bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Bubble misalignment mechanism for axions
Authors: Lee Junseok , Murai Kai , Takahashi Fuminobu , Yin Wen
Published: May 2024

We study the dynamics of axions at first-order phase transitions in non-Abelian gauge theories.
When the duration of the phase transition is short compared to the timescale of the axion oscillations, the axion dynamics is similar to the trapped misalignment mechanism. On the other hand, if this is not the case, the axions are initially expelled from the inside of the bubbles, generating axion waves on the outside. Analogous to the Fermi acceleration, these axions gain energy by repeatedly scattering off the bubble walls. Once they acquire enough energy, they can enter the bubbles.
If the axion oscillations are relevant only inside the bubbles during the phase transition, the axion abundance is significantly enhanced compared to models where the axion mass is either constant or varies continuously as a function of temperature. The increase in axion abundance depends on the axion mass, the duration of the phase transition, and the bubble wall velocity.
This mechanism results in a spatially inhomogeneous distribution of axions, which could lead to the formation of axion miniclusters.
It has potential implications for
the formation of oscillons/I-balls, axion warm dark matter, cosmic birefringence,
and the production of dark photons.
Collapsing universe before time
Authors: Shiu Gary , Tonioni Flavio , Tran Hung V.
Published: May 2024

In this note, we prove analytic bounds on the equation of state of a cosmological fluid composed of an arbitrary number of canonical scalars evolving in a negative multi-exponential potential. Because of the negative energy, the universe is contracting and eventually undergoes a big crunch. A contracting universe is a fundamental feature of models of ekpyrosis and cyclic universes, which are a proposed alternative to cosmic inflation to solve the flatness and horizon problems. Our analytic bounds set quantitative constraints on general effective theories of ekpyrosis. When applied to specific top-down constructions, our bounds can be used to determine whether ekpyrosis could in principle be realized. We point out some possible sources of tension in realizing the ekpyrotic universe in controlled constructions of string theory.
Remarks on overestimating the effects of inhomogeneities on the Hubble constant
Authors: Miura Taishi , Tanaka Takahiro
Published: May 2024

The Hubble constant is one of the most important parameters in cosmology. Discrepancies
in values of the Hubble constant estimated from various measurements, the so-called Hubble
tension, are a serious problem. In this paper, we study the effects of small-scale
inhomogeneities of structure formation on the measurement of the Hubble constant using the
luminosity distance-redshift relation. By adopting the adhesion model in Newtonian cosmology as
the model of structure formation, we investigate whether or not the effects of inhomogeneities can
be sufficiently large to affect the current observations of the Hubble constant. We show that
inappropriate treatment of the effects of inhomogeneities can cause a large deviation of the
measured value of the Hubble constant from the background value, whose magnitude is comparable
with the Hubble tension. Our main message is the importance of adopting an appropriate model of
structure formation to investigate the effects of inhomogeneities. We also add discussion on the
spatial averaging approach used to estimate the measured Hubble constant in the
inhomogeneous universe.
The possible

K

K

¯

*

and

D

D

¯

*

bound and resonance states by solving the Schrodinger equation
Authors: Sun Bao-Xi , Cao Qin-Qin , Sun Ying-Tai
Published: May 2024

The Schrodinger equation with a Yukawa type of potential is solved analytically. When different boundary conditions are taken into account, a series of solutions are indicated as a Bessel function, the first kind of Hankel function and the second kind of Hankel function, respectively. Subsequently, the scattering processes of

K

K

¯

*

and

D

D

¯

*

are investigated. In the

K

K

¯

*

sector, the f
1(1285) particle is treated as a

K

K

¯

*

bound state, therefore, the coupling constant in the

K

K

¯

*

Yukawa potential can be fixed according to the binding energy of the f
1(1285) particle. Consequently, a

K

K

¯

*

resonance state is generated by solving the Schrodinger equation with the outgoing wave condition, which lies at 1417 − i18 MeV on the complex energy plane. It is reasonable to assume that the

K

K

¯

*

resonance state at 1417 − i18 MeV might correspond to the f
1(1420) particle in the review of the Particle Data Group. In the

D

D

¯

*

sector, since the X(3872) particle is almost located at the

D

D

¯

*

threshold, its binding energy is approximately equal to zero. Therefore, the coupling constant in the

D

D

¯

*

Yukawa potential is determined, which is related to the first zero point of the zero-order Bessel function. Similarly to the

K

K

¯

*

case, four resonance states are produced as solutions of the Schrodinger equation with the outgoing wave condition. It is assumed that the resonance states at 3885 − i1 MeV, 4029 − i108 MeV, 4328 − i191 MeV and 4772 − i267 MeV might be associated with the Zc(3900), the X(3940), the χ

c1(4274) and χ

c1(4685) particles, respectively. It is noted that all solutions are isospin degenerate.
Piezoelectric fibers based on silk fibroin with excellent output performance
Authors: Zhen 甄 Wenqiang 文强 , Chen 陈 Jie 杰 , Fan 范 Suna 苏娜 , Zhang 张 Yaopeng 耀鹏
Published: May 2024

The self-powered tissue engineering scaffold with good biocompatibility is of great significance for stimulating nerve cell growth. In this study, silk fibroin (SF)-based fibers with regulatable structure and piezoelectric performance are fabricated by dry-spinning and post-treatment. The concentration of SF and calcium ion in spinning dope and the post-treatment affect the conformation transition and crystallinity of SF. As a result, the SF fibers exhibit high piezoelectric coefficient d
33 (3.24 pm/V) and output voltage (∼ 27 V). Furthermore, these piezoelectric fibers promote the growth of PC-12 cells, demonstrating the promising potential for nerve repair and other energy harvester.
Security analysis of satellite-to-ground reference-frame-independent quantum key distribution with beam wandering
Authors: Zhou 周 Chun 淳 , Zhao 赵 Yan-Mei 燕美 , Yang 杨 Xiao-Liang 晓亮 , Lu 陆 Yi-Fei 宜飞 , Zhou 周 Yu 雨 , Jiang 姜 Xiao-Lei 晓磊 , Wang 汪 Hai-Tao 海涛 , Wang 汪 Yang 洋 , Li 李 Jia-Ji 家骥 , Jiang 江 Mu-Sheng 木生 , Wang 汪 Xiang 翔 , Zhang 张 Hai-Long 海龙 , Li 李 Hong-Wei 宏伟 , Bao 鲍 Wan-Su 皖苏
Published: May 2024

The reference-frame-independent (RFI) quantum key distribution (QKD) is suitable for satellite-based links by removing the active alignment on the reference frames. However, how the beam wandering influences the performance of RFI-QKD remains a pending issue in satellite-to-ground links. In this paper, based on the mathematical model for characterizing beam wandering, we present the security analysis for satellite-to-ground RFI-QKD and analytically derive formulas for calculating the secret key rate with beam wandering. Our simulation results show that the performance of RFI-QKD is better than the Bennett–Brassard 1984 (BB84) QKD with beam wandering in asymptotic case. Furthermore, the degree of influences of beam wandering is specifically presented for satellite-to-ground RFI-QKD when statistical fluctuations are taken into account. Our work can provide theoretical support for the realization of RFI-QKD using satellite-to-ground links and have implications for the construction of large-scale satellite-based quantum networks.
Observed decade-long improvement of combustion efficiency in the Yangtze River Delta region in China
Authors: Zhao Jiarui , Chen Huilin , Qi Ximeng , Chi Xuguang , Jia Mengwei , Jiang Fei , Zhong Sheng , Zheng Bo , Ding Aijun
Published: May 2024

The ΔCO/ΔCO2 ratio is a good indicator of the combustion efficiency of carbon-containing fuels, and can be useful to assess the combustion efficiency on a regional scale. In this study, we analyzed in-situ observations of CO2 and CO concentrations from 2011 to 2021 at the Station for Observing Regional Processes of the Earth System (SORPES), in the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) region of eastern China, and calculated the ΔCO/ΔCO2 ratio to investigate the combustion efficiency in the YRD region. Furthermore, we used a Lagrangian particle dispersion model WRF-FLEXPART to evaluate the contribution of each emission sources to the observed ΔCO/ΔCO2 ratio. We found that the observed ΔCO/ΔCO2 ratio showed a persistent decreasing trend of 1.0 ppb/ppm per year and decreased ∼47.9% during this period, illustrating an evident improvement in the combustion efficiency in the YRD region. The improvement of the combustion efficiency is a result of China’s Air Pollution Prevention and Control Action Plan announced in 2013. However, the decrease of ΔCO/ΔCO2 ratio slowed down from 1.3 ppb ppm−1 per year during 2011–2016 to 0.6 ppb ppm−1 per year during 2017–2021. The simulation results reveal that the slowdown of the decrease in the ΔCO/ΔCO2 ratios can be explained by the slowing improvement of combustion efficiency in steel source in the industry sector. Our results verify the effectiveness of emission reduction efforts in the YRD region and highlight the necessity of long-term observations of CO2 and CO.
Analysis of rainwater utilization for landscaping and sanitation needs at Kalvari Church, Jakarta
Authors: Pranoto W A , Jin O F , Dharmawan I , Gunawan F
Published: May 2024

This study examines the potential of rainwater harvesting for addressing flooding and water scarcity issues at Calvary Church Lubang Buaya, Jakarta. Utilizing primary and secondary data, we calculated the rainwater harvesting potential by considering the building’s roof area, runoff coefficient, and average mainstay rainfall. During the rainy season, the average monthly rainfall was 244.35 mm/month, while it dropped to 0 mm/month during the dry season. To ensure water availability in the dry season, we recommend constructing a concrete tub with a storage capacity of 255 m3. Through rainwater harvesting, the church can annually save approximately Rp. 899,201. This sustainable approach offers a practical solution for the church’s landscaping and sanitation needs, contributing to water management efforts in Jakarta. Rainwater harvesting stands as an eco-friendly and cost-effective strategy to mitigate water-related challenges faced by the city.
Hydrological model of Ciawi dry dam using GPM satellite data
Authors: Mulyono R R B H , Pramana Y H , Fisanto H , Hastorini S , Yudhistira D D
Published: May 2024

Ciawi Dam is the first dry dam in Indonesia. The benefits of the dam are to reduce flooding in the capital city of Jakarta, especially at a 50-year return period. The operation of the dam using 1 conduit unit aims to cut the flood peak. The flood discharge analysis that has been used so far is very limited due to the lack of existing rainfall data. So that calculations are carried out using corrected satellite data. In addition, flood discharge is also calibrated to the discharge at the Katulampa Weir. Analysis of the design rainfall shows the value of design rainfall with 50-year return (R50) is 210.59 mm and the 50-year flood discharge (Q50) is 317.13 m3/dt. The flood reduction value at the 50-year return period is 27%. If an alternative water gate is added, the flood reduction value can increase up to 72% with an opening of 30%.
Analysis of Drought Index and Soil Infiltration to Control Fire Risk in Tropical Peatland Forest
Authors: Novitasari N , Nurfansyah N , Effendi R , Rusdiansyah R , Nailia N , Ramadhani M A , Maulana M , Fitriati U
Published: May 2024

Peatlands in Indonesia cover an area of more than 7% of the land area, around 14.95 million hectares spread over the islands of Sumatra, Kalimantan, Papua, and a small part of Sulawesi. Peatlands are made use of by establishing a drainage system and clearing land. Due to the peatland’s inability to absorb water, land fires and irreversible drying are all consequences. This also takes place in a protected forest in Liang Anggang Protected Forest. The purpose of this study is to reduce the risk of fire in Liang Anggang Protected Forest by establishing a correlation between the drought index on peatlands and infiltration data. Based on an understanding of the hydrological processes that occur in peatlands, which are characterized by reduced rainfall, high drought index values, and the soil’s ability to absorb water, especially in the dry season. From June to October, especially in September, the soil is very dry. It is vulnerable to fire. Extreme caution is required in the land management process with fire from the citizens around the area.
Water Loss in the Benanain River from Temef Dam to Haekto and Benanain Weirs in East Nusa Tenggara
Authors: Edhisono S , Sachro S S
Published: May 2024

Water loss always occurs in the process of delivering water from the water source to the user structures. The Benanain River, which is a natural channel, is a means of carrying water from Temef Dam to Haekto Weir to irrigate Haekto Irrigation Area and Benanain Weir which is used to irrigate Malaka Irrigation Area. The length of the river from Temef Dam to Haekto Weir is 23,689 m and from Haekto Weir to Benanain Weir is 21,673 m with a total length of 45,362 m. Along the way, water loss occurs due to the influence of evaporation, percolation, river cross-sectional area and river length. This research looked for water loss that occurred in the river and obtained an average result for the Temef Dam - Haekto Weir section of 0.243 m3/second and for the Haekto Weir - Benanain Weir section of 0.183 m3/second.
Application of QUAL2Kw for Water Quality Modeling in the Cibarani Irrigation Channel, Bandung City, Indonesia
Authors: Fitriana F , Yudianto D , Seo Y C
Published: May 2024

The Cikapundung River, a vital water source for Bandung City, has faced substantial water pollution in recent decades, primarily due to rapid population growth. A significant contributor to this pollution has been the Cibarani Irrigation Channel, situated within the heart of Bandung City. This channel has transformed into a conduit for domestic sewage, receiving excess rainwater and household wastewater from the surrounding residential areas. Remarkably, despite the pronounced contamination, the local community continues to utilize this water source for activities such as fish farming and washing. This study aims to evaluate the quality of the Cibarani irrigation channel and determine the pollutant load the channel receives from each domestic waste inlet. The results indicate that the Cibarani irrigation channel’s water quality, based on DO, NH3-N, and TP concentrations, does not meet the Class II raw water quality standard. The concentrations of DO and TP from domestic wastewater are 2 mg/L and 3 mg/L, respectively, while the NH3-N concentration, ranging from 10-40 mg/L, surpasses the permissible limit of domestic wastewater quality standards. It was also discovered that the downstream BOD concentration significantly exceeds the allowable limit despite the wastewater concentration not exceeding the standard limit.
The Implementation Strategy of Flood Control Program Based on Multi Criteria Assessment in Pangkalpinang City, Bangka Belitung Islands Province
Authors: Bachtiar H , Akbar M S , Denansyah F I , Eliasta L , Rudyanto A , Saputra A
Published: May 2024

Flood event is occurred almost every year in Pangkalpinang City with the most devastating flood event was occurred in 2016 historically. Irrespective of being caused by extreme rainfall and high tides, the flooding occurred due to a decrease in the hydrological condition of the watershed due to illegal tin mining activities in the upstream area. This paper discusses the flood control strategies in Pangkalpinang City which is based on Multi Criteria Assessment (MCA). The MCA considering the technical aspects (i.e. hydraulic model) and non-technical aspects (i.e. risk assessment, economic, social, and environmental aspects) to prioritize the infrastructure conbstruction. Therefore, some areas are already identified as the focal problems that need to be applied by the concept of integrated flood control program. At the moment in 2023, the first construction priority is in PDAM-Jelana Detention Pond Flow Diversion from Pedindang River in the upstream area. For the future plan, it is planned to carry out the flood control construction according to the priority analysis namely Perak Retention Pond, River Training, Rangkui Tidal Gates, Pasir Padi Sea Wall and New-Tin Detention Pond.
An optimization model for integrated water allocation in the parallel system of Segawe regulating weir and Wonorejo multipurpose dam, Tulungagung, East Java
Authors: Mujiburrakhman M , Jayadi R , Istiarto  , Nurdianyoto I
Published: May 2024

The parallel system of Segawe Regulating Weir and Wonorejo Multipurpose Dam is one of waterworks in the Brantas river basin. Segawe Regulating Weir was built to divert its local inflow into Wonorejo Reservoir as well as to release certain amounts of water downstream needed for ecosystem maintenance and irrigation. On the other hand, Wonorejo Multipurpose Dam was built to serve for ecosystem maintenance, irrigation, domestic water supply and electricity generation. This research discusses an optimization model that integrates the purposes of the two river structures based on the release-demand ratio and by considering the priority constraints. The optimization model was used to derive the operating pattern under requirement for the initial condition of Wonorejo Reservoir in the first period must be the same as the final condition in the last period. The results show that the reliabilities of Segawe Regulating Weir and Wonorejo Multipurpose Dam for all the purposes can reach 100% in dry, normal and wet years, where the potential energies are 20.33, 22.45 and 24.16 GWh, respectively. However, the results come with some trade-offs in the release capability of each river structure due to the integration concept.
Optimizing Solar Potential: Site Potential Selection for Floating Photovoltaics in the Sepaku Semoi Dam Reservoir
Authors: Herlambang I F , Lestari S , Yuniarti T
Published: May 2024

Green energy is considered an essential solution to address the world’s energy scarcity. However, there are several technologies available for producing green energy, including photovoltaics, with a specific focus on floating photovoltaics. The application of photovoltaics on water surfaces can enhance the cooling effect of solar modules, thereby achieving optimal temperatures. The implementation of floating photovoltaics should be approached with careful consideration, for instance, hydrodynamic aspects, reservoir water level fluctuations, forest shadow effects, and safety distance from Dam Facilities. Furthermore, in light of the relocation of the Indonesian National Capital City from Jakarta to Ibu Kota Nusantara (IKN), the city’s green energy options must be thoroughly studied and researched. The Sepaku Semoi Dam is located in Penajam Paser Utara, Kalimantan Timur, and is designated as a flood control and raw rater supplier for IKN. In this research, hydrodynamic simulations using MIKE 21 were conducted to determine water surface velocities. These results were then combined with reservoir depth and the location of areas unaffected by forest shadows. The outcome of this analysis revealed that 15.2% of the water surface area in the Sepaku Semoi Dam Reservoir has the potential for installing floating photovoltaics. With an energy density of floating photovoltaic around 100 MW/km2, Sepaku Semoi Dam Reservoir would produce 50.83 MW. As a result, this research has generated a Potential Location Map for Floating Photovoltaics in Sepaku Semoi Reservoir Dam Reservoir.
Water Turbidity Mapping Using Sentinel-2A Imagery and Cloud Based Google Earth Engine in Saguling Reservoir
Authors: Dewantoro M D R , Ulfa M , Supatmanto B D
Published: May 2024

Turbidity represents the level of suspended sediments in water, that will contribute to a greater effect on the sedimentation process such as siltation in river and reservoir. Knowing the distribution of turbidity is expected to provide an overview of which parts of the reservoir area need special attention to reduce the sedimentation rate of the reservoir. The study location is the Saguling Reservoir. All stages in this study are processed in the Google Earth Engine, a cloud-based computing that only produce one output of water with turbidity index values only. The visualization shows that the normalized difference turbidity index (NDTI) varies with a minimum value index of -0.187228 and a maximum value index of 0.09871. The results of this study are sufficient to describe where the source of turbidity has the potential to become sediment in the reservoir which continues to settle and can gradually accelerate the lifetime of the dam. The map produced can provide an overview for stakeholders who have a task in managing water resources. The higher of turbidity show the worse condition of the catchment area or watershed area upstream. The conditions can be a consideration in planning engineering that might be done so as to reduce sedimentation that occurs in the reservoir.
Experimental study on Local Scour around Bridge Pier Models generated by Flash Floods carrying Debris
Authors: Maimun R , Abdullah  , Nizarli  , Safwan
Published: May 2024

The analysis of local scouring around bridge piers currently is based on typical river flood discharges. However, extreme events like flash floods with high velocity and discharge, carry wooden debris that accumulates upstream of the bridge pier. This results in additional forces due to flow diversion and reduction in flow area, so impacting hydraulic structures and exacerbating the scouring process. The study objective was to examine the impact of debris transported by flash floods on the depth and distribution patterns of scouring around bridge piers. This research was conducted in a 15.5-m-length, 0.5-m-width, and 1.0-m-height glass flume, layered by 25 cm thick of sand which is d50=0.52 mm and σg=2.327. Flash flood simulations were conducted by flowing the water mixed with debris content of 0, 5, 10, and 15% to hit a sharp nose pier model which is installed in the channel. Scour depth was measured using point gauges at 50 points around the pier. The findings indicated that an irregular distribution pattern of scour is formed around the pier, and scour depth decrease when increasing debris content. It is necessary to corrected in the range of 0.65-1.43 for 0-15% debris content carried by the flash flood compared to normal flood.
Overview of watershed development and river sedimentation condition in Sorong, Papua, Indonesia
Authors: Putra S S , Usman A , Pramudawati M A H , Datu M T , Leyn R A D , Seilatuw R , Bame Y M
Published: May 2024

Sorong Regency is developed to be a special economic zone, for enhancing economic in the eastern part of Indonesia. Few studies or investigations, which are related to river sedimentation due to the development, are rarely available. In September 2023, we conducted field investigation to four watersheds in Sorong (Remu, Mariat, Klasaman, and Warsamson Watersheds), in which each of them has different services. The normal flow at the upstream of Remu River was not visually turbid, and the watershed was well conserved for drink water purposes. The Mariat River was visually turbid as the watershed was developed for transmigration and agriculture area, which is likely related to siltation at the downstream segment of the river and sedimentation in the irrigation facilities. The sand mining and washing activities in the Klasaman Watershed are likely related to the difference of visual turbidity of the upstream and downstream river flows relative to the mining site. We think that the erosion protection of manmade slopes are needed to reduce the amount of sediment entering the Warsamson River. Erosion and sedimentation monitoring efforts are crucial and urgent toward sustainable water resources development in Sorong, Papua, Indonesia.
Assessement of Morphometric Characteristics of Riko Manggar Sub-Catchments to Identify the Soil Erosion Risk of Nusantara New Capital City, East Kalimantan, Indonesia
Authors: Wahid A N , Willsond  , Permana S A , Farid M , Adityawan M B , Kuntoro A A
Published: May 2024

Motivated by the critical condition in Jakarta, a new capital city called Nusantara in East Kalimatan has been prepared to answer this problem. Although it is prepared to be a sustainable green city, no city cannot evade from the ecological footprints. These activity could trigger a massive deforestation and forest degradation and also become a direct implication in soil erosion. Identification of area at risk of erosion and prioritizing it is necessary in the development and management progress of the city. Riko Manggar’s sub-watershed, where Nusantara is planned to be build, has 5 sub-catchments. Fortunately, Nusantara 0 km point has already placed in the lowest risk erosion area. Furthermore, it will be more convenient to expand the development to the west and east direction. Moreover, there is needed to make an erosion mitigation management before developing the upstream and downstream area.
Open-access digital elevation model (DEM) selection for flood inundation modelling using HEC-RAS in Capital City of Nusantara
Authors: Javas J , Roesbianto A S B , Sihombing Y I , Farid M , Adityawan M B , Kuntoro A A , Suwarman R , Yosa I M
Published: May 2024

Flood is a classic but complex issue in most regions of Indonesia. Nusantara, the future capital of Indonesia, is now undergoing construction but the site continues to experience flooding due to high intensity rainfall. To overcome this challenge, identification of flood points in those areas needs to be done. Digital Elevation Models (DEM) are the most important component in modeling flood inundation in data-sparse areas. High-accuracy DEMs have been found to give better flood estimation but the availability of such data is very limited. Therefore, open-access DEMs, such as SRTM, DEMNAS, and MERIT-Hydro, are the most common choices used in modeling flood inundation in Indonesia. Each data set may provide varying model outcomes, due to different data processing methods. These results often lead to confusion as to which result should be used in subsequent studies. In this study, flood inundation in Nusantara will be generated using different DEMs and HEC-RAS hydraulic modeling with 25-, 50-, and 100-year return period rainfall events. The return period rainfall was obtained by calibrating Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) satellite rain data. The results provide various flood inundation conditions, MERIT-Hydro tends to present higher flood depths. Followed by DEMNAS and SRTM which have lower flood depths. On the other hand, the use of return period variation gives a linear increase in flood depth for the DEMNAS model. While a decline in increment occurred in the SRTM and MERIT-Hydro models when the two big year return periods were applied. This research can be considered for the Nusantara development planning.
Shop Talk: A Qualitative Study to Understand Peer Health-related Communication Among Black Men at the Barbershop
Authors: Wippold Guillermo M , Abshire Demetrius A , Wilson Dawn K , Woods Terry , Zarrett Nicole , Griffith Derek M
Published: May 2024

Background

While successful health promotion efforts among Black men have been implemented at barbershops, the focus has largely been on outcomes as opposed to the processes by which outcomes are produced. An understanding of processes can be leveraged in the design and implementation of future efforts to improve the health of Black men.

Purpose

The objectives of the present study were to: (i) understand peer-derived sources of health-related support at the barbershop and (ii) understand the role of the barbershop in promoting health among Black men.

Methods

Seven focus groups were conducted at barbershops used predominately by Black men. Each focus group lasted between 45 and 60 min. Using a thematic approach, each focus group was independently coded by two coders using a codebook derived from an inductive and deductive approach. The results were confirmed with members of the community advisory board.

Results

Three themes emerged: (i) dynamic and candid exchange of health-related support at the barbershop; (ii) tailored forms of health-related and judgment-free communication that provide encouragement and increase motivation; and (iii) characteristics of a supportive environment at the barbershop that facilitate health-related communication.

Conclusions

The findings of the present study offer a potential pathway for public health efforts seeking to improve health among Black men. Those interested in designing and implementing these efforts can create tailored programs for Black men by recognizing and leveraging the unique dynamics of health-related conversations at the barbershop.
Kate Bond
Authors: Bond Kate
Published: May 2024

Sue Bowler talks to Kate Bond, new assistant archivist, who casts a fresh eye over the RAS collections
Cold and calculating
Authors: Wardlaw Angus
Published: May 2024

Angus Wardlaw writes about his ancestor, the explorer and sailor Francis Crozier, lost on Franklin's 1845 expedition in search of the Northwest Passage
Attention mechanism models for precision medicine
Authors: Cheng Liang
Published: May 2024

The development of deep learning models plays a crucial role in advancing precision medicine. These models enable personalized medical treatments and interventions based on the unique genetic, environmental and lifestyle factors of individual patients, and the promotion of precision medicine is achieved mainly through genomic data analysis, variant annotation and interpretation, pharmacogenomics research, biomarker discovery, disease typing, clinical decision support and disease mechanism interpretation. Extensive research has been conducted to address precision medicine challenges using attention mechanism models such as SAN, GAT and transformers. Especially, the recent popularity of ChatGPT has significantly propelled the application of this model type to a new height. Therefore, I propose a Special Issue for Briefings in Bioinformatics about the topic ‘Attention Mechanism Models for Precision Medicine’. This Special Issue aims to provide a comprehensive overview and presentation of innovative researches on the application of graph attention mechanism models in precision medicine.
Ni-photoredox-catalyzed amide arylation reaction using amidyl radical formation via PCET
Authors: Nishino Sodai , Kurahashi Takuya
Published: May 2024

Herein, we report the N-arylation of amides based on the formation of N-centered amidyl radicals via proton-coupled electron transfer (PCET) using a nickel–photoredox dual catalyst. The reaction achieved arylation of sterically hindered linear secondary amides under mild conditions. Control experiments with radical inhibitors suggested the formation of amidyl radicals via the PCET mechanism.
CSIML: a cost-sensitive and iterative machine-learning method for small and imbalanced materials data sets
Authors: Li Shengzhou , Nakata Ayako
Published: May 2024

Materials science research benefits from the powerful machine-learning (ML) surrogate models, but it is also limited by the implicit requirement for sufficiently big and balanced data distribution for ML. In this paper, we propose a model to obtain more credible results for small and imbalanced materials data sets as well as chemical knowledge. Taking 2 bandgaps imbalanced data sets as instances, we demonstrate the usability and performance of our model compared with common ML models with normal sampling and resampling methods.
Deep learning in the diagnosis for cystic lesions of the jaws: a review of recent progress
Authors: Shi Yu-Jie , Li Ju-Peng , Wang Yue , Ma Ruo-Han , Wang Yan-Lin , Guo Yong , Li Gang
Published: May 2024

Cystic lesions of the gnathic bones present challenges in differential diagnosis. In recent years, artificial intelligence (AI) represented by deep learning (DL) has rapidly developed and emerged in the field of dental and maxillofacial radiology (DMFR). Dental radiography provides a rich resource for the study of diagnostic analysis methods for cystic lesions of the jaws and has attracted many researchers. The aim of the current study was to investigate the diagnostic performance of DL for cystic lesions of the jaws. Online searches were done on Google Scholar, PubMed, and IEEE Xplore databases, up to September 2023, with subsequent manual screening for confirmation. The initial search yielded 1862 titles, and 44 studies were ultimately included. All studies used DL methods or tools for the identification of a variable number of maxillofacial cysts. The performance of algorithms with different models varies. Although most of the reviewed studies demonstrated that DL methods have better discriminative performance than clinicians, further development is still needed before routine clinical implementation due to several challenges and limitations such as lack of model interpretability, multicentre data validation, etc. Considering the current limitations and challenges, future studies for the differential diagnosis of cystic lesions of the jaws should follow actual clinical diagnostic scenarios to coordinate study design and enhance the impact of AI in the diagnosis of oral and maxillofacial diseases.
Playing with the News on Reddit: The Politics Game on r/The_Donald
Authors: Topinka Robert , Osborne-Carey Cassian , Finlayson Alan
Published: May 2024

Research into online forms of far-right, alt-right, populist, and supremacist politics has raised questions about the extent to which social media enables or constitutes extremist affects and ideologies. Building on this research and through a case study of how a pro-Trump community on Reddit made sense of news events and sought to contest their representation, this paper explores the relationship between games and politics, arguing that digital platforms encourage people to apprehend, interpret, and contest political ideas and information as if engaged in a kind of videogame. We show how the group sought to manipulate platform affordances, waging a kind of Info War rooted in an understanding of politics as a pure space of conflict. We show how social media orients people to politics, phenomenologically, through the logics, structures and narratives of online games and argue that this affects not only online behaviors but more general apprehensions of politics.
Deep learning with noisy labels in medical prediction problems: a scoping review
Authors: Wei Yishu , Deng Yu , Sun Cong , Lin Mingquan , Jiang Hongmei , Peng Yifan
Published: May 2024

Objectives

Medical research faces substantial challenges from noisy labels attributed to factors like inter-expert variability and machine-extracted labels. Despite this, the adoption of label noise management remains limited, and label noise is largely ignored. To this end, there is a critical need to conduct a scoping review focusing on the problem space. This scoping review aims to comprehensively review label noise management in deep learning-based medical prediction problems, which includes label noise detection, label noise handling, and evaluation. Research involving label uncertainty is also included.

Methods

Our scoping review follows the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. We searched 4 databases, including PubMed, IEEE Xplore, Google Scholar, and Semantic Scholar. Our search terms include “noisy label AND medical/healthcare/clinical,” “uncertainty AND medical/healthcare/clinical,” and “noise AND medical/healthcare/clinical.”

Results

A total of 60 papers met inclusion criteria between 2016 and 2023. A series of practical questions in medical research are investigated. These include the sources of label noise, the impact of label noise, the detection of label noise, label noise handling techniques, and their evaluation. Categorization of both label noise detection methods and handling techniques are provided.

Discussion

From a methodological perspective, we observe that the medical community has been up to date with the broader deep-learning community, given that most techniques have been evaluated on medical data. We recommend considering label noise as a standard element in medical research, even if it is not dedicated to handling noisy labels. Initial experiments can start with easy-to-implement methods, such as noise-robust loss functions, weighting, and curriculum learning.
Residents’ contribution to Asian citrus psyllid and citrus greening management in Florida residential habitats
Authors: Exilien Romain , Warner Laura A , Diepenbrock Lauren , Williams Danielle , Martini Xavier
Published: May 2024

The Asian citrus psyllid (ACP), Diaphorina citri Kuwayama (Hemiptera: Psyllidae), is the world’s most damaging citrus pest that transmits the bacteria that cause huanglongbing (HLB). In the fall of 2022, we investigated residents’ attitudes to ACP and HLB using online surveys over a 9-month period. The survey gathered information on citrus grown in backyards and on the detection of ACP and HLB, as well as the management strategies used (or ready to be implemented) to control them. We recorded 529 responses, 218 from areas where HLB is endemic (South and Central Florida) and 311 from areas where HLB and ACP are still rare (North Florida). In the HLB area, the number of citrus grown was significantly reduced, and residents were more active in controlling ACP and HLB. Most residents were able to identify an adult psyllid from a photo, but only 5% reported having seen it on their trees, in most cases in areas with high HLB incidence. The results also revealed residents’ interest in managing ACP and HLB, as well as their willingness to participate in the search for integrated solutions to tackle ACP and HLB in urban habitats. Interestingly, 76% of responders agreed to remove HLB trees from their backyard; this went up to 82% if compensation was offered. This study provides valuable insights for improving backyard Extension strategies tailored to the needs and willingness of residents to manage ACP and HLB.
Hederagenin reduces Aβ-induced oxidative damage, decreases Aβ deposition, and promotes cell survival by the P13K/Akt signaling pathway
Authors: Xie Kunpeng , Wang Hao , Yao Xin , Lv Jialin , Wang Qingyu , Zhao Yu , Yang Shuhan , Xu Lipeng , Shi Yuhua , Hu Jiliang , Shan Yaming
Published: May 2024

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease characterized by memory loss and cognitive impairment. β-Amyloid (Aβ) is one of the typical pathological features of AD, and its accumulation leads to neuronal death from oxidative stress. Here, we found that hederagenin (HG), a natural product, exhibits antitumor, anti-inflammatory, antidepressant, antineurodegenerative biological activities. However, whether HG has anti-Aβ activity remains unclear. Based on the characteristics of HG, it is hypothesized that HG has biological activity against Aβ injury. Therefore, Aβ-injured SH-SY5Y cells were constructed, and the protective effect of HG against Aβ injury was further evaluated using Caenorhabditis elegans. The results showed that HG increased superoxide dismutase activity, effectively reduced Aβ-induced oxidative damage, and reduced apoptosis via the PI3 K/Akt signaling pathway. HG inhibited Aβ deposition and delayed senescence and paralysis in the C. elegans strain, CL4176. HG showed inhibitory effects on Aβ; therefore, more natural active products are expected to be applied in AD therapy.
Unshared Minds, Decaying Worlds: Towards a Pathology of Chronic Loneliness
Authors: Corbin Ian Marcus , Dhand Amar
Published: May 2024

The moment when a person’s actual relationships fall short of desired relationships is commonly identified as the etiological moment of chronic loneliness, which can lead to physical and psychological effects like depression, worse recovery from illness and increased mortality. But, this etiology fails to explain the nature and severe impact of loneliness. Here, we use philosophical analysis and neuroscience to show that human beings develop and maintain our world-picture (our sense of what is true, important, and good) through joint attention and action, motivated by friendship, in the Aristotelian sense of “other selves” who share a sense of the true and the good, and desire the good for each other as much as for themselves. The true etiological event of loneliness is the moment one’s world-picture becomes unshared. The pathogenesis is a resultant decay of our world-picture, with brain and behavior changes following as sequelae.
Automated deep learning segmentation of neuritic plaques and neurofibrillary tangles in Alzheimer disease brain sections using a proprietary software
Authors: Ingrassia Lea , Boluda Susana , Potier Marie-Claude , Haïk Stéphane , Jimenez Gabriel , Kar Anuradha , Racoceanu Daniel , Delatour Benoît , Stimmer Lev
Published: May 2024

Neuropathological diagnosis of Alzheimer disease (AD) relies on semiquantitative analysis of phosphorylated tau-positive neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) and neuritic plaques (NPs), without consideration of lesion heterogeneity in individual cases. We developed a deep learning workflow for automated annotation and segmentation of NPs and NFTs from AT8-immunostained whole slide images (WSIs) of AD brain sections. Fifteen WSIs of frontal cortex from 4 biobanks with varying tissue quality, staining intensity, and scanning formats were analyzed. We established an artificial intelligence (AI)-driven iterative procedure to improve the generation of expert-validated annotation datasets for NPs and NFTs thereby increasing annotation quality by >50%. This strategy yielded an expert-validated annotation database with 5013 NPs and 5143 NFTs. We next trained two U-Net convolutional neural networks for detection and segmentation of NPs or NFTs, achieving high accuracy and consistency (mean Dice similarity coefficient: NPs, 0.77; NFTs, 0.81). The workflow showed high generalization performance across different cases. This study serves as a proof-of-concept for the utilization of proprietary image analysis software (Visiopharm) in the automated deep learning segmentation of NPs and NFTs, demonstrating that AI can significantly improve the annotation quality of complex neuropathological features and enable the creation of highly precise models for identifying these markers in AD brain sections.
Lower Extremity
Authors: Samba Amit , Nickless Alexandria
Published: May 2024

The lower extremity includes the part of the body extending from the hip to the toes. The lower extremity is used for weight support, posture and standing, and ambulating. It also counts toward a significant portion of a person’s body mass. An understanding of the anatomy will allow for the creation of a safe and effective anesthetic plan in the perioperative setting. This could include minimizing the risk of injury during patient positioning, performing regional anesthesia, or anesthetic management of a patient’s pathophysiology. This chapter will identify the anatomy (osseous, vasculature, and nervous structures) with possible complications associated with these structures.
Concentration Effect
Authors: Jun Charles , Nasr Ned F.
Published: May 2024

In anesthesia, the volatile anesthetic is quintessential in defining and paving the field of anesthesiology. With the use of volatile agents, there are many properties that interplay in delivering anesthetics to patients. The concentration effect helps to explain how changes in fractional inspired concentration, or FI, determines the rate at which the fractional alveolar concentration, or FA, and the alveolar concentration can be attained. Ultimately, the concentration effect clinically leads to a faster uptake and onset of effect. The gases that can exert the concentration effect often have the ability to quickly diffuse into bloodstream from the alveoli.
Non-Circle Systems
Authors: Jun Charles , Nasr Ned F.
Published: May 2024

The non-circle system was the beginning of an evolution of breathing systems meant to provide anesthetic gases and ventilation to patients. Though a very rudimentary way of providing anesthetic agents, it was nonetheless a very important development in the field of the anesthesia. The non-circle system could be subdivided into two categories: open systems and semi-open systems. The open system is an indirect and noninvasive way to deliver anesthetic agents to patients; specifically, this method is still utilized to provide anesthesia to pediatric patients. The open system has no reservoir for gases to accumulate and thus eliminates any possibility of rebreathing. As for semi-open systems, this system utilizes the reservoir system to create a storage space for gases with only mild rebreathing at worst.
Oxygen Supply Systems
Authors: Hutchinson David , Giordano Chris
Published: May 2024

The anesthesia machine is an integral and complex part of safely providing anesthesia services in the operating room. Among its complexities, providing a constant supply of oxygen may be the single most important feature; therefore, oxygen supply is carefully regulated. The anesthesia machine delivers oxygen from a centralized healthcare facility supply and a secondary reserve tank system, both of which have gas inlet pressure gauges for monitoring. Many safety features aid in the regulation of adequate and safe oxygen flow to the patient, ranging from physical connections to the oxygen supply, including the Pin Index and Diameter Index safety systems, to tactile and audible cues such as flowmeter dial shapes and low-flow alarms. Furthermore, given the diversity of medical gases that may be administered to the patient, strict pressure and mixture regulation exists to prevent the delivery of over-pressurized gases and hypoxic or anoxic mixtures.
Safety Features
Authors: Brennan Meghan , Giordano Chris
Published: May 2024

Appropriate knowledge of operating room (OR) equipment, safety features, and alarms is fundamental to the prevention of patient injury. Mechanical ventilators frequently contain built-in pressure sensors and alarms designed to alert to ventilator disconnections, circuit leaks, fresh gas flow failures, inappropriate ventilator settings, and scavenging system failures. Preoperatively, an anesthesia machine check is recommended to verify that the high- and low-pressure systems are functioning appropriately, the circuit contains no leaks, the oxygen sensors are calibrated, the unidirectional inspiratory and expiratory valves are intact, and the scavenging system and carbon dioxide absorbent are working. Intraoperatively, a systematic approach to evaluating causes of the low-pressure alarm is key to rapid detection and prevention of patient injuries. ORs may contain two different types of electrical systems: a grounded system, similar to most homes and buildings, that contains a ground fault circuit interrupter; or an isolated electrical system containing an isolation transformer and line isolation monitor. Knowledge of OR electrical systems is important when connecting equipment to power sources because a piece of equipment may lose power if there is current leakage or a patient or provider could be at risk for an electric shock if alarms are triggered.
Methods of Monitoring Oxygen
Authors: Varshney Shivani , Nowak Tina
Published: May 2024

Oxygen is essential for cellular metabolism in the body. Standard basic anesthesia monitoring requires that the anesthesiologist continuously evaluate blood oxygenation of the patients during all anesthetics and protect them from significant hypoxemia. Pulse oximetry is a simple, safe, noninvasive monitoring device that estimates the oxygen saturation of the hemoglobin in the peripheral arterial blood (SpO2). It helps in early detection of hypoxia and is now often considered the fifth vital sign. However, it has limitations and cannot identify dyshemoglobinemias. Co-oximetry is a laboratory-based instrument that is helpful in such conditions.