bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The uncertainty‐handling function of project leaders' political behavior in breakthrough innovation
Authors: Miyao Manabu , O'Connor Gina Colarelli , Niwamoto Yoshiko
Published: January 2024

Innovation management research demonstrates that political behavior is necessary for project leaders to conduct breakthrough innovation (BI) projects successfully. Although it is known that project leaders' political behavior contributes to BI project success by maintaining continued support for the projects, this study focuses on another function of organizational politics: the uncertainty‐handling function. Project leaders encounter uncertainties during their BI projects and are tormented by unintended project stagnation. While scholars and practitioners have developed several logic‐based responsive approaches to address uncertainty problems, project leaders also employ political behavior. The realization provokes questions such as, what type of uncertainty in particular triggers a project manager's political behavior in the context of BI development? Is there any specific linkage between a particular type of uncertainty and particular political behavior? What mechanisms underpin those relationships? To answer these questions, we investigate six BI projects in five mature Japanese companies through the lens of the meaning management perspective. The analysis reveals that (1) project leaders use political behavior to address a specific situation in which two uncertainties are intertwined; (2) project leaders use different political behavior depending on the type of intertwined uncertainties; and (3) project leaders resolve intertwined uncertainties with political behavior and then address each uncertainty in their BI projects. This study contributes to the innovation politics literature and innovation management practices by identifying specific conditions under which BI project leaders use political behavior and suggesting the fit between particular political behaviors and uncertainty conditions.
Characterization of ruminal degradation, intestinal digestion and total true nutrient supply to dairy cows from feedstocks and coproducts from Canola bio‐oil processing: Impact by source origin
Authors: de Oliveira Alessandra M. R. C. B. , He J. , Yu Peiqiang
Published: January 2024

The objective of this study was to characterize ruminal degradation, intestinal digestion and total true nutrient supply to dairy cows from canola feedstock (canola seeds) and coproducts (meal and pellets) from bio‐oil processing which were impacted by source origin. The feedstocks and coproducts (mash, pellet) were randomly collected from five different bio‐oil processing plants with five different batches of samples in each bio‐processing plant in Canada (CA) and China (CH). In situ rumen degradation kinetics were determined using four fistulated Holstein cows with incubation times at 0, 2, 4, 8, 12, 24 and 48 h. Intestinal digestions were determined using the three‐step in vitro method with preincubation at 12 h. The DVE/OEB and National Research Council systems were applied to evaluate the truly absorbable nutrient supply to dairy cows and feed milk values (FMVs). The results showed that in situ undegradable fractions (U) (p = 0.025) were higher in CA meals, and potentially degradable fraction of D was higher (p = 0.016) in CH meals. CH meals had higher total digestible dry matter (TDDM, p = 0.018) and intestinal digestibility of protein (dIDP, p = 0.016). Canola meals from CA had lower MREE (microbial protein synthesized in the rumen based on available rumen degradable protein; p = 0.011) and DVME (rumen synthesized microbial protein digested in the small intestine; p = 0.011) and had higher ECP (endogenous protein in the small intestine, p = 0.001) and absorbed endogenous crude protein (truly absorbed ECP in the small intestine) than CH (p = 0.001). The FMV evaluated based on the metabolic protein and net energy showed no differences between CA and CH in both coproducts and feedstocks.
Inhibition of Streptococcus mutans growth and biofilm formation through protein acetylation
Authors: Lin Yongwang , Ma Qizhao , Yan Jiangchuan , Gong Tao , Huang Jun , Chen Jiamin , Li Jing , Qiu Yang , Wang Xiaowan , Lei Zixue , Zeng Jumei , Wang Lingyun , Zhou Xuedong , Li Yuqing
Published: January 2024

Numerous cellular processes are regulated in response to the metabolic state of the cell, and one such regulatory mechanism involves lysine acetylation. Lysine acetylation has been proven to play an important role in the virulence of Streptococcus mutans, a major cariogenic bacterial species. S. mutans’ glucosyltransferases (Gtfs) are responsible for synthesizing extracellular polysaccharides (EPS) and contributing to biofilm formation. One of the most common nonsteroidal anti‐inflammatory drugs is acetylsalicylic acid (ASA), which can acetylate proteins through a nonenzymatic transacetylation reaction. Herein, we investigated the inhibitory effects of ASA on S. mutans. ASA treatment was observed to impede the growth of S. mutans, leading to a reduction in the production of water‐insoluble EPS and the formation of biofilm. Moreover, ASA decreased the enzyme activity of Gtfs while increasing the protein acetylation level. The in vivo anticaries efficacy of ASA has further been proved using the rat caries model. In conclusion, ASA as an acetylation agent attenuated the cariogenic virulence of S. mutans, suggesting the potential value of protein acetylation on antimicrobial and anti‐biofilm applications to S. mutans.
Simulation of visual impairment in persons with normal vision for scientific research
Authors: Abraham Carl Halladay , Sakyi‐Badu Godfred , Boadi‐Kusi Samuel Bert , Morny Enyam , Darko‐Takyi Charles , Ocansey Stephen , Hope Paa Kwesi Fynn , Dadzie Albert Kofi , Aboagye MacCarthy Asantewaa , Osei‐Frimpong Kingsford , Nyarkoa Opoku Emmanuella , Kwasi Abu Emmanuel
Published: January 2024

Simulation of visual impairment in healthy eyes has multiple applications in students' training, research and product development. However, due to the absence of an existing standard protocol, the method of simulation was left to the discretion of the researcher. This review aimed to outline the various methods of simulating visual impairment and categorising them. A scoping review of the relevant publications was conducted. Of the 1593 articles originally retrieved from the databases, 103 were included in the review. The characteristics of the participants, the method for simulation of the visual impairment in persons with normal vision and the level or type of visual impairment that was simulated were extracted from the papers. None of the methods of simulation can be judged as being superior to the others. However, electronic displays produced the most consistent form of visual impairment simulation.
CbMYB108 integrates the regulation of diterpene biosynthesis and trichome development in Conyza blinii against UV‐B
Authors: Zhan Junyi , Di Tiantian , Chen Xuan , Zheng Tianrun , Sun Wenjun , Yang Ming , Zhou Min , Shen Zhenguo , Chen Hui , Su Nana
Published: January 2024

Plants synthesize abundant terpenes through glandular trichomes (GTs), thereby protecting themselves from environmental stresses and increasing the economic value in some medicinal plants. However, the potential mechanisms for simultaneously regulating terpenes synthesis and GTs development remain unclear. Here, we showed that terpenes in Conyza blinii could be synthesized through capitate GTs. By treating with appropriate intensity of UV‐B, the density of capitate GTs and diterpene content can be increased. Through analyzing corresponding transcriptome, we identified a MYB transcription factor CbMYB108 as a positive regulator of both diterpene synthesis and capitate GT density. Transiently overexpressing/silencing CbMYB108 on C. blinii leaves could increase diterpene synthesis and capitate GT density. Further verification showed that CbMYB108 upregulated CbDXS and CbGGPPS expression in diterpene synthesis pathway. Moreover, CbMYB108 could also upregulated the expression of CbTTG1, key WD40 protein confirmed in this study to promote GT development, rather than through interaction between CbMYB108 and CbTTG1 proteins. Thus, results showed that the UV‐B‐induced CbMYB108 owned dual‐function of simultaneously improving diterpene synthesis and GT development. Our research lays a theoretical foundation for cultivating C. blinii with high terpene content, and broadens the understanding of the integrated mechanism on terpene synthesis and GT development in plants.
A complex array of factors regulate the activity of Arabidopsis thaliana δ1‐pyrroline‐5‐carboxylate synthetase isoenzymes to ensure their specific role in plant cell metabolism
Authors: Forlani Giuseppe , Sabbioni Giuseppe , Barera Simone , Funck Dietmar
Published: January 2024

The first and committed step in proline synthesis from glutamate is catalyzed by δ1‐pyrroline‐5‐carboxylate synthetase (P5CS). Two P5CS genes have been found in most angiosperms, one constitutively expressed to satisfy proline demand for protein synthesis, the other stress‐induced. Despite the number of papers to investigate regulation at the transcriptional level, to date, the properties of the enzymes have been subjected to limited study. The isolation of Arabidopsis thaliana P5CS isoenzymes was achieved through heterologous expression and affinity purification. The two proteins were characterized with respect to kinetic and biochemical properties. AtP5CS2 showed KM values in the micro‐ to millimolar range, and its activity was inhibited by NADP+, ADP and proline, and by glutamine and arginine at high levels. Mg2+ ions were required for activity, which was further stimulated by K+ and other cations. AtP5CS1 displayed positive cooperativity with glutamate and was almost insensitive to inhibition by proline. In the presence of physiological, nonsaturating concentrations of glutamate, proline was slightly stimulatory, and glutamine strongly increased the catalytic rate. Data suggest that the activity of AtP5CS isoenzymes is differentially regulated by a complex array of factors including the concentrations of proline, glutamate, glutamine, monovalent cations and pyridine dinucleotides.
Control of crown rot with potassium carbonate in banana cv. Enano Gigante
Authors: González‐Jiménez Vianey , Moscoso‐Ramírez Pedro A. , Ortiz‐García Carlos F. , Sánchez‐Soto Saúl , Lara‐Viveros Francisco M.
Published: January 2024

The postharvest antifungal activity of potassium carbonate (PC) against crown rot (CR) was investigated in banana cv. Enano Gigante by artificially inoculating with Colletotrichum musae (Cm) and incubating at 25 ± 1°C for 7 days. PC treatments were tested by in vitro and in vivo primary experiments. The in vivo preliminary concentration of 175 mM PC was selected as the most effective and was used in subsequent experiments on the influence of dip temperature on the effectiveness of PC. Curative dip treatments of 175 mM PC at 40°C for 20 min applied alone or combined with low doses of thiabendazole (TBZ) were evaluated on CR. Finally, the effect of PC on banana fruit quality was determined. PC at 150 and 200 mM totally inhibited mycelial growth and conidial germination of Cm. In in vivo primary experiments, 175 mM PC significantly reduced both the incidence (33.3% reduction) and the severity (90.5% reduction) of CR, but only in curative treatments. When the 175 mM PC dip for 20 min was tested at different temperatures, the curative dip at 40°C was the most effective, reducing CR incidence and severity by 91.6% and 98.8%, respectively, and was used for subsequent experiments. PC combined with TBZ at 225 μL L−1 did not improve the curative control effectiveness on CR compared to PC alone. PC did not affect the quality of banana fruit.
The effectiveness‐equity tradeoff when resources decline: Evidence from environmental policy implementation in the U.S. states
Authors: Park Sanghee , Liang Jiaqi
Published: January 2024

Despite a voluminous literature on resource availability and the implications for organizational performance, little is known about how changes in government agencies' resources impact their policy implementation activities and goal prioritization. This article explores how changes in resources affect regulatory enforcement activities by types of resources and policy implementation activities, and whether resource cutbacks prompt a tradeoff of the effectiveness‐equity goals. Using the block‐group level data on the Clean Air Act (CAA) implementation from 2012 to 2019, we find that state environmental agencies prioritize regulatory effectiveness over environmental justice by concentrating their resources on communities where task demands correspond to organizations' core missions. They also promote social equity to some extent when facing spending cutbacks but not staffing cuts. Spending cutbacks had a less severe impact on compliance inspections for more socially vulnerable communities, while those exposed to more imminent environmental harms received more inspections.
Priority effects and competitive exclusion by C4 grasses on longleaf pine savanna restoration sites
Authors: Freeman Johanna E. , Trotta Lauren B.
Published: January 2024

On grassland and savanna restoration sites, planted native C4 grasses can competitively exclude other co‐introduced plant functional groups, with negative implications for ecosystem functioning and restoration success. Previous studies have suggested that C4 grass competitive exclusion does not occur in longleaf pine savannas of the North American Coastal Plain; however these studies were primarily conducted on old growth xeric sites. We designed an experiment to test competitive interactions between C4 grasses and forbs introduced by seed to mesic savanna restoration sites. Research installations were established on three former bahiagrass (Paspalum notatum) pastures in Florida, within which six different seed treatments were applied: (1) C4 grasses and forbs together in years 1 and 2, (2) C4 grasses alone in year 1 and forbs alone in year 2, (3) forbs alone in year 1 and C4 grasses alone in year 2, (4) C4 grasses alone in both years, (5) forbs alone in both years, and (6) an unplanted control. All plots were sampled 1 year after the second seeding event. We found that C4 grasses competitively excluded forbs, reducing cover of forbs arriving on the site at the same time, as well as those arriving in the second year. The highest forb species richness and cover was found in the three treatments that did not contain C4 grasses in year 1, and different C4 grass species exhibited different community associations. These findings suggest that restoration seed mixes for longleaf pine savannas should account for the competitive interactions of C4 grasses.
Cost‐effectiveness of management strategies in a nucleation experiment in a tropical dry forest
Authors: Toro Laura , Torres‐Romero Francisco , Salinas Sandra M. , Avella‐Munoz Andrés , Galatowish Susan , Secchi Silvia , Powers Jennifer S.
Published: January 2024

Cost‐effective, large‐scale strategies are needed to restore degraded ecosystems worldwide. Applied nucleation is one technique that can accelerate succession in tropical forests. However, the effectiveness of irrigation and fertilization in the context of large‐scale applied nucleation in tropical dry forests (TDFs) has not yet been tested. To this end, we established a large‐scale experiment in southwestern Colombia on abandoned pastures. We planted 11,382 seedlings of 11 native species coupled with six management treatments that varied in the amounts of fertilizer and water. We monitored survival, height, and resprouting ability seedlings over 2 years. We also estimated the cost of seedling production, planting procedures, management, and monitoring, and assessed their cost‐effectiveness using seedling survival as an indication of effectiveness. After 2 years, 73% (8,266) of seedlings planted survived, and species survival ranged from 5 to 99%. Individuals that received the lowest amount of fertilizer (25 g of Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium [NPK]) with additional irrigation had the highest survival rates (>76%). Final height ranged from 52 to 330 cm across species. Seedlings that received the highest amount of fertilizer (50 g of NPK) without additional irrigation had the highest mean final height (174 ± 9.0 cm). The control was cheapest ($7313/ha) and the most cost‐effective method in terms of seedling survival. Our findings suggest that the best way to establish cost‐effective, large‐scale restoration projects in TDFs is to plant native species mixtures of locally adapted species without fertilization and irrigation and to invest in long‐term monitoring.
Aerial exposure and critical temperatures limit the survival of restored intertidal mussels
Authors: Benjamin Emilee D. , Toone Trevyn A. , Hillman Jenny R. , Handley Sean J. , Jeffs Andrew
Published: January 2024

Site selection is one of the biggest challenges affecting coastal restoration success, and can be particularly difficult in the intertidal zone, where species are often living close to their physiological thermal limits. Climate change is causing atmospheric and marine heat waves, with the summer of 2023 having the highest ever recorded global average temperatures. This changing climate, along with other intertidal stressors, increases the difficulty for managers to choose restoration locations in the intertidal zone. In this study, green‐lipped mussels (Perna canaliculus) were transplanted into the intertidal zone in a series of 12 plots (9 m2) to examine the in situ influence of temperature on mussel survival over a 6‐month period. The plots were deployed at varying intertidal heights with differing periods of aerial exposure and temperature. Six months post‐deployment the plots had highly variable mussel survival with a range of 0–95%. Results showed that temperature, specifically hours exceeding 25°C, had a negative relationship with mussel survival, and reducing aerial exposure reduces the number of hours exposed to temperatures above 25°C in the summer months. This study demonstrates the utility of deploying temperature loggers by restoration practitioners prior to restoration trials to determine localized variances in temperature and exposure that may aid in site selection in the intertidal zone. In a warming world, our findings illustrate the importance of understanding the potentially critical fine‐scale interplay between temperature and exposure time in intertidal shellfish restoration.
Meaning in life mediates the association between depressive symptoms and future frequency of suicidal ideation in Spanish university students: A longitudinal study
Authors: Pérez Rodríguez Sandra , Layrón Folgado Jose Enrique , Guillén Botella Verónica , Marco Salvador Jose H.
Published: January 2024

Introduction

There is a need for longitudinal studies that focus on protective factors against suicide in Spain. We analyzed the estimated prevalence of suicidal ideation in a sample of Spanish university students. Second, we explored the relationship between future suicidal ideation, depressive symptoms, suicidal ideation at T1, and meaning in life and its dimensions of meaning and purpose. Third, we analyzed the mediation role of meaning in life between depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation evaluated with Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA).

Method

In this longitudinal study, a total of 718 Spanish university students were assessed at T1, of whom 279 completed questionnaires along with EMA (T2).

Results

The estimated prevalence of suicidal ideation was 8.4%. Levels of depressive symptoms were positively correlated with suicidal ideation and negatively with meaning in life and its dimensions of meaning and purpose. Meaning in life and its dimensions mediated the relationship between depressive symptoms and subsequent suicidal ideation.

Discussion

There is a high prevalence of suicidal ideation among Spanish university students, and it is associated with depressive symptoms and meaning in life, with the latter acting as a protective factor. Thus, psychotherapeutic prevention programs from a logotherapeutic perspective could help to reduce students' suicide risk.
The correlation between dermoscopy and clinical and pathological tests in the evaluation of skin photoaging
Authors: Zhao Jie , Zhang Xun , Tang Qiao , Bi Yunfeng , Yuan Limei , Yang Binbin , Cai Mei , Zhang Jianzhong , Deng Danqi , Cao Wenting
Published: January 2024

Background

There are no standards for evaluating skin photoaging. Dermoscopy is a non‐invasive detection method that might be useful for evaluating photoaging.

Objective

To assess the correlation between the dermoscopic evaluation of photoaging and clinical and pathological evaluations.

Methods

The age, clinical evaluation (Fitzpatrick classification, Glogau Photoaging Classification, and Chung's standardized image ruler), histopathology (Masson staining and MMP‐1 immunohistochemistry), and dermoscopy (Hu's and Isik's) of 40 donor skin samples were analyzed statistically, and Spearman rank correlation analysis was performed.

Results

There was a robust correlation between the total Hu scores and Isik dermoscopy. The correlation of dermoscopy with histopathology was higher than that of clinical evaluation methods. There is a strong correlation between telangiectases and lentigo. Xerosis, superficial wrinkle, diffuse erythema, telangiectases, and reticular pigmentation were significantly correlated with the three clinical evaluation methods. Superficial wrinkles were correlated with Masson, MMP‐1, various clinical indicators, and other dermoscopic items.

Conclusion

There is a good correlation between dermoscopy and clinical and histopathological examination. Dermoscopy might help evaluate skin photoaging.
Point process modeling through a mixture of homogeneous and self‐exciting processes
Authors: Briz‐Redón Álvaro , Mateu Jorge
Published: January 2024

Self‐exciting point processes allow modeling the temporal location of an event of interest, considering the history provided by previously observed events. This family of point processes is commonly used in several areas such as criminology, economics, or seismology, among others. The standard formulation of the self‐exciting process implies assuming that the underlying stochastic process is dependent on its previous history over the entire period under analysis. In this paper, we consider the possibility of modeling a point pattern through a point process whose structure is not necessarily of self‐exciting type at every instant or temporal interval. Specifically, we propose a mixture point process model that allows the point process to be either self‐exciting or homogeneous Poisson, depending on the instant within the study period. The performance of this model is evaluated both through a simulation study and a case study. The results indicate that the model is able to detect the presence of instants in time, referred to as change points, where the nature of the process varies.
The importance of confirmatory assays in testing blood donors for human T‐cell lymphotropic virus
Authors: Martins Marina Lobato , Barbosa‐Stancioli Edel Figueiredo , da Silva‐Malta Maria Clara Fernandes , Nunes Sônia Mara
Published: January 2024

Background and Objectives

Serological HTLV‐1/2 screening is mandatory for blood donor candidates in Brazil. Our objective was to analyse HTLV test results in blood donors submitted for screening and confirmatory assays in a Brazilian blood bank.

Materials and Methods

Retrospective analysis (2017–2022) results of chemiluminescence immunoassays and confirmatory tests for HTLV‐1/2 in reactive donors were performed. During the analysed period, three sets of assays were used: (1) Architect rHTLV‐I/II + HTLV Blot 2.4 (Western blot [WB]); (2) Alinity s HTLV I/II Reagent Kit + INNO‐line immunoassay (LIA) HTLV I/II Score (LIA); (3) Alinity + WB.

Results

The analysed period comprised a total of 1,557,333 donations. The mean percentage of HTLV reactive donors using the Architect assay was 0.14%. With the change to the Alinity assay, that percentage dropped 2.3‐fold (0.06%). The reactivity rate in the confirmatory tests (1064 samples) ranged from 13.5% to 30.2%, whereas 58.3%–85.9% of samples were non‐reactive. The highest rates of positive (30.2%) and indeterminate (11.5%) results were seen using LIA. Considering all analysed samples, those with signal/cut‐off ratio (S/CO) >50 were positive in confirmatory tests (positive predictive value, PPV = 100%), whereas samples with S/CO ≤6 are very unlikely to be truly positive (PPV = 0).

Conclusion

The use of the Alinity assay reduced the frequency of false‐positive results. Confirmatory tests are important to identify true HTLV infection in blood donors, because more than 58% of initially reactive individuals are confirmed as seronegative. Categorizing S/CO values is useful for assessing the likelihood of true HTLV‐1/2 infection.
Weed survey on cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) fields in the Tarim River region of southern Xinjiang
Authors: Xiao Haibing , Dong Hongqiang , Yao Yongsheng , Feng Hongzu , Abid Ali , Riaz Muhammad Asam , Yang Minglu
Published: January 2024

This study was conducted to investigate weed infestations of cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) fields in the region of Tarim River. Forty‐nine species among 17 families were identified in these cotton fields, and 24 of them were annuals. The eight dominant weed species in the cotton fields of Tarim River basin included Chenopodium glaucum, Solanum nigrum, Chenopodium album, Chenopodium hybridum, Bolboschoenus planiculmis, Sonchus arvensis, Phragmites australis, and Mulgedium tataricum. The number of weed species in the Aksu River tributary area, Yeerqiang River tributary area, and the upper and lower reaches of the Tarim River reached 29, 36, 35, and 33, respectively. Twenty species were found widely distributed among each basin. The dominant weeds in the cotton fields in the Aksu River basin and upper reaches of the Tarim River were S. nigrum and C. glaucum, those in the cotton fields in the Yarkand River basin included C. album and C. hybridum, and those in the cotton fields in the lower reaches of the Tarim River were C. glaucum and C. album. Notably the 20 common surveyed species of C. glaucum, S. nigrum, C. album, C. hybridum, B. planiculmis, S. arvensis, P. australis, M. tataricum, and others, could pose a serious challenge to regional crop production if not adequately controlled. As such, each cotton field should adopt a suitable weeding scheme with strengthened weed monitoring according to the local conditions, especially the weed distribution area characteristics.
Chloride capture using a C–H hydrogen-bonding cage
Authors: Liu Yun , Zhao Wei , Chen Chun-Hsing , Flood Amar H.
Published: January 2024

A C–H bonding trap for chloride

Part of the reason salt dissolves so well in water is that the polarized O–H bonds attract the negatively charged chloride ions. It has therefore been common to include O–H or N–H bonds in molecular receptors designed to capture anions such as chloride. Liu
et al.
report the surprising finding that sufficiently polarized C–H bonds can work even better (see the Perspective by Bowman-James). They designed a cage with triazole rings that directed C–H bonds inward to encapsulate chloride with a remarkable attomolar affinity in dichloromethane.

Science
, this issue p.
159
; see also p.
124
Establishing a new standard of care for calculus using trials with randomized student allocation
Authors: Kramer Laird , Fuller Edgar , Watson Charity , Castillo Adam , Oliva Pablo Duran , Potvin Geoff
Published: January 2024

Calculus, the study of change in processes and systems, serves as the foundation for many STEM disciplines. Traditional, lecture-based calculus instruction may present a barrier for students seeking STEM degrees, limit their access to STEM professions, and block their potential to address society’s challenges. A large-scale pragmatic trial with randomized student allocation was conducted to compare two calculus instruction styles: active student engagement (treatment condition) versus traditional, lecture-based instruction (control condition). A sample of 811 university students were studied across 32 sections taught by 19 instructors over three semesters at a large, US-based Hispanic-serving institution. Large effect sizes were consistently measured for student learning outcomes in the treatment condition, which demonstrates a new standard for calculus instruction and increased opportunities for completion of STEM degrees.
Community-initiated genomics
Authors: Jackson Fatimah L. C.
Published: January 2024

Ancient DNA is used to connect enslaved African Americans to modern descendants
Competition of Cd(II) and Pb(II) on the bacterial cells: a new insight from bioaccumulation based on NanoSIMS imaging
Authors: Wang Zhijun , Zhang Ying , Chen Yunhui , Han Feiyu , Shi Yixiao , Pan Shang , Li Zhen
Published: January 2024

Polymetallic exposure causes complex toxicity to microorganisms. In this study, we investigated the responses of
Escherichia coli
under co-existence of cadmium (Cd) and lead (Pb), primarily based on biochemical analysis and RNA sequencing. Cd completely inhibited bacterial growth at a concentration of 2.41 mmol/L, with its removal rate as low as <10%. In contrast, the Pb removal rate was >95% under equimolar sole Pb stress. In addition, the Raman analysis confirmed the loss of proteins for the bacterial cells. Under the co-existence of Cd and Pb, the Cd toxicity to
E. coli
was alleviated. Meanwhile, the biosorption of Pb cations was more intense during the competitive sorption with Cd. Transmission electron microscopy images showed that a few cells were elongated during incubation, i.e., the average cellular length increased from 1.535 ± 0.407 to 1.845 ± 0.620 µm. Moreover, NanoSIMS imaging showed that the intracellular distribution of Cd and Pb was coupled with sulfur. Genes regulating sulfate transporter were also upregulated to promote sulfate assimilation. Then, the subsequent production of biogenic sulfide and sulfur-containing amino acids was enhanced. Although this strategy based on S enrichment could resist the polymetallic stress, not all related genes were induced to upregulate under sole Cd stress. Therefore, the S metabolism might remodel the microbial resistance to variable occurrence of heavy metals. Furthermore, the competitive sorption (in contrast to sole Cd stress) could prevent microbial cells from strong Cd toxicity.

IMPORTANCE

Microbial tolerance and resistance to heavy metals have been widely studied under stress of single metals. However, the polymetallic exposure seems to prevail in the environment. Though microbial resistance can alleviate the effects of exogenous stress, the taxonomic or functional response to polymetallic exposure is still not fully understood. We determined the strong cytotoxicity of cadmium (Cd) on growth, and cell elongation would be driven by Cd stress. The addition of appropriate lead (Pb) showed a stimulating effect on microbial bioactivity. Meanwhile, the biosorption of Pb was more intense during co-existence of Pb and Cd. Our work also revealed the spatial coupling of intracellular S and Cd/Pb. In particular, the S assimilation was promoted by Pb stress. This work elucidated the microbial responses to polymetallic exposure and may provide new insights into the antagonistic function during metal stresses.
Impacts of beaver dams on riverscape burn severity during megafires in the Rocky Mountain region, western United States
Authors: Fairfax Emily , Whipple Alexa , Wheaton Joe M. , Osorio Brandon , Miller Joe , Kirksey Keitreice , Perez Natalie , Gilbert Jordan T. , Jordan Chris E.
Published: January 2024

Megafires, defined as fires with burn areas greater than 100,000 acres (404.7 km2), result partly from increasingly short wet seasons coupled with consistently hotter, drier summers, and partly from past forest management decisions. Historically rare, megafires have become increasingly common in recent years. In this study, we examined the impact of megafires on riverscapes with beaver dams to explore the resilience of these habitats. We investigated whether beaver-modified riverscapes are more resistant to the impacts of megafires than geomorphically similar riverscapes lacking beaver dams. Our analysis utilized remotely sensed and field-collected data from three Rocky Mountain region megafires that burned in 2020. Our results showed that riparian areas with beaver dams (1537 beaver dams, which occurred in 658 out of 13,933 valley bottom segments evaluated) had significantly reduced burn severity compared to riverscapes without beaver dams or to areas outside the river corridor. Additionally, when riverscapes were classified according to their modeled beaver dam capacities (a metric closely linked to riparian habitat quality), areas with beaver dams had consistently lower burn intensities than those without beaver dams, even within the same theoretical dam capacity class. Our results indicate that riverscapes with a high degree of manipulation by beavers have significant resistance to burning during megafires. This resistance may also provide valuable secondary benefits in postfire ecosystem health, water quality, and biodiversity.
Erratum to: LIDAR for Investigation of the Martian Atmosphere from the Surface
Authors: Lipatov A. N. , Lyash A. N. , Ekonomov A. P. , Makarov V. S. , Lesnykh V. A. , Goretov V. A. , Zakharkin G. V. , Khlyustova L. I. , Antonenko S. A. , Rodionov D. S. , Korablev O. I.
Published: January 2024

An Erratum to this paper has been published: https://doi.org/10.1134/S0038094623330018
Evaluation of cool-season perennial forage varieties as monocultures and legume–grass binary mixtures under intensive grazing
Authors: Sim Cassidy , Moya Diego , Biligetu Bill , Ribeiro Gabriel O. , Damiran Daalkhaijav , Lardner Herbert A.
Published: January 2024

In Canada, new forage varieties need not undergo grazing trials before registration and sale. To evaluate the effect of grazing, six cool-season species including meadow bromegrass ( Bromus riparius Rehmann), orchardgrass ( Dactylis glomerata L.), sainfoin ( Onobrychis viciifoila Scop.), and three alfalfa varieties ( Medicago sativa L.) were established in monocultures and grass–legume binary mixtures in Saskatchewan, Canada. Forage treatments were randomly established within each of three 3.5 ha paddock replicates. In Year 1, 69 Bos taurus crossbred steers, and in Year 2, 149 steers were homogenously allocated to the three paddocks for the grazing trials. Alfalfa monocultures had the greatest ( p < 0.05) pre-graze forage yields and crude protein content. Leaf area index was greater in alfalfa monocultures than in all other treatments ( p < 0.01). Etiolated growth differed ( p < 0.05) among binary mixtures but not monocultures. Alfalfa monoculture stands were preferred over grass monocultures and most grass–legume mixtures, and sainfoin was avoided relative to alfalfa. Killarney orchardgrass was the least productive and least preferred among forages evaluated. In summary, alfalfa monocultures had greater ( p < 0.05) forage yields and quality than sainfoin monocultures, grass–legume binary mixtures, or grass monocultures.
Monotonicity and one-dimensional symmetry of solutions for the weighted fractional parabolic equations on the whole space
Authors: Li Ye , Lin Chuang , Zhang Kelei
Published: January 2024

In this paper, we investigate the monotonicity and one-dimensional symmetry of solutions for parabolic equations related to the weighted fractional Laplacian on the whole space. We first establish a generalized weighted average inequality and the maximum principle in unbounded domains, and then carry out the sliding method to obtain monotonicity and one-dimensional symmetry of solutions.
Interior volume of power-Maxwell charged black hole in Rastall gravity
Authors: Mondal Debojyoti , Debnath Ujjal
Published: January 2024

In this work, we try to find the volume inside the power-Maxwell charged black hole in Rastall gravity based on the definition and method proposed by Christodoulou and Rovelli. We find the interior volume as well as CR volume for this black hole. We also analyze our work numerically and show that our result is compatible with previous results obtained by various authors.
Time-system entanglement and special relativity
Authors: Loc Ngo Phuc Duc
Published: January 2024

We know that space and time are treated almost equally in classical physics, but we also know that this is not the case for quantum mechanics. A quantum description of both space and time is important to really understand the quantum nature of reality. The Page–Wootters mechanism of quantum time is a promising starting point, according to which the evolution of the quantum system is described by the entanglement between it and quantum temporal degrees of freedom. In this paper, we consider a qubit clock that is entangled with a quantum system due to the Wigner rotation induced by Lorentz transformation. We study how this time-system entanglement depends on the rapidity of the Lorentz boost. We consider the case of a spin-1/2 particle with Gaussian momentum distribution as a concrete example. We also compare the time-system entanglement entropy with the spin-momentum entanglement entropy and find that the former is smaller than the latter.
Weighting Local Search with Variable Neighborhood Descent for the Network Topology Design Problem
Authors: Nakamura Taishin , Shingyochi Koji
Published: January 2024

This study focuses on a network topology design problem with minimum cost subject to a reliability constraint (NTD-CR). The computational complexity of NTD-CR increases exponentially with an increase in the number of nodes and edges, necessitating the use of efficient algorithms in large-scale networks. Herein, variable neighborhood descent (VND) and weighting local search (WLS) algorithms, along with their hybrid WLS-VND, are used to solve this problem. The VND enables effective exploration within neighborhoods dictated by the characteristics of the problem, whereas WLS employs a dynamic penalty coefficient and weighting function to efficiently navigate the solution space. Numerical experiments confirmed that WLS-VND produced high-quality solutions with reduced dependence on the initial parameter settings. This result aligns with our objectives of developing high-performing practical algorithms for real-world applications and minimizing the need for laborious parameter tuning. Furthermore, WLS-VND holds promise for designing cost-effective and reliable network infrastructures.
DiabNet: A Convolutional Neural Network for Diabetic Retinopathy Detection
Authors: Anitha S. , Priyanka S.
Published: January 2024

Diabetic retinopathy is a leading cause of blindness among diabetic patients, and early detection is crucial. This research proposes DiabNet, a novel convolutional neural network (CNN) architecture designed to enhance the accuracy, efficiency, and robustness of diabetic retinopathy detection from retinal images. DiabNet incorporates unique features like skip connections, attention mechanisms, and batch normalisation to improve feature extraction. The paper details DiabNet’s architecture, feature extraction, and training process. Evaluation on a standard dataset shows that DiabNet surpasses existing methods in accuracy, efficiency, and robustness. The research also explores the interpretability of DiabNet and suggests future research directions. The potential impact of DiabNet includes improved early detection and management of diabetic retinopathy. In addition, DiabNet’s deployment as a mobile app enables convenient and accessible diabetic retinopathy screening. Finally, it is noted that DiabNet, as a mobile app, has the potential to significantly impact the field of diabetic retinopathy detection, leading to improved early detection of diabetic retinopathy. The experimental validation proves that the proposed DiabNet architecture is feasible for real-time deployment yielding an accuracy of 98.72%.
Green Financial Management and its Impact on Small Medium Enterprises (SMEs): An Empirical Study in Indonesia
Authors: Nohong Mursalim , Sobarsyah Muhammad , Alamzah Nur , Sylvana Andi , Herman Bahtiar
Published: January 2024

This study investigates the relationships between Green Financial Management (GFM), Green Operational Practices (GOP), and Financial Performance (FP) within Indonesian firms, offering new insights into the strategic importance of sustainability in financial management. We conducted a multivariate analysis of data obtained from a sample of 256 firms in Indonesia. The results reveal a significant positive association between GFM and GOP and a subsequent improvement in FP. Moreover, our study finds that the Regulatory Environment (RE) and Market Competition (MC) play moderating roles in the GFM–GOP relationship. In contrast, the GOP serves as a mediator between GFM and FP. Despite various limitations, this research offers crucial empirical support for the idea that green finance management may enhance a company’s environmental responsibility and financial success. The report also identifies areas for further investigation, emphasising how crucial sustainability is to corporate strategy planning.
Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in a Patient with SLE
Authors: Cheung Chris Ching Lam , Chan Kelly Kar Li , Chu Chiu Sum , Mok Chi Chiu
Published: January 2024

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was one of the most important infections in the past few years. Although most cases of COVID-19 are mild, serious complications may arise. The multisystem inflammatory syndrome (MIS) is a rare but severe, yet poorly understood complication of COVID-19. It was first described in childhood patients with COVID-19 (MIS-C) but is increasingly reported in adults. MIS-A may lead to diagnostic and therapeutic dilemma as its manifestations may mimic a flare of the underlying disease and the use of immunosuppressive therapy may further increase the risk of other infective complications in these patients. However, MIS-A has rarely been reported in patients with pre-existing autoimmune conditions. We hereby present a patient with systemic lupus erythematosus who developed severe MIS-A 6 weeks after a recent SARS-CoV-2 infection.
Human Selective Matting
Authors: Liu Qinglin , Meng Quanling , Lv Xiaoqian , Li Zonglin , Yu Wei , Zhang Shengping
Published: January 2024

Existing human matting methods are incapable of accurately estimating the alpha mattes of arbitrarily selected humans from a group photo. An alternative solution is to apply them to the corresponding cropped image patches. However, this option obtains an inaccurate alpha estimation due to the interference of the body parts of the neighboring humans. In addition, these methods are only trained on finely annotated synthetic data, which causes poor performance in real-world scenarios due to the domain shift. To address these problems, we propose human selective matting (HSMatt), which performs matting for arbitrarily selected humans from a group photo given only a simple bounding box as guidance. Specifically, we design a global–local context network to extract both local and global semantic context features. A human-aware trimap network is then proposed to generate human-aware trimaps for the selected humans, which adopts stacked bidirectional inference modules with intermediate supervision to progressively refine the estimated trimap. Finally, a partially supervised matting network is introduced to estimate the alpha matte, which uses a sample-varying loss to train the network on both the finely annotated synthetic data and coarsely annotated real-world data, resulting in high accuracy and good generalization. To evaluate the proposed HSMatt, we construct the first human selective matting dataset, named HSM-200K, which contains over 200,000 human images with instance-level alpha matte annotations. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed HSMatt outperforms state-of-the-art methods.
Machine Learning for Refining Knowledge Graphs: A Survey
Authors: Subagdja Budhitama , Shanthoshigaa D. , Wang Zhaoxia , Tan Ah-Hwee
Published: January 2024

Knowledge graph (KG) refinement refers to the process of filling in missing information, removing redundancies, and resolving inconsistencies in KGs. With the growing popularity of KG in various domains, many techniques involving machine learning have been applied, but there is no survey dedicated to machine learning-based KG refinement yet. Based on a novel framework following the KG refinement process, this article presents a survey of machine learning approaches to KG refinement according to the kind of operations in KG refinement, the training datasets, mode of learning, and process multiplicity. Furthermore, the survey aims to provide broad practical insights into the development of fully automated KG refinement.
LL-GNN: Low Latency Graph Neural Networks on FPGAs for High Energy Physics
Authors: Que Zhiqiang , Fan Hongxiang , Loo Marcus , Li He , Blott Michaela , Pierini Maurizio , Tapper Alexander , Luk Wayne
Published: January 2024

This work presents a novel reconfigurable architecture for Low Latency Graph Neural Network (LL-GNN) designs for particle detectors, delivering unprecedented low latency performance. Incorporating FPGA-based GNNs into particle detectors presents a unique challenge since it requires sub-microsecond latency to deploy the networks for online event selection with a data rate of hundreds of terabytes per second in the Level-1 triggers at the CERN Large Hadron Collider experiments. This article proposes a novel outer-product based matrix multiplication approach, which is enhanced by exploiting the structured adjacency matrix and a column-major data layout. In addition, we propose a custom code transformation for the matrix multiplication operations, which leverages the structured sparsity patterns and binary features of adjacency matrices to reduce latency and improve hardware efficiency. Moreover, a fusion step is introduced to further reduce the end-to-end design latency by eliminating unnecessary boundaries. Furthermore, a GNN-specific algorithm-hardware co-design approach is presented which not only finds a design with a much better latency but also finds a high accuracy design under given latency constraints. To facilitate this, a customizable template for this low latency GNN hardware architecture has been designed and open-sourced, which enables the generation of low-latency FPGA designs with efficient resource utilization using a high-level synthesis tool. Evaluation results show that our FPGA implementation is up to 9.0 times faster and achieves up to 13.1 times higher power efficiency than a GPU implementation. Compared to the previous FPGA implementations, this work achieves 6.51 to 16.7 times lower latency. Moreover, the latency of our FPGA design is sufficiently low to enable deployment of GNNs in a sub-microsecond, real-time collider trigger system, enabling it to benefit from improved accuracy. The proposed LL-GNN design advances the next generation of trigger systems by enabling sophisticated algorithms to process experimental data efficiently.