortex induces fast cortical oscillations through the coordinated engagement of cortico-thalamo-cortical and intracortical pathways. Our work reveals that these two L6CT-mediated pathways exert competing effects: while intracortical connections suppress cortical spiking, the activity of the cortico-thalamo-cortical loop rapidly evolves, facilitating cortical spiking. We demonstrate that the cortico-thalamo-cortical pathway operates on a faster timescale than the intracortical pathway and critically shapes cortical oscillation frequency. These findings reveal how the unique position of corticothalamic neurons allows them to flexibly and dynamically modulate the thalamocortical network.
Leveraging Single-Cell RNA-Seq to Generate Robust Microglia Aging Clocks
Authors: Stanley Natalie , Dhawka Luvna , Jaikumar Sneha , Huang Yu-Chen , Zannas Anthony S
Published: October 2024

‘Biological aging clocks’ - composite molecular markers thought to capture an individual’s biological age - have been traditionally developed through bulk-level analyses of mixed cells and tissues. However, recent evidence highlights the importance of gaining single-cell-level insights into the aging process. Microglia are key immune cells in the brain shown to adapt functionally in aging and disease. Recent studies have generated single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) datasets that transcriptionally profile microglia during aging and development. Leveraging such datasets, we develop and compare computational approaches for generating transcriptome-wide summaries to establish robust microglia aging clocks. Our results reveal that unsupervised, frequency-based featurization approaches strike a balance in accuracy, interpretability, and computational efficiency. We further extrapolate and demonstrate applicability of such microglia clocks to readily available bulk RNA-seq data with environmental inputs. Single-cell-derived clocks can yield insights into the determinants of brain aging, ultimately promoting interventions that beneficially modulate health and disease trajectories.
A shared code for perceiving and imagining objects in human ventral temporal cortex
Authors: Wadia V. S. , Reed C. M. , Chung J. M. , Bateman L. M. , Mamelak A. N. , Rutishauser U. , Tsao D. Y.
Published: October 2024

Mental imagery is a remarkable phenomenon that allows us to remember previous experiences and imagine new ones. Animal studies have yielded rich insight into mechanisms for visual perception, but the neural mechanisms for visual imagery remain poorly understood. Here, we first determined that ∼80% of visually responsive single neurons in human ventral temporal cortex (VTC) used a distributed axis code to represent objects. We then used that code to reconstruct objects and generate maximally effective synthetic stimuli. Finally, we recorded responses from the same neural population while subjects imagined specific objects and found that ∼40% of axis-tuned VTC neurons recapitulated the visual code. Our findings reveal that visual imagery is supported by reactivation of the same neurons involved in perception, providing single neuron evidence for existence of a generative model in human VTC.

One Sentence Summary

Single neurons in human temporal cortex use feature axes to encode objects, and imagery reactivates this code.
Neuromodulatory influences on propagation of brain waves along the unimodal-transmodal gradient
Authors: Maki-Marttunen Veronica , Nieuwenhuis Sander
Published: October 2024

Brain activity fluctuates over time, and understanding the factors that influence such fluctuations is important to understand the flexible nature of the brain and cognition. Growing evidence suggests that fMRI brain activity shows spatio-temporal patterns of propagation following specific gradients. In particular, activity around global peaks propagates as a travelling wave following a gradient from unimodal to associative areas. Some properties of these travelling waves seem to be related to behavioral and arousal states, however their meaning remains unknown. Here we assess the possibility that travelling waves explain the finding that there are specific time points when the brain presents larger brain integration. We reasoned that a faster speed of propagation would be related to more brain integration as measured with fMRI. Furthermore, we explored whether increased pupil-linked arousal, which has been related to more integration in specific brain regions, would be increased during periods of whole brain propagation. To test these hypotheses, we detected brain travelling waves and characterized them in terms of speed, directionality and ratio. We compared these features between different task conditions, and after a pharmacological challenge affecting neuromodulatory tone. We then studied the relation between travelling wave speed, pupil size and a graph-based measure of brain integration. Our results suggest that neuromodulatory tone affects travelling wave propagation, and that this propagation reflects changes in arousal and integrated functional connectivity features. This study provides a novel view of brain dynamics in terms of the effects of neruomodulatory influences across time scales.
Gradual consolidation of skilled sequential movements in primary motor cortex of non-human primates
Authors: Ohbayashi Machiko , Picard Nathalie
Published: October 2024

Expert-level performance of sequential movements can be achieved through extensive practice. The primary motor cortex (M1) is suggested to play a key role in acquiring and retaining sequential movements, with evidence of reorganization in M1 following prolonged practice, such as changes in fMRI activation in humans and altered neuron activity in monkeys. Here, we examined the timeline of plastic changes in M1 of monkeys during learning of sequential movements. A challenge in studying a role of M1 in learning is that its inactivation impairs movement, masking learning processes. To address this, we used a protein synthesis inhibitor to disrupt memory consolidation in M1 during learning. Our results show that inhibiting protein synthesis in M1 disrupted memory-guided performance at all stages of learning, though the effect decreased with continued practice. This suggests that neural traces for sequential movements are repeatedly consolidated through protein synthesis, with the rate of consolidation slowing as learning progresses.

Teaser

The neural traces for skilled sequential movements are repetitively consolidated through protein synthesis in the primary motor cortex of monkeys.
Resilience in emerging complex intelligent systems: A case study of search and rescue
Authors: Yu Youshan , Lakemond Nicolette , Holmberg Gunnar
Published: October 2024

As artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming part of complex systems and critical infrastructures, perspectives on resilience may need to be revisited. This paper focuses on the challenges and approaches in engineering design for achieving resilience in complex and increasingly intelligent systems (CoIS). Building on a case study of a system situated in the context of search and rescue (SAR) operations at sea as well as scenarios of SAR operations supported by AI solutions, it outlines challenges for organisational and engineering design in contexts where flexibility, adaptability, and high reliability are important. The findings point at resilience as a system property, made up of the constituent systems, their interaction and coordination in a system‐of‐systems framework. AI and autonomy in CoIS represent potentially a double‐edged sword; while AI and autonomy contribute to system capabilities and resilience, they can also introduce limitations in terms of, for instance, confined operational envelopes. Achieving resilience in CoIS thus requires a holistic approach that considers constituent systems as well as their interplay, organisational factors, and the judicious balance of AI and human‐based solutions.
Thinking like a mountain: A land ethical approach to healthcare resource allocation
Authors: Wardrope Alistair
Published: October 2024

Human activity is now having a defining influence on global systems. The Anthropocene epoch requires revisiting our ethical presuppositions to understand our relationship to the earth's life support systems. The Land Ethic of Aldo Leopold proposes an ethic that is diachronic, holistic, and biocentric, in contrast to the synchronic, individualist, and anthropocentric axioms of mainstream bioethics. I argue that these features of the Land Ethic make it more suitable to engage with the ethics of healthcare resource allocation in the Anthropocene; that understanding sustainability in a Land Ethical fashion requires that we view it as placing a side‐constraint on all permissible healthcare resource use such that this use remains within planetary boundaries; and outline how this might re‐shape debates around healthcare resource allocation.
Articulating the ‘How’ of Social Return on Investment: Foregrounding the Plural and Pluralizing Character of Its ‘Moments of Judgment’
Authors: Warren Rebecca , Carter David , Glynos Jason , Voutyras Savvas
Published: October 2024

Social accounting practices attribute value to an organization's activities beyond traditional economic conceptions of success. In assessing the merit of such practices, we argue that it is helpful to extend our analytical focus beyond questions of what is evaluated and who evaluates to how valuations are performed. Social accounting literature has already explored a crucial aspect of the “how question,” emphasizing the need to widen stakeholder input and engage in agonistic democratic deliberation beyond applying technical expertise. We extend these insights by drawing attention to an important dimension of the how question that remains underexplored, namely, where such deliberation can or should be applied and explaining why this matters. In doing so, we disclose the complexity and messiness of social accounting processes, as well as their normative and political significance. We deploy political discourse theory to highlight the virtues of focusing on where value is constructed along the social accounting chain, illustrating our contribution with examples drawn from our experience conducting a Social Return on Investment (SROI) for a not‐for‐profit organization. We present and unpack key decision‐junctures in the SROI process, demonstrating the plural and pluralizing character of these “moments of judgment” by showing how contestability and normativity enter the valuation process, aspects that are often obfuscated by an over‐reliance on, and the rhetoric of, the technical aspects of quantification and monetization. By foregrounding the contingency and subjectivity embedded in valuation practices, we argue there is a need to navigate agonistically, deliberatively, and pragmatically their plural and complex character.
Living With and Beyond Cancer With Comorbid Conditions: Qualitative Insights to Understand Psychosocial Support Needs
Authors: Cavers Debbie , Cunningham‐Burley Sarah , Watson Eila , Banks Elspeth , Campbell Christine
Published: October 2024

Introduction

There is a pressing need to understand and explore the complex experiences and psychosocial support needs of people LWBC‐CM and their informal caregivers, to inform survivorship and supportive care interventions.

Methods

In‐depth qualitative interviews were conducted with people LWBC‐CM and their informal caregivers in Scotland, invited via primary care. One‐to‐one, face‐to‐face interviews were conducted with informed consent exploring experiences of symptoms, psychosocial support needs and interactions with health services. Interviews were transcribed and analysed using a thematic approach.

Results

Forty‐one people LWBC‐CM and twenty‐three informal caregivers were interviewed. Four themes were identified: the Physical and Psychological Impact of Cancer and Comorbidity, Dominant Storie—Prioritising Conditions and Making Sense of Illness, Navigating Health Services and Treatments and Caring for People with Complex Health Conditions. Type and severity of conditions mediated people's experiences and daily living. Complex fatigue—fatigue arising from a number of health conditions—dominated symptomology. Participants navigated multiple appointments and complex medication regimes. Patients identified the need for acknowledgement of other chronic conditions and for streamlined care provision. Mutual caring and social isolation were also identified as part of the caring relationship.

Conclusions

There is a mandate to address the psychosocial support needs of people LWBC‐CM, and their informal carers, given the burden of treatment for cancer survivors with moderate to severe complex conditions as they navigate health services.

Patient or Public Contribution

A patient representative has been involved in all stages of the study from development of the application through study design, commenting on documentation, analysis of transcripts and writing the manuscript. They are included as an author on the manuscript.
‘Is It Safe? Is it not?’ A Youth‐Led Photovoice Study of Youth Perspectives of COVID‐19 Vaccine Confidence
Authors: Mckee Shelby , Sheikhan Natasha Y. , Patenaude Sean , Henderson Jo , Knight Rodney , Kidd Sean A. , Barbic Skye , O'Reilly Aileen , Hawke Lisa D.
Published: October 2024

Background

Youth have been uniquely affected by the COVID‐19 pandemic. Despite high rates of COVID‐19 infection, youth had one of the lowest vaccine uptake rates. Certain characteristics can affect vaccine uptake, such as mental health and substance use, but it is important to understand uptake for an effective response to pandemics.

Objective

This study examined the perspectives of youth with mental health or substance use concerns on COVID‐19 vaccine confidence, hesitancy and overall COVID‐19 vaccine perspectives.

Methods

Using photovoice, a community‐based participatory research method, a sample of 27 youth aged 14−24 years participated in a series of photography workshops and focus groups. Participants submitted final photographs for discussion. Focus groups were recorded, transcribed and thematically analysed.

Results

Four themes were generated: (1) Youth deciphered the vaccine discourse in a changing information landscape; (2) mixed perspectives of families, friends and loved ones influenced the vaccine journey; (3) complex societal influences affected views and decisions around the COVID‐19 vaccine; and (4) youth navigated their vaccine journeys through first‐ and second‐hand experiences. The four themes and subthemes highlight the evolution of youth's journeys with the COVID‐19 vaccine over the course of the pandemic and into the late‐pandemic period.

Conclusions

Youth with mental health or substance use challenges navigated a complex environment during the COVID‐19 pandemic. The wide variety of factors influencing vaccine perspectives should be taken into account in public health messaging and future research on youth vaccine uptake. Youth‐led and youth‐engaged research can help solicit rich and meaningful perspectives of young people on important public health issues.

Patient or Public Contribution

This was a youth‐led study. A youth research analyst conducted the study activities together with the support of a youth advisory group, an adult photographer with lived experience, and a scientific team.
Stabilization of the Shapley value for cooperative games through level‐induced structures
Authors: Li Xianghui , Shan Lingtao , Sou Katat , Li Yang
Published: October 2024

Taking into consideration that the Shapley value for cooperative games may not be resistant to potential blocking coalitions, this paper examines the integration of coalition formation and stability in cooperative games. Initially, we establish an endogenous procedure specifically designed for superadditive games. This procedure generates a levels structure and a payoff vector, consequently leading to a modified Shapley value that conforms to the stability notion defined as the levels core. Furthermore, we simulate the procedure in a noncooperative manner and employ the concept of strong Nash equilibrium to demonstrate the stability of the procedure's outcome. Lastly, we propose and delineate a value by applying the same procedural approach to scenarios where the levels structure is predetermined externally.
Discovering the Current ‘State of Play’ in Pain Recognition and Assessment for People With Profound Intellectual Disabilities by Nurses: An Appreciative Inquiry Approach
Authors: Goodall Maeve , Irving Kate , Nevin Mary
Published: October 2024

Background

Pain recognition and assessment in individuals with profound intellectual disabilities are challenging. Exploring effective methods of addressing this is essential. This study aims to discover current nursing practice in this area of care as the first of a four‐phased appreciative inquiry study, to inform further research and practice.

Methods

Data from individual and focus group interviews with co‐researching nurses were collated and developed into themes.

Results

Six themes were identified: unconditional positive regard, honouring of relationship, creative best practice, pain through a competing lens, accurate assessment—an impossible task? Medicating pain—oversimplified and undervalued?

Conclusion

Relationship is essential, in recognising pain and distress. There is an understanding of the multifaceted nature of pain in the care of this population; however, physical pain recognition and assessment are prioritised, to prevent serious ill health and death. Formal methods of assessment and communication between professionals are needed.
Navigating Unique Intersectional Experiences: LGBTQ+ Community Organisations Addressing Individuals With Intellectual Disabilities' Needs
Authors: Milot Élise , Otis Ann‐Sophie , Lavoie Kévin , Caouette Martin , Marthouret Bertille
Published: October 2024

Background

This exploratory study aimed to enhance the understanding of practitioners' experiences within LGBTQ+ community organisations when providing interventions for LGBTQ+ individuals with intellectual disabilities. Three specific objectives were outlined: to document the situations and challenges encountered by practitioners; to identify perceived needs among LGBTQ+ individuals with intellectual disabilities and to elicit their suggestions for recommendations to improve services.

Method

A qualitative approach, involving in‐depth interviews with 12 Québec‐based LGBTQ+ community practitioners, underwent content analysis.

Results

Findings were organised around three themes: perceived support needs of LGBTQ+ people with intellectual disabilities; challenges experienced in intervention and recommendations to improve services. Findings reveal that practitioners frequently face significant challenges when supporting LGBTQ+ individuals with intellectual disabilities, who often struggle with multiple daily challenges and insufficient support.

Conclusions

The study highlights the need to empower LGBTQ+ organisations with essential skills and foster partnerships with public service staff to ensure a more inclusive, intersectional approach.
Surgical correction of pes varus deformity in dachshunds using three‐dimensional‐printed patient‐specific guide system: nine tibiae in seven cases (2018‐2022)
Authors: Bright S. , Schofield I. , Oxley B.
Published: October 2024

Objectives

To describe the use of a three‐dimensional‐printed patient‐specific guide system for the treatment of distal tibial varus deformity in Dachshunds and retrospectively report the clinical and radiographic outcome.

Materials and Methods

Pes varus deformity in nine limbs of seven dachshunds was treated with corrective osteotomy using a three‐dimensional‐printed patient‐specific guide system. Data from computed tomography were processed to obtain virtual 3D‐models of the tibias, which were used for computer‐aided design‐based surgical planning, three‐dimensional‐printed patient‐specific guide system design and evaluation of planned versus achieved tibial correction. Clinical outcomes were evaluated by lameness score and post‐operative owner‐reported questionnaire at a minimum of 15 months.

Results

The gait abnormality resolved in all limbs. The osteotomy healed uneventfully in eight tibiae. Implant failure occurred in one tibia but was successfully revised. There was good correlation between planned and achieved deformity correction, with mean translational error <1 mm in all planes, and mean angulation correction error <2° in all planes.

Clinical Significance

A 3D‐printed patient‐specific osteotomy and reduction guide system facilitates the accurate correction of tibial pes varus deformity with very good clinical outcomes. Opening osteotomy, stabilised with orthogonal locking plates and without the application of bone graft led to satisfactory bone healing in all cases.
Death anxiety among the oldest old in Germany. Evidence from the nationally representative ‘Old Age in Germany (D80+)’
Authors: Hajek André , Jacob Louis , Pengpid Supa , Peltzer Karl , Gyasi Razak M. , Soysal Pinar , Veronese Nicola , Kostev Karel , Aarabi Ghazal , König Hans‐Helmut
Published: October 2024

Background

There is a lack of studies investigating death anxiety among the oldest old based on a large, nationally representative sample during the pandemic. Thus, our aim was to investigate the prevalence and determinants of death anxiety among the oldest old in Germany during the Covid‐19 pandemic.

Methods

Cross‐sectional data were taken from the ‘Old Age in Germany’ (D80+) study. This is a large, nationwide representative study including individuals 80 years and over living at home and individuals in institutionalised settings (N = 9542 individuals in the analytic sample).

Results

Overall, 30% of the respondents reported the absence of death anxiety, 45.5% reported a rather not strong death anxiety, 20.2% reported a rather strong death anxiety, and 4.3% reported a very strong death anxiety. Linear regressions revealed that higher death anxiety was significantly associated with being female (β = 0.21, P < 0.01), younger age (β = −0.02, P < 0.001), being married (β = 0.09, P < 0.001), high education (compared to low education, β = 0.07, P < 0.05), the presence of meaning in life (β = 0.13, P < 0.001), higher loneliness levels (β = 0.18, P < 0.001), the presence of multimorbidity (β = 0.07, P < 0.05), and poorer self‐rated health (β = −0.07, P < 0.001). A further analysis showed that probable depression (β = 0.31, P < 0.001) is also associated with higher death anxiety.

Conclusion

About one in four individuals had a strong or very strong fear of death during the pandemic. Several sociodemographic, psychosocial, and health‐related factors are associated with higher death anxiety. This better understanding of the determinants of death anxiety can be relevant for, among others, the affected individuals, informal and professional carers, as well as friends and relatives.
Meritocracy and Inequality in South Africa: Understanding Changes in Beliefs and their Influence on Demand for Redistribution
Authors: Kirsten Frederich , Biyase Mduduzi
Published: October 2024

In light of rising global inequality, public concerns for inequality have been declining. This paradox of inequality has been explained by the rise in meritocratic beliefs in some developed countries. Untested in South Africa, the most unequal society, this study aims to report on these issues by investigating the impact of meritocratic and nonmeritocratic beliefs on redistribution preferences in South Africa. Using the International Social Survey Programme data for 2009 and 2019, we find that contrary to some developed countries, meritocratic beliefs have declined despite persistent high inequality. Nonmeritocratic factors like sex and race are perceived as less critical for personal success, while bribery and political connections gain prominence. Results reveal that stronger meritocratic beliefs correlate positively with redistribution preferences, whereas nonmeritocratic beliefs have minimal impact. This challenges the notion that high inequality intensifies meritocratic beliefs and reduces demand for redistribution, suggesting the need to consider South Africa's unique historical and socioeconomic context.
Analysis of the Causes of the Magnetic Storm on December 1–2, 2023 Based on Observations of Interplanetary Scintillations at the BSA Radio Telescope of the Lebedev Physical Institute
Authors: Lukmanov V. R. , Chashei I. V. , Tyul’bashev S. A. , Subaev I. A.
Published: October 2024

The results of the analysis of observational data of interplanetary scintillations obtained at the Big Synphasic Antenna radio telescope of the Lebedev Physical Institute (BSA LPI) before, during and after the magnetic storm that occurred on December 1–2, 2023. Observational data were compared with model calculations for corotating and propagating large-scale disturbances. The results of observations of scintillations of radio sources indicate that the magnetic storm that took place was caused by the superposition of two types of large-scale disturbances of the solar wind. On the day before the start of the magnetic storm, signs of interaction of the Earth’s magnetosphere with the corotating region of multi-velocity solar wind flows were observed, whereas later signs of disturbance of the magnetosphere by a coronal mass ejection propagating after the M9.8 flare on November 28, 2023 were observed.
Peculiarities of Radio Pulsars with Long Periods
Authors: Malov I. F.
Published: October 2024

The analysis of parameters of radio pulsars with periods $$P > 5$$ s has been carried out. It was found that there is no clear dependence of $$dP{\text{/}}dt$$ on $$P$$ on the $$\{ dP{\text{/}}dt,P\} $$ diagram. The lack of dependence can be explained within the disk model. It is shown that the pulse width decreases with increasing period for the sample considered. It is the opposite of the dependence in the generally accepted pulsar model. It indicates that the distance from the surface of the neutron star to the radio emission generation region in the studied population depends on the period or that the magnetic field in the generation region has a non-dipolar structure. The possibility of explaining the longest intervals between successive pulses in pulsars J0901–4046 and J0250+5854 by the influence of drift waves at the periphery of the magnetosphere has been considered. Within the framework of the drift model, the calculated rotation periods in these pulsars turn out to be several times shorter than the observed intervals between successive pulses.
Rotation of the Milky Way Halo in the Solar Vicinity Based on GAIA DR3 Catalog
Authors: Tkachenko R. V. , Bryndina A. P. , Zhmailova A. B. , Korchagin V. I.
Published: October 2024

The rotation of the Milky Way halo in the solar vicinity is studied using kinematic data of the GAIA DR3 catalog for RR Lyrae variable stars with parallax errors of less than 20%. Two criteria were used for selecting halo stars: kinematic and spatial. In both approaches, we confirm the existence of weak rotation of the halo in the direction opposite to the rotation of the Galactic disk with velocities of $$4.08 \pm 2.19$$ km/s for the kinematic criterion and $$9.49 \pm 2.59$$ km/s for the spatial criterion.
Automated Synthesis of [N-Methyl-11C]choline, Radiopharmaceutical for Tumor Imaging by PET
Authors: Vaulina D. D. , Kuznetsova O. F. , Orlovskaya V. V. , Fedorova O. S. , Krasikova R. N.
Published: October 2024

An automated method has been developed for the synthesis of [N-methyl-11C]choline, a radiopharmaceutical (RP) for the diagnosis of cancer using positron emission tomography (PET). The synthesis was carried out on a home-made module, using combined technology of on-line 11C-methylation processes and solid-phase extraction methods. The radiochemical yield of [N-methyl-11C]choline was 80% (based on the activity of the methylating agent, [11C]CH3I, decay corrected), which ensures the production of several clinical doses of radiopharmaceutical in one batch. [N-Methyl-11C]choline was obtained with a radiochemical purity of more than 99% and an amount of 2-dimethylaminoethanol (the main chemical impurity) of 0.06 mg/mL, which meets the requirements of the Russian and European Pharmacopoeia.
“2+1B” Technetium-99m Tricarbonyl Complexes with N,N'-Bidentate Ligands and Methyl 14-Isocyano-3-methyltetradecanoate
Authors: Miroslavov A. E. , Kuz’menko P. M. , Tyupina M. Yu. , Sakhonenkova A. P. , Sidorenko G. V. , Kochergina A. R. , Krotov S. A.
Published: October 2024

A novel 12-step procedure was developed for preparing methyl 14-isocyano-3-methyltetradecanoate. “2+1B” tricarbonyl complexes [99mTc(CO)3(N^N)CN(CH2)11CH(CH3)CH2COOMe]+, where N^N = 2,2'-bipyridine (bipy) or 1,10-phenanthroline (phen), were prepared by the reaction of [99mTc(CO)3(N^N)(H2O,EtOH)]+ with methyl 14-isocyano-3-methyltetradecanoate in aqueous ethanol. The formation of technetium-99m complexes was confirmed by HPLC, and the partition coefficient (n-octanol/water) of these complexes was measured.
Scrambling power of soft photons
Authors: Su Xuan-Lin , Hamma Alioscia , Marcianò Antonino
Published: October 2024

Observable scattering processes entail emission-absorption of soft photons. As these degrees of freedom go undetected, some information is lost. Whether some of this information can be recovered in the observation of the hard particles, depends of the actual pattern of the scrambling of information. We compute the information scrambling of electron and soft photon scattering by the tripartite mutual information in terms of the 2-Renyi entropy, and find a finite amount of scrambling is present. We show that scrambling is a byproduct of decoherence achieved by the scattering system in its interaction with the environment, due to the emission-absorption of soft photons in fully unitary processes.
Unraveling the Ethos of Literary Imagination in the Basātin al-ons of Akhsetān Dehlavi
Authors: Prakash Pranav
Published: October 2024

Basātin al-ons (The Gardens of Fondness, 1325–26) is the sole surviving work of an erudite courtier named Akhsetān Dehlavi (1301–51), who spent most of his adult life in the service of the sultan Gheyās al-Din Toghloq (r. 1320–24) and his son Mohammad b. Toghloq Shāh (r. 1324–51). This work exemplifies one of the earliest efforts by an Indian writer to interweave history, autobiography, eulogy, and folklore in the Persian genre of stylized prose (nasr). Against this backdrop, my essay examines the preface of the Basātin al-ons to elucidate the factors that motivated Akhsetān Dehlavi to narrate a collection of Hindavi tales in Persian prose.
Adaptive boundary control for a friction hoisting system during the loading process
Authors: Wang Ke , Cao Guohua
Published: October 2024

This paper aims at the rope dynamic tension fluctuation (DTF) control in the friction hoisting system (FHS) during the loading process. The exact dynamic modelling of the tail and head ropes connected to the cage is considered. A disturbance observer is proposed to track the actual impact disturbance. The actuator acts at the friction wheel to pretension the system. The use of an adaptive neural network allows for the handling of system uncertainty. An appropriate control law is developed to stabilize the cage and suppress the rope DTF in FHS during the loading process. Numerical simulations and theoretical analysis are presented to prove the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed control law. Numerical analysis results show that the head rope dynamic displacement fluctuation (DDF) and DTF amplitudes can be suppressed to at least 1/125 of their initial fluctuation amplitudes under the proposed control law.
Trajectory tracking control of underwater tracked vehicle considering ICR longitudinal deviation compensation
Authors: Li Nan , Huang Zhenjie , Shi Yan
Published: October 2024

During the operation of an underwater tracked vehicle on a soft substrate, the instantaneous center of rotation (ICR) no longer coincides with the geometric center after the longitudinal offset is accounted for by the external environment. Due to this, designing an underwater trajectory tracking system based on a kinematic model is a challenging task. In order to achieve the high-precision trajectory tracking control of underwater tracked vehicles, this paper proposes a trajectory tracking algorithm based on the kinematic model of tracked vehicles. First, an inverse tangent algorithm is proposed to address the problem that the front viewpoint of the Stanley algorithm may not be on the target path and cause deviation. Second, by using the inverse tangent algorithm to introduce the target bow angle, as well as combining the mechanisms by which biological endocrine hormones are regulated with the advantages of single-neuron proportional–integral–derivative (PID), a composite endocrine intelligent control law is proposed for the design of the lateral control law of an underwater tracked vehicle; a longitudinal control law is designed based on the longitudinal offset of the ICR obtained by the estimation of the unscented Kalman filter as a means of compensating for longitudinal errors. Finally, a kinematic model is used in order to determine the desired drive wheel speed of the underwater tracked vehicle. The method is compared with the method without longitudinal deviation compensation, then with the methods presented in related literature, and finally, a certain degree of experimental validation is carried out. These results validate the effectiveness of the proposed method.
Incremental robust predictive control for anti-pitching in catamarans with appendage constraints
Authors: Zhong Mingjie , Zhang Jun , Yang Yifan , Xu Weidong
Published: October 2024

To solve the problem that high-speed catamarans have excessive amplitude of vertical motion in rough sea conditions, an anti-pitching method based on incremental robust predictive control of catamarans is proposed, which takes into account the model uncertainty and input rate of appendage requirements. Thus, a high-speed catamaran vertical control model is established with T-foils and flaps serving as anti-pitching appendages, and the hydrodynamic coefficient uncertainties is analyzed, which is converted into a state space model with norm-bounded uncertainty to facilitate control system design; moreover, transforming the norm-bounded uncertainty model of a high-speed catamaran into an incremental model, which can increase the integral action to improve the anti-pitching performance. On this basis, the hybrid H2/H∞ robust predictive control method is proposed to achieve wave disturbance resistance capability and robust stability of the catamaran system, taking the rate of input of the anti-pitching appendages as the input constraints, and the linear matrix inequality (LMI) receding-horizon optimization is used to solve the incremental control input of appendages. Ultimately, the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm is verified by digital simulation.
Graph Convolution Network Combining Spatiotemporal Self-Attention and Mutual Information for Pedestrian-Trajectory Prediction
Authors: Hu Chungang , Zhou Zhuping , Yue Zhenlin , Yuan Changji , Sun Leyi
Published: October 2024

Accurate pedestrian-trajectory prediction is signiﬁcant and challenging for intelligent driving. There are two challenges in this field: most existing methods ignore pedestrian–vehicle interaction in the multiple pedestrian and vehicle scenario; and research on interaction modes and objects during the interaction process remains relatively limited in depth and scope. To tackle these challenges, a novel graph convolution network combining spatiotemporal self-attention and mutual information (STSAMI-GCN) is designed for predicting pedestrian trajectories. First, to model the spatiotemporal interaction between pedestrians and vehicles, we build a spatiotemporal graph interaction module that integrates graph convolutional networks and self-attention mechanisms. Second, to filter redundant interactions and optimize feature extraction in the spatiotemporal graph interaction module, a mutual information graph network module is designed as an auxiliary network, which can reduce information redundancy and simplify graph complexity. In addition, to address the problem of propagation and accumulation of prediction errors, we design a trajectory decoder to generate future trajectories. Finally, a suitable dataset for our research scenario is built to validate the proposed model. We also evaluate it on two publicly available datasets. Experimental results show that, in the multiple pedestrian and vehicle scenario, STSAMI-GCN can be used to predict the future trajectories of multiple pedestrians, and to predict socially acceptable future trajectories. Specifically, STSAMI-GCN achieves 0.25 and 0.27 average and final deviation error, respectively, and outperforms various mainstream methods. Furthermore, ablation studies demonstrate the effectiveness of the spatiotemporal dual self-attention mechanism and mutual information graph network in improving pedestrian-trajectory prediction accuracy.
Expanding Short-Term Pedestrian Volume Counts to Average Annual Daily Counts at Intersections: Temporal Pattern Indices and a Comparison of Statistical Land Use and Simple Threshold Methods
Authors: Tito Pereira Sobreira Lucas , Hellinga Bruce
Published: October 2024

Quantifying pedestrian exposure for intersections is important for developing pedestrian-centric strategies. Exposure is typically expressed as the annual-average daily pedestrian traffic (AADPT). AADPT can be directly calculated when continuous counts (CCs) are available. However, CCs are rarely available for all intersections, requiring estimation methods. This work explores the steps involved in expanding pedestrian short-term counts (STCs) to AADPT using factor groups. Day-of-week-of-month expansion factors were used to expand 8-h STCs. The first step consists of grouping sites with similar pedestrian activity patterns (factor groups). Five factor groups were identified, and three pedestrian temporal pattern indicators were proposed to characterize them. The thresholds of these indicators for grouping sites with CCs are available in this work. The second step involves the challenge of associating sites where only STCs are available (unknown traffic patterns) with a particular factor group. Multinomial logistic regression (MLR) was developed to link factor groups to land use, socioeconomic, and operational attributes. Explanatory variables that represent commercial and industrial areas and the number of schools and transit stops were found to be significant. Simpler methods were also introduced to identify factor groups strongly affected by schools. The last step assesses the expansion of STCs to AADPT using the proposed approaches. The results showed improved performance when compared with averaging expansion factors across all sites. It was also demonstrated that, in certain cases, simple approaches that rely exclusively on the identification of sites that are highly affected by schools present similar performance to more complex approaches, such as MLR.
Faire parler les policiers. Retour sur deux enquêtes par observations et entretiens
Authors: de Maillard Jacques
Published: October 2024

Cet article est consacré aux enjeux analytiques et méthodologiques des recherches portant sur les questions policières, plus précisément sur les polices de sécurité publique. Pour entrer dans un monde traditionnellement rétif au regard extérieur et éviter de se trouver devant un discours convenu, il défend la pertinence de la démarche ethnographique et la combinaison, variable en fonction des objets de recherche, des observations et des entretiens. En s’appuyant sur l’expérience de deux projets de recherches antérieurs, l’article revient sur les difficultés posées par l’accès au terrain, de l’obtention de l’autorisation à la conduite de l’enquête. Pour répondre à ces obstacles, il discute trois dimensions centrales d’un travail de recherche : l’affinement des questions de recherches (ou le processus inductif de redéfinition des questions tout au long de l’enquête), l’utilisation combinée des entretiens et observations, et les liens entre niveaux micro, meso et macro.
Vietnamese Men’s Definitions of Intimate Partner Violence and Perceptions of Women’s Recourse-Seeking
Authors: James-Hawkins Laurie , Hennink Monique , Bangcaya Mika , Yount Kathryn M.
Published: October 2024

The Vietnamese government has made efforts to promote gender equality and to discourage intimate partner violence (IPV), yet IPV remains a common experience for married women in Vietnam. IPV leads to severe injury, poor mental health, chronic disease, and substance abuse among women, yet little is known about why men perpetrate IPV. We explored how men defined IPV and perceived women’s recourse-seeking following IPV in Vietnam. Using data from 10 in-depth interviews and two focus group discussions with Vietnamese men, taken from a parent study on attitudes about IPV in Vietnam, we found that men often viewed IPV against women as normal and justified violence occurring when a husband was “hot-tempered,” drunk, or when the wife was seen as at fault. Men interviewed were often reluctant to endorse recourse-seeking on the part of the woman unless the violence was both frequent and severe. While frequent and severe IPV was seen as warranting recourse-seeking, infrequent or less severe IPV was normalized and seen as a private family issue. For less severe IPV, men felt that women could potentially engage in recourse such as running or hiding from a husband to avoid instances of IPV. Only when IPV was happening multiple times per week and was severe enough to warrant medical treatment was recourse such as approaching family or neighbors for help, notifying authorities, and petitioning for divorce seen as appropriate. Interventions with men are needed to support recourse-seeking for women and to reduce IPV in Vietnam.
Proactive frailty in primary care: A primary care system fit for frailty
Authors: Hughes Lloyd D , Verity Tara , Lawn Liz , Gompertz Deb
Published: October 2024

Older adults with frailty are at increased risk of premature death, and numerous negative sequalae including falls, disability, and dementia alongside increased healthcare costs. Most healthcare interactions for older people with frailty take place in primary care, and there is increasing interface working between primary and secondary care to manage this patient group including virtual wards, frailty management programmes and Hospital @ Home. This commentary aims to place proactive frailty into recent policy perspective, alongside highlighting some of the current challenges around the implementation of proactive frailty programmes.