bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Beyond technical skills training: The impact of credit counseling on the entrepreneurial behavior of Ugandan youth
Authors: Alzua Maria Laura , Baez Maria Josefina , Galiwango Samuel , Joloba Daniel , Kachero Benjamin , Lopera Maria Adelaida , Ssekandi Juliet , Zigiti Zeridah
Published: September 2023

There is low take‐up of financial credit among youth in Uganda because potential beneficiaries perceive associated risks as high. This study assesses the determinants of entrepreneurial risk tolerance among Ugandan youth using experimental data from a randomized control trial and a real‐life investment‐risk experiment. Credit counseling was provided to young men and women aged 18–35 who owned a business to educate them about the obligations and commitments associated with financial credit. The intervention had a significant impact on demand for credit and related intermediate outcomes such as ownership of a bank account and investment in assets. The study finds that youth exhibited lower demand for credit after business training because of increased awareness regarding the actual risks associated with receiving credit. Our findings reinforce national strategies to promote soft skills for business entrepreneurship that extend beyond standard business training.
The recovery of muscle function and glycogen levels following game‐play in young elite male ice hockey players
Authors: Thorsteinsson Hallur , Vigh‐Larsen Jeppe F. , Panduro Jeppe , Fristrup Bjørn , Kruse Daniel Zornow , Gliemann Lasse , Egeland Marte , Olesen Jens L. , Aagaard Per , Randers Morten B. , Krustrup Peter , Nybo Lars , Overgaard Kristian , Mohr Magni
Published: September 2023

Despite the frequent occurrence of congested game fixtures in elite ice hockey, the postgame recovery pattern has not previously been investigated. The purpose of the present study was therefore to evaluate the acute decrements and subsequent recovery of skeletal muscle glycogen levels, muscle function and repeated‐sprint ability following ice hockey game‐play. Sixteen male players from the Danish U20 national team completed a training game with muscle biopsies obtained before, postgame and following ~38 h of recovery (day 2). On‐ice repeated‐sprint ability and muscle function (maximal voluntary isometric [MVIC] and electrically induced low‐ (20 Hz) and high‐frequency (50 Hz) knee‐extensor contractions) were assessed at the same time points, as well as ~20 h into recovery (day 1). Muscle glycogen decreased 31% (p < 0.001) postgame and had returned to pregame levels on day 2. MVIC dropped 11%, whereas 50 and 20 Hz torque dropped 21% and 29% postgame, respectively, inducing a 10% reduction in the 20/50 Hz torque ratio indicative of low‐frequency force depression (all p < 0.001). While MVIC torque returned to baseline on day 1, 20 and 50 Hz torque remained depressed by 9%–11% (p = 0.010–0.040), hence restoring the pre‐exercise 20/50 Hz ratio. Repeated‐sprint ability was only marginally reduced by 1% postgame (p = 0.041) and fully recovered on day 1. In conclusion, an elite youth ice hockey game induces substantial reductions in muscle glycogen content and muscle function, but only minor reductions in repeated‐sprint ability and with complete recovery of all parameters within 1–2 days postgame.
Deep learning‐based reconstruction can improve canine thoracolumbar magnetic resonance image quality and reduce slice thickness
Authors: Kang Hyesun , Noh Daji , Lee Sang‐Kwon , Choi Sooyoung , Lee Kija
Published: September 2023

In veterinary practice, thin‐sliced thoracolumbar MRI is useful in detecting small lesions, especially in small‐breed dogs. However, it is challenging due to the partial volume averaging effect and increase in scan time. Currently, deep learning‐based reconstruction (DLR), a part of artificial intelligence, has been applied in diagnostic imaging. We hypothesized that the diagnostic performance of thin‐slice thoracolumbar MRI with DLR would be superior to conventional MRI. This prospective, method comparison study aimed to determine the adequate slice thickness of a deep learning model for thin‐slice thoracolumbar MRI. Sagittal and transverse T2‐weighted MRI at the thoracolumbar region were performed on 12 clinically healthy beagle dogs; the images obtained were categorized into five groups according to slice thickness: conventional thickness of 3 mm (3CON) and thicknesses of 3, 2, 1.5, and 1 mm with DLR (3DLR, 2DLR, 1.5DLR, and 1DLR, respectively). Quantitative analysis was performed using signal‐to‐noise ratio (SNR) and contrast‐to‐noise ratio. Qualitative analysis involved the evaluation of perceived SNR, structural visibility, and overall image quality using a four‐point scale. Moreover, nerve root visibility was evaluated using transverse images. Quantitative and qualitative values were compared among the five groups. Compared with the 3CON group, the 3DLR, 2DLR, and 1.5DLR groups exhibited significantly higher quantitative and qualitative values. Nerve root visibility was significantly higher in 2DLR, 1.5DLR, and 1DLR images than in 3DLR and 3CON images. Compared with conventional MRI, DLR reduced the slice thickness by up to one‐half and improved image quality in this sample of clinically healthy beagles.
THE RELATIONAL TURN IN UNDERSTANDING PERSONHOOD: PSYCHOLOGICAL, THEOLOGICAL, AND COMPUTATIONAL PERSPECTIVES
Authors: Watts Fraser , Dorobantu Marius
Published: September 2023

From the middle of the twentieth‐century onwards, there has been a growing emphasis on the importance of relationality in what it means to be human, which we call a “relational turn.” This is found in various domains, including philosophical psychology, psychoanalysis, and theological anthropology. Many have seen a close connection between relationality and personhood. In the second half of the article, we consider the implications of this trend for artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics. So far, AI has largely neglected relational intelligence, though that could perhaps be about to change. Cybernetics was rendered more open to assumptions about the contextuality of intelligence by its rather different assumptions from AI. Social robotics increasingly requires relational intelligence, and promising steps might be found in computational modeling of human relationships. Questions about whether robots can achieve personhood are difficult to resolve, though the possibility should not be ruled out.
Lecciones y retos para el diseño de políticas de educación para la paz en Colombia
Authors: Salas Garcia Angela
Published: September 2023

El artículo ofrece un recorrido por algunos escenarios de educación en sociedades en conflicto con el propósito de señalar cuatro retos de la educación para la paz que hacen parte del proceso de iniciado con el Acuerdo de Paz en 2016. El primer reto es erigir la infraestructura de cultura de paz, el segundo es fomentar la cobertura de la educación para la paz, el tercero es la comprensión crítica del conflicto y el cuarto es la compilación de esfuerzos o prácticas existentes que se resumen en la expresión construir sobre lo construido. El artículo sugiere que las experiencias previas en construcción de paz son insumos para el diseño de políticas educativas en el momento histórico del posacuerdo porque la educación para la paz es un proyecto de largo alcance y es una tarea abordada recientemente en Colombia, que encuentra referentes en la literatura académica.
The Ca
2+
channel ORAI1 is a regulator of oral cancer growth and nociceptive pain
Authors: Son Ga-Yeon , Tu Nguyen Huu , Santi Maria Daniela , Loya Lopez Santiago , Souza Bomfim Guilherme H. , Vinu Manikandan , Zhou Fang , Chaloemtoem Ariya , Alhariri Rama , Idaghdour Youssef , Khanna Rajesh , Ye Yi , Lacruz Rodrigo S.
Published: September 2023

Oral cancer causes pain associated with cancer progression. We report here that the function of the Ca
2+
channel ORAI1 is an important regulator of oral cancer pain.
ORAI1
was highly expressed in tumor samples from patients with oral cancer, and ORAI1 activation caused sustained Ca
2+
influx in human oral cancer cells. RNA-seq analysis showed that ORAI1 regulated many genes encoding oral cancer markers such as metalloproteases (MMPs) and pain modulators. Compared with control cells, oral cancer cells lacking
ORAI1
formed smaller tumors that elicited decreased allodynia when inoculated into mouse paws. Exposure of trigeminal ganglia neurons to MMP1 evoked an increase in action potentials. These data demonstrate an important role of ORAI1 in oral cancer progression and pain, potentially by controlling MMP1 abundance.
Lysine lactylation regulates metabolic pathways and biofilm formation in
Streptococcus mutans
Authors: Li Zhengyi , Gong Tao , Wu Qinrui , Zhang Yixin , Zheng Xin , Li Yuqing , Ren Biao , Peng Xian , Zhou Xuedong
Published: September 2023

In eukaryotes, lactate produced during glycolysis is involved in regulating multiple metabolic processes through lysine lactylation (Kla). To explore the potential link between metabolism and Kla in prokaryotes, we investigated the distribution of Kla in the cariogenic bacterium
Streptococcus mutans
during planktonic growth in low-sugar conditions and in biofilm-promoting, high-sugar conditions. We identified 1869 Kla sites in 469 proteins under these two conditions, with the biofilm growth state showing a greater number of lactylated sites and proteins. Although high sugar increased Kla globally, it reduced lactylation of RNA polymerase subunit α (RpoA) at Lys
173
. Lactylation at this residue inhibited the synthesis of extracellular polysaccharides, a major constituent of the cariogenic biofilm. The Gcn5-related N-acetyltransferase (GNAT) superfamily enzyme GNAT13 exhibited lysine lactyltransferase activity in cells and lactylated Lys
173
in RpoA in vitro. Either GNAT13 overexpression or lactylation of Lys
173
in RpoA inhibited biofilm formation. These results provide an overview of the distribution and potential functions of Kla and improve our understanding of the role of lactate in the metabolic regulation of prokaryotes.
Diverse Durham collection phages demonstrate complex BREX defense responses
Authors: Kelly Abigail , Went Sam C. , Mariano Giuseppina , Shaw Liam P. , Picton David M. , Duffner Samuel J. , Coates Isabel , Herdman-Grant Ryan , Gordeeva Julia , Drobiazko Alena , Isaev Artem , Lee Yan-Jiun , Luyten Yvette , Morgan Richard D. , Weigele Peter , Severinov Konstantin , Wenner Nicolas , Hinton Jay C. D. , Blower Tim R.
Published: September 2023

Bacteriophages (phages) outnumber bacteria ten-to-one and cause infections at a rate of 10
25
per second. The ability of phages to reduce bacterial populations makes them attractive alternative antibacterials for use in combating the rise in antimicrobial resistance. This effort may be hindered due to bacterial defenses such as Bacteriophage Exclusion (BREX) that have arisen from the constant evolutionary battle between bacteria and phages. For phages to be widely accepted as therapeutics in Western medicine, more must be understood about bacteria–phage interactions and the outcomes of bacterial phage defense. Here, we present the annotated genomes of 12 novel bacteriophage species isolated from water sources in Durham, UK, during undergraduate practical classes. The collection includes diverse species from across known phylogenetic groups. Comparative analyses of two novel phages from the collection suggest they may be founding members of a new genus. Using this Durham phage collection, we determined that particular BREX defense systems were likely to confer a varied degree of resistance against an invading phage. We concluded that the number of BREX target motifs encoded in the phage genome was not proportional to the degree of susceptibility.

IMPORTANCE

Bacteriophages have long been the source of tools for biotechnology that are in everyday use in molecular biology research laboratories worldwide. Phages make attractive new targets for the development of novel antimicrobials. While the number of phage genome depositions has increased in recent years, the expected bacteriophage diversity remains underrepresented. Here we demonstrate how undergraduates can contribute to the identification of novel phages and that a single City in England can provide ample phage diversity and the opportunity to find novel technologies. Moreover, we demonstrate that the interactions and intricacies of the interplay between bacterial phage defense systems such as Bacteriophage Exclusion (BREX) and phages are more complex than originally thought. Further work will be required in the field before the dynamic interactions between phages and bacterial defense systems are fully understood and integrated with novel phage therapies.
Identification of a novel viral factor inducing tumorous symptoms by disturbing vascular development
in planta
Authors: Atsumi Go , Naramoto Satoshi , Nishihara Masahiro , Nakatsuka Takashi , Tomita Reiko , Matsushita Yosuke , Hoshi Nobue , Shirakawa Asuka , Kobayashi Kappei , Fukuda Hiroo , Sekine Ken-Taro
Published: September 2023

Plant viruses induce various disease symptoms that substantially impact agriculture, but the underlying mechanisms of viral disease in plants are poorly understood. Kobu-sho is a disease in gentian that shows gall formation with ectopic development of lignified cells and vascular tissues such as xylem. Here, we show that a gene fragment of gentian Kobu-sho-associated virus, which is designated as Kobu-sho-inducing factor (
KOBU
), induces gall formation accompanied by ectopic development of lignified cells and xylem-like tissue in
Nicotiana benthamiana
. Transgenic gentian expressing
KOBU
exhibited tumorous symptoms, confirming the gall-forming activity of
KOBU
. Surprisingly,
KOBU
expression can also induce differentiation of an additional leaf-like tissue on the abaxial side of veins in normal
N. benthamiana
and gentian leaves. Transcriptome analysis with
Arabidopsis thaliana
expressing
KOBU
revealed that
KOBU
activates signaling pathways that regulate xylem development. KOBU protein forms granules and plate-like structures and co-localizes with mRNA splicing factors within the nucleus. Our findings suggest that
KOBU
is a novel pleiotropic virulence factor that stimulates vascular and leaf development.

IMPORTANCE

While various mechanisms determine disease symptoms in plants depending on virus-host combinations, the details of how plant viruses induce symptoms remain largely unknown in most plant species. Kobu-sho is a disease in gentian that shows gall formation with ectopic development of lignified cells and vascular tissues such as xylem. Our findings demonstrate that a gene fragment of gentian Kobu-sho-associated virus (GKaV), which is designated as Kobu-sho-inducing factor, induces the gall formation accompanied by the ectopic development of lignified cells and xylem-like tissue in
Nicotiana benthamiana
. The molecular mechanism by which gentian Kobu-sho-associated virus induces the Kobu-sho symptoms will provide new insight into not only plant-virus interactions but also the regulatory mechanisms underlying vascular and leaf development.
Evolutionary conservation of an ancient retroviral
gagpol
gene in Artiodactyla
Authors: Simpson J'Zaria , Kozak Christine A. , Boso Guney
Published: September 2023

The genomes of mammals contain fingerprints of past infections by ancient retroviruses that invaded the germline of their ancestors. Most of these endogenous retroviruses (ERVs) contain only remnants of the original retrovirus; however, on rare occasions, ERV genes can be co-opted for a beneficial host function. While most studies of co-opted ERVs have focused on envelope genes, including the syncytins that function in placentation, there are examples of co-opted
gag
genes including one we recently discovered in simian primates. Here, we searched for other intact
gag
genes in non-primate mammalian lineages. We began by examining the genomes of extant camel species, which represent a basal lineage in the order Artiodactyla. This identified a
gagpol
gene with a large open reading frame (ORF) (>3,500 bp) in the same orthologous location in Artiodactyla species but that is absent in other mammals. Thus, this ERV was fixed in the common ancestor of all Artiodactyla at least 64 million years ago. The amino acid sequence of this gene, termed
ARTgagpol
, contains recognizable matrix, capsid, nucleocapsid, and reverse transcriptase domains in ruminants, with an RNase H domain in camels and pigs. Phylogenetic analysis and structural prediction of its reverse transcriptase and RNase H domains groups
ARTgagpol
with gammaretroviruses. Transcriptomic analysis shows
ARTgagpol
expression in multiple tissues suggestive of a co-opted host function. These findings identify the oldest and largest ERV-derived
gagpol
gene with an intact ORF in mammals, an intriguing milestone in the co-evolution of mammals and retroviruses.

IMPORTANCE

Retroviruses are unique among viruses that infect animals as they integrate their reverse-transcribed double-stranded DNA into host chromosomes. When this happens in a germline cell, such as sperm, egg, or their precursors, the integrated retroviral copies can be passed on to the next generation as endogenous retroviruses (ERVs). On rare occasions, the genes of these ERVs can be domesticated by the host. In this study we used computational similarity searches to identify an ancient ERV with an intact viral
gagpol
gene in the genomes of camels that is also found in the same genomic location in other even-toed ungulates suggesting that it is at least 64 million years old. Broad tissue expression and predicted preservation of the reverse transcriptase fold of this protein suggest that it may be domesticated for a host function. This is the oldest known intact
gagpol
gene of an ancient retrovirus in mammals.
Astrovirus replication is dependent on induction of double-membrane vesicles through a PI3K-dependent, LC3-independent pathway
Authors: Bub Theresa , Hargest Virginia , Tan Shaoyuan , Smith Maria , Vazquez-Pagan Ana , Flerlage Tim , Brigleb Pamela , Meliopoulos Victoria , Lindenbach Brett , Ramanathan Harish N. , Cortez Valerie , Crawford Jeremy Chase , Schultz-Cherry Stacey
Published: September 2023

Human astrovirus is a positive-sense, single-stranded RNA virus. Astrovirus infection causes gastrointestinal symptoms and can lead to encephalitis in immunocompromised patients. Positive-strand RNA viruses typically utilize host intracellular membranes to form replication organelles, which are potential antiviral targets. Many of these replication organelles are double-membrane vesicles (DMVs). Here, we show that astrovirus infection leads to an increase in DMV formation through a replication-dependent mechanism that requires some early components of the autophagy machinery. Results indicate that the upstream class III phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) complex, but not LC3 conjugation machinery, is utilized in DMV formation. Both chemical and genetic inhibition of the PI3K complex lead to significant reduction in DMVs, as well as viral replication. Elucidating the role of autophagy machinery in DMV formation during astrovirus infection reveals a potential target for therapeutic intervention for immunocompromised patients.

IMPORTANCE

These studies provide critical new evidence that astrovirus replication requires formation of double-membrane vesicles, which utilize class III phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K), but not LC3 conjugation autophagy machinery, for biogenesis. These results are consistent with replication mechanisms for other positive-sense RNA viruses suggesting that targeting PI3K could be a promising therapeutic option for not only astrovirus, but other positive-sense RNA virus infections.
Bioluminescent monitoring of recombinant lactic acid bacteria and their products
Authors: Choi In Young , Oh Jee-Hwan , Wang Zhiying , van Pijkeren Jan-Peter
Published: September 2023

Biotherapeutic strategies to promote health, including the application of engineered microbes to deliver therapeutic molecules, hold strong promise. However, without precision tools to detect therapeutic microbes and their products, we are hampered in our ability to monitor and fine-tune therapeutic delivery. Here, we adapted a bioluminescent peptide tagging system for use in lactic acid bacteria, a group of organisms whose members are commonly exploited as delivery vehicles of therapeutics and vaccines. As a proof of concept, we developed various
Limosilactobacillus reuteri
strains that each produced a recombinant therapeutic protein with an 11 amino acid tag, which is essential to yield a luminescent signal. Luminescent-based quantification of recombinant protein was more sensitive than commercially available immunoassays. In addition, we demonstrated that the bioluminescent peptide tagging system allows
in situ
recombinant protein detection in a continuous-culture parallel bioreactor system. This presents an exciting opportunity to determine recombinant protein production dynamics in response to different stimuli. Finally, following oral administration of recombinant microbes, luminescence in intestinal and fecal samples allowed for rapid detection of microbes with equal sensitivity to conventional plate count. Because we demonstrated the functionality of this bioluminescent peptide tagging system in 12 species encompassing nine genera
,
our approach will create previously unexplored opportunities in lactic acid bacteria research.

IMPORTANCE

Lactic acid bacteria constitute a genetically diverse group of microorganisms with significant roles in the food industry, biotechnology, agriculture, and medicine. A core understanding of bacterial physiology in diverse environments is crucial to select and develop bacteria for industrial and medical applications. However, there is a lack of versatile tools to track (recombinant) protein production in lactic acid bacteria. In this study, we adapted a peptide-based bioluminescent tagging system that is functional across multiple genera and species. This system enables tracking of tagged proteins both
in vitro
and
in situ
, while it also can be used to enumerate recombinant bacteria from the mouse gastrointestinal tract with accuracy comparable to that of conventional plate counts. Our work expands the lactic acid bacteria genetic toolbox and will facilitate researchers in industry and academia with opportunities to monitor microbes and proteins under different physiologically relevant conditions.
Characterization of a monoclonal antibody specific to California serogroup orthobunyaviruses and development as a chimeric immunoglobulin M-positive control in human diagnostics
Authors: Powers Jordan A. , Boroughs Karen L. , Mikula Sierra , Goodman Christin H. , Davis Emily H. , Thrasher Elisa M. , Hughes Holly R. , Biggerstaff Brad J. , Calvert Amanda E.
Published: September 2023

California serogroup viruses (CSGVs) of medical importance in the United States include La Crosse virus, Jamestown Canyon virus (JCV), California encephalitis virus, and snowshoe hare virus. Current diagnosis of CSGVs relies heavily on serologic techniques for detecting immunoglobulin M (IgM), an indication of a recent CSGV infection. However, human-positive control sera reactive to viruses in the serogroup are scarce because detection of recent infections is rare. Here, we describe the development of new murine monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) reactive to CSGVs and the engineering of a human-murine chimeric antibody by combining the variable regions of the broadly CSGV cross-reactive murine MAb, 3-3B6/2-3B2 and the constant region of the human IgM. MAb 3-3B6/2-3B2 recognizes a tertiary epitope on the Gn/Gc heterodimer, and epitopes important in JCV neutralization were mapped to the Gc glycoprotein. This engineered human IgM constitutively expressed in a HEK-293 stable cell line can replace human-positive control sera in diagnostic serological techniques such as IgM antibody capture enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (MAC-ELISA). Compared to the parent murine MAbs, the human-chimeric IgM antibody had identical serological activity to CSGVs in ELISA and demonstrated equivalent reactivity compared to human immune sera in the MAC-ELISA.

Importance

Orthobunyaviruses in the California serogroup cause severe neurological disease in children and adults. While these viruses are known to circulate widely in North America, their occurrence is rare. Serological testing for CSGVs is hindered by the limited availability and volumes of human-positive specimens needed as controls in serologic assays. Here, we described the development of a murine monoclonal antibody cross-reactive to CSGVs engineered to contain the variable regions of the murine antibody on the backbone of human IgM. The chimeric IgM produced from the stably expressing HEK293 cell line was evaluated for use as a surrogate human-positive control in a serologic diagnostic test.
Neurofibromatosis type 1 first presented as hypertensive crisis
Authors: Xi Shuo , Mohammed Abdul Haleem , Tarafdar Surjit
Published: September 2023

Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) is known to cause vascular complications including stenotic and aneurysmal disease. Here, we report a case of a woman in her early 20s, who presented with unilateral facial nerve palsy and hypertensive crisis, and was later found to have multiple bilateral intrarenal microaneurysms along with classic cutaneous manifestations of NF1. A causal relationship between the pathophysiology of NF1 and the development of renal artery microaneurysm and hypertension is proposed in this case report.
Income mortality paradox by immigrants’ duration of residence in Sweden: a population register-based study
Authors: Miething Alexander , Juárez Sol P
Published: September 2023

Background

Studies have shown that, compared with the general native population, immigrants display weaker or absent income gradients in mortality. The aim of this study is to examine the extent to which the income gradient is modified by immigrants’ duration of residence in Sweden.

Methods

Swedish register data from 2004 to 2016 were used to study the association between individual income and all-cause mortality among foreign-born and Swedish-born individuals at ages 25–64 years. Based on relative indices of inequality (RIIs) and slope indices of inequality (SIIs) derived from Poisson regressions, we measured relative and absolute mortality differentials between the least and most advantaged income ranks. The analyses were stratified by sex, immigrants’ European or non-European origin, and immigrants’ duration of residence in Sweden.

Results

The relative income inequality in mortality among immigrant men was less than half (RII: 2.32; 95% CI: 2.15 to 2.50) than that of Swedish-born men (RII: 6.25; 95% CI: 6.06 to 6.44). The corresponding RII among immigrant women was 1.23 (95% CI: 1.13 to 1.34) compared with an RII of 2.75 (95% CI: 2.65 to 2.86) among Swedish-born women. Inequalities in mortality were lowest among immigrants who resided for less than 10 years in Sweden, and most pronounced among immigrants who resided for more than 20 years in the country. Corresponding analyses of absolute income inequalities in mortality based on the SII were largely consistent with the observed relative inequalities in mortality.

Conclusions

Income inequalities in mortality among immigrants differ by duration of residence in Sweden, suggesting that health inequalities develop in the receiving context.
Development and validation of frailty and malnutrition knowledge assessment scale for community-dwelling older adults
Authors: Sun Xuemei , Gao Yinyan , Chen Yancong , Qin Lang , Lin Yali , Song Jinlu , Zhang Zixuan , Wang Huan , Feng Hui , Tan Hongzhuan , Chen Qiong , Peng Linlin , Dai Wenjie , Wu Irene X.Y.
Published: September 2023

There is a lack of reliable tools to assess the knowledge of frailty and malnutrition in community-dwelling older adults. To develop and validate reliable frailty and malnutrition knowledge assessment scales for this population, two scales were developed and validated through five phases. Phase 1: the item pools were constructed through a literature review and research panel based on the symptom interpretation model. Phase 2: the expert consultation was performed to select the items. Phase 3: a pilot survey was conducted to assess the clarity of the items and further revise the scales. Phase 4: 242 older adults were surveyed to finalize the items. Phase 5: 241 older adults were surveyed to test the psychometric properties. The two scales each comprise 3 dimensions (symptoms, risk factors, and management strategies) and 11 items. They had good construct validity, with all indicators of correlation analysis and confirmatory factor analysis meeting their specific criteria. The reliability of the frailty and malnutrition knowledge assessment scales was good, with composite reliability coefficients all >0.60, Cronbach's alpha being 0.81 and 0.83, and the Spearman–Brown coefficient being 0.74 and 0.80, respectively. Their acceptability was good, with both having a completion rate of 92.18% and an average completion time of 3 min. The two scales are reliable tools to assess the knowledge of frailty and malnutrition among community-dwelling older adults, especially for large-scale surveys. They can help identify knowledge gaps in older adults and provide a basis for developing targeted educational interventions.
The evolution of the primordial curvature perturbation in the ultraslow-roll inflation
Authors: Zhao Hao-Ran , Liu Yi-Chen , Zhao Ji-Xiang , Li Nan
Published: September 2023

A plateau on the background inflaton potential can lead inflation into the ultraslow-roll (USR) stage, during which the primordial curvature perturbation $${{{\mathscr {R}}}}$$
R
can still remarkably evolve outside the horizon. In this paper, the evolution of the Fourier mode $${{{\mathscr {R}}}}_k$$

R
k

and the resulting power spectrum $${{\mathscr {P}}}_{{{\mathscr {R}}}}(k)$$

P
R

(
k
)

are systematically investigated. It is found that, when a scale crosses the horizon well before or after the USR stage, $${{{\mathscr {R}}}}_k$$

R
k

only revolves around the origin in the complex plane. In contrast, if a scale crosses the horizon around the start of the USR stage, the argument of $${{{\mathscr {R}}}}_k$$

R
k

will be nearly frozen and $${{{\mathscr {R}}}}_k$$

R
k

will have a subsequent linear evolution accordingly, in which it may stop rather near or extremely far away from the origin, naturally explaining the entire growing stage of $${{\mathscr {P}}}_{{{\mathscr {R}}}}(k)$$

P
R

(
k
)

on small scales from the minimum to the peak. Moreover, there is a sharp dip in $${{\mathscr {P}}}_{{{\mathscr {R}}}}(k)$$

P
R

(
k
)

, but the lowest point cannot reach 0 exactly. Our work provides a whole picture for $${{{\mathscr {R}}}}_k$$

R
k

and $${{\mathscr {P}}}_{{{\mathscr {R}}}}(k)$$

P
R

(
k
)

in the USR inflation and will help our understanding of the relevant primordial black hole and gravitational wave physics.
Geodesic completeness of effective null geodesics in regular space-times with non-linear electrodynamics
Authors: Guerrero Merce , Olmo Gonzalo J. , Rubiera-Garcia Diego
Published: September 2023

We study the completeness of light trajectories in certain spherically symmetric regular geometries found in Palatini theories of gravity threaded by non-linear (electromagnetic) fields, which makes their propagation to happen along geodesics of an effective metric. Two types of geodesic restoration mechanisms are employed: by pushing the focal point to infinite affine distance, thus unreachable in finite time by any sets of geodesics, or by the presence of a defocusing surface associated to the development of a wormhole throat. We discuss several examples of such geometries to conclude the completeness of all such effective paths. Our results are of interest both for the finding of singularity-free solutions and for the analysis of their optical appearances e.g. in shadow observations.
Mixed-spin 1/2 and 3/2 core-shell structured triangular Ising nanowire on the Bethe lattice
Authors: Albayrak Erhan
Published: September 2023

The triangular-type Ising nanowire is constructed on the Bethe lattice (BL) by using the core-shell structure consisting of spin-3/2 atoms as the core and spin-1/2 atoms as the triangular shell. Each triangular plaquette of spins forms a nanoparticle which is connected to upper and lower plaquettes symmetrically. The additions of the plaquettes continue indefinitely until the thermodynamic limit to construct the nanowire. The inter- and intra-bilinear interaction parameters (J) are assumed to be positive or negative to simulate the ferromagnetic (FM) or antiferromagnetic (AFM) interactions, respectively. The crystal field for spin-3/2 and external magnetic field for all sites are also included into the model. After obtaining the formulation of the model in terms of exact recursion relations (ERRs), the thermal variations of magnetizations are studied in detail to obtain the phase diagrams. It is found that the model leads to different types of FM and AFM regions with various forms of phase transitions. It is also interesting that the model presents random or oscillatory magnetization behavior regions for the appropriate values of our system parameters.
Lomonosov Ridge Composite Tectono-Sedimentary Element, Arctic Ocean
Authors: Abdelmalak Mansour M. , Minakov Alexander , Faleide Jan Inge , Drachev Sergey S.
Published: September 2023

The Lomonosov Ridge (LR) is a sliver of continental crust, a microcontinent that stretches across the Arctic Ocean and separates the Mesozoic Amerasia Basin from the Cenozoic Eurasia Basin. The LR is thought to have been separated from the northern Barents Sea–Kara Sea passive continental margin by continental rifting at about 56–53 Ma and the subsequent formation of the oceanic crust in the Eurasia Basin. Following the nomenclature of this volume, the sedimentary succession of the LR and nearby area forms a composite tectono-sedimentary element containing an assemblage of the following main tectono-sedimentary elements (TSEs): (1) an undefined group of pre-rift TSEs mostly composed of Mesozoic and poorly known Paleozoic successions; (2) the Cretaceous–Paleocene synrift TSE; and (3) the Eocene–Holocene post-rift TSE. The age of the LR's folded and metamorphosed basement can be inferred based on correlations to basement units of the northern Eurasian passive continental margin, which may include a variety of geological structures formed during Timanian, Caledonian, late Paleozoic and Mesozoic orogenic events. The pre-rift TSE includes the oldest and most poorly known offshore sedimentary succession in the Arctic region. The lithostratigraphic units of these basins were mainly characterized from a handful samples collected at the seafloor and by correlation with better known stratigraphy of the conjugate continental margin. The synrift TSE of Cretaceous–Paleocene age has been defined based on seismic data and samples of sedimentary rocks recovered during the Arctic Coring Expedition (ACEX), as well as from seismic facies correlation between the LR and the Podvodnikov–Makarov, Laptev and East Siberian Sea basins. The post-rift Cenozoic sedimentary record was documented by the ACEX well in the central part of the LR.
Multi-aspect Graph Contrastive Learning for Review-enhanced Recommendation
Authors: Wang Ke , Zhu Yanmin , Zang Tianzi , Wang Chunyang , Liu Kuan , Ma Peibo
Published: September 2023

Review-based recommender systems explore semantic aspects of users’ preferences by incorporating user-generated reviews into rating-based models. Recent works have demonstrated the potential of review information to improve the recommendation capacity. However, most existing studies rely on optimizing review-based representation learning part, thus failing to explicitly capture the fine-grained semantic aspects, and also ignoring the intrinsic correlation between ratings and reviews. To address these problems, we propose a multi-aspect graph contrastive learning framework, named MAGCL, with three distinctive designs: (i) a multi-aspect representation learning module, which projects semantic relations to different subspaces by decoupling review information, and then obtains high-order decoupled representations in each aspect via graph encoder. (ii) the contrastive learning module performs graph contrastive learning to capture the correlation between rating and review patterns, which utilize unlabeled data to generate self-supervised signals and, in turn, relieve the data sparsity problem of supervision signals. (iii) the multi-task learning module conducts joint training to learn high-order structure-aware yet self-discriminative node representations by combining recommendation task and self-supervised task, which helps alleviate the over-smoothing problem. Extensive experiments are conducted on four real-world review datasets and the results show the superiority of the proposed framework MAGCL compared with several state of the arts. We also provide further analysis on multi-aspect representations and graph contrastive learning to verify the advantage of proposed framework.
Block-level Image Service for the Cloud
Authors: Li Huiba , Zhang Zhihao , Yuan Yifan , Du Rui , Ma Kai , Liu Lanzheng , Zhang Yiming , Hsu Windsor
Published: September 2023

Businesses increasingly need agile and elastic computing infrastructure to respond quickly to real-world situations. By offering efficient process-based virtualization and a layered image system, containers are designed to enable agile and elastic application deployment. However, creating or updating large container clusters is still slow due to the image downloading and unpacking process. In this article, we present
DADI
Image Service (DADI), a block-level image service for increased agility and elasticity in deploying applications.
DADI
replaces the waterfall model of starting containers (downloading image, unpacking image, starting container) with fine-grained on-demand transfer of remote images, realizing instant start of containers. To accelerate the cold start of containers,
DADI
designs a pull-based prefetching mechanism that allows a host to read necessary image data beforehand at the granularity of image layers. We design a peer-to-peer–based decentralized image sharing architecture to balance traffic among all the participating hosts and propose a pull-push collaborative prefetching mechanism to accelerate cold start.
DADI
efficiently supports various kinds of runtimes including cgroups, QEMU, and so on, further realizing “build once, run anywhere.”
DADI
has been deployed at scale in the production environment of Alibaba, serving one of the world’s largest ecommerce platforms. Performance results show that
DADI
can cold start 10,000 containers on 1,000 hosts within 4 s.
A High-performance RDMA-oriented Learned Key-value Store for Disaggregated Memory Systems
Authors: Li Pengfei , Hua Yu , Zuo Pengfei , Chen Zhangyu , Sheng Jiajie
Published: September 2023

Disaggregated memory systems separate monolithic servers into different components, including compute and memory nodes, to enjoy the benefits of high resource utilization, flexible hardware scalability, and efficient data sharing. By exploiting the high-performance RDMA (Remote Direct Memory Access), the compute nodes directly access the remote memory pool without involving remote CPUs. Hence, the ordered key-value (KV) stores (e.g., B-trees and learned indexes) keep all data sorted to provide range query services via the high-performance network. However, existing ordered KVs fail to work well on the disaggregated memory systems, due to either consuming multiple network roundtrips to search the remote data or heavily relying on the memory nodes equipped with insufficient computing resources to process data modifications. In this article, we propose a scalable RDMA-oriented KV store with learned indexes, called ROLEX, to coalesce the ordered KV store in the disaggregated systems for efficient data storage and retrieval. ROLEX leverages a retraining-decoupled learned index scheme to dissociate the model retraining from data modification operations via adding a bias and some data movement constraints to learned models. Based on the operation decoupling, data modifications are directly executed in compute nodes via one-sided RDMA verbs with high scalability. The model retraining is hence removed from the critical path of data modification and asynchronously executed in memory nodes by using dedicated computing resources. ROLEX efficiently alleviates the fragmentation and garbage collection issues, due to allocating and reclaiming space via fixed-size leaves that are accessed via the atomic-size leaf numbers. Our experimental results on YCSB and real-world workloads demonstrate that ROLEX achieves competitive performance on the static workloads, as well as significantly improving the performance on dynamic workloads by up to 2.2× over state-of-the-art schemes on the disaggregated memory systems. We have released the open-source codes for public use in GitHub.
Laplace Transform Methods for Transient Diffusion; or, Some Good Questions from Ralph White
Authors: Monroe Charles W.
Published: September 2023

Motivated by years of correspondence with Prof. Ralph White, I discuss two unconventional ways to solve diffusion problems with Laplace transforms. A method to derive error-function series, alternatives to Fourier series that converge rapidly and avoid the Gibbs phenomenon at short times, is illustrated by example. It is shown how Mittag-Leffler partial-fractions expansions can facilitate derivations of Fourier-series solutions from the same starting point. Several basic problems pertinent to electrochemical transport are analyzed, culminating in the development of a modified Cottrell equation applicable to thin films of unsupported electrolytic solutions sandwiched between planar electrodes.
Iron homeostasis in mice: does liver lobe matter?
Authors: Colucci Silvia , Carvalho Oliveira Tiago , Muckenthaler Martina U. , Marques Oriana
Published: September 2023

This study reveals that, despite being structurally separated, liver lobes from C57BL/6 wild-type and iron-overloaded mice can be used interchangeably for the evaluation of iron content and expression of iron-related genes.
Impact of Eggshell Powder on the Mechanical and Thermal Properties of Lightweight Geopolymer
Authors: Rathinavel Nidhya , Kannadasan Kavikumaran , Mohamed Ismail Abdul Aleem , Degife Mammo Wubishet , Alagar Muthukaruppan
Published: September 2023

Adopting proper waste management technology in the place of the construction industry to the extent possible to lower the production of new materials and intern reduces the environmental impact pertaining to the industry. In this work, eggshell powder (ESP; waste from the poultry industry) and fly ash (FA; waste from combustion of coal) were utilized as precursors for producing geopolymer and to substitute conventional cement-based construction materials. Three different weight percentage ratios of precursors, namely, 90FA:10ESP, 80FA:20ESP, and 70FA:30ESP were reinforced with two different weight percentages, namely, 15 and 30 wt% of paddy straw in the presence of suitable combinations of sodium silicate and sodium hydroxide to obtain lightweight geopolymer panels. Results received from different analytical tests, namely, density, water absorption, compressive strength, and flexural strength infer that the incorporation of ESP enhances the performance of the geopolymer products to a considerable extent. The specimen sample made using 70FA:30ESP in the absence of paddy straw reinforcement possesses a compressive strength value of 15.64 MPa, which is higher than that of paddy straw reinforced panels. It was observed that there was a reverse trend noticed in the case of flexural behavior on reinforcement of paddy straw, namely, 15 wt% possesses a higher value than that of the panel (70FA:30ESP) made using in the absence of reinforcement. The lowest thermal conductivity value was observed at 0.0633 W/m·K for the sample 90FA:10ESP reinforced with 30% paddy straw. Data from different studies infer that using ESP and paddy straw reinforcement influences strength properties and thermal conductivity. The present study indicates valid information related to the using biowastes for the production of insulation materials and environmental preservation and energy conservation.
Study on the Prediction of Residual Life of Concrete Rectangular Beams after Fire
Authors: Wang Zhongqiang , Huang Guan , Wang Yaodong
Published: September 2023

To study concrete members’ safety and residual life after fire damage, this study takes concrete beams as the research object. Then, it predicts the residual energy of concrete beams after fire by investigating their temperature field after the fire and deriving the required data for studying the corresponding residual life. This study first establishes the temperature field model of concrete beams under fire by using the finite element software ABAQUS, selects the ISO-834 standard warming curve as the fire condition, and obtains the thermodynamic parameters and calculation formulas of concrete and steel reinforcement from a large number of experiments and examples, to provide reliable materials for the temperature field simulation, reliability analysis, and residual life prediction by using the finite element software ABAQUS afterward. The results obtained from the temperature field simulation are used to calculate the probability of failure using the Monte Carlo method calculation program prepared by MATLAB software in conjunction with the equation of limit state to derive the results of the residual life of the concrete member. When the concrete beam with a definite strength of C40 and a thickness of the protective layer of 35 mm undergoes a fire for 2 hours, the residual life of the concrete beam is 13 years and 7 years, respectively, under the requirements of the general building and the use of the essential building components. They are about 13 years and 7 years, respectively. To verify the reasonableness of the derived equations, confirmed cases are used to demonstrate the feasibility. Finally, by analyzing the results of reliability and remaining life under different working conditions, it can be concluded that the concrete grade and the thickness of the concrete protective layer have a significant effect on the remaining life of concrete beams after the fire, regardless of the requirements of general or essential building components.
Exertional Dyspnea Incidentally Diagnosed as Sarcoidosis: A Teaching Hospital Experience
Authors: Nartey Melvina , Ulzen-Appiah Kofi
Published: September 2023

Background. Sarcoidosis is a complex disease with nonspecific etiology and clinical presentation. Its diagnosis is often delayed due to the absence of a single specific investigation modality. A multidisciplinary approach is necessary for its diagnosis. Report. A 49-year-old male presented with recurrent dyspnea on exertion, easy fatigue, and chest pain after several visits to different health facilities over 5 months. A diagnosis of pulmonary sarcoidosis was made after a series of laboratory and imaging investigations were done revealing bilateral reticonodular opacifications, noncaseating granulomata, elevated serum ACE and calcium levels consistent with sarcoidosis. Conclusion. Sarcoidosis, although a rare presentation in our setting, may easily be overlooked or misdiagnosed if a holistic or multidisciplinary approach is not employed in its diagnosis. Nonspecificity of symptoms contributes to the delayed diagnosis.