bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The effectiveness of different wear indicators in quantifying wear on railway wheels of freight wagons
Authors: de Paula Pacheco Philipe Augusto , Magelli M. , Lopes Matheus Valente , Correa Pedro Henrique Alves , Zampieri N. , Bosso N. , dos Santos Auteliano Antunes
Published: April 2024

Railway infrastructure relies on the dynamic interaction between wheels and rails; thus, assessing wheel wear is a critical aspect of maintenance and safety. This paper focuses on the wheel–rail wear indicator T-gamma (Tγ). Amidst its use, it becomes apparent that Tγ, while valuable, fails to provide a comprehensive reflection of the actual material removal and actual contact format, which means that using only Tγ as a target for optimization of profiles is not ideal. In this work, three different freight wagons are evaluated: a meter-gauge and a broad-gauge heavy haul vehicles from South American railways, and a standard-gauge freight vehicle operated in Europe, with different axle loads and dissimilar new wheel/rail profiles. These vehicles are subjected to comprehensive multibody simulations on various tracks. The simulations aimed to elucidate the intricate relationship between different wear indicators: Tγ, wear index, material removal, and maximum wear depth, under diverse curves, non-compensated lateral accelerations (Anc), and speeds. Some findings showed a correlation of 0.96 between Tγ and wear depth and 0.82 between wear index and material removed for the outer wheel. From the results, the Tγ is better than the wear index to be used when analyzing wear depth while the wear index is more suited to foresee the material lost. The results also show the low influence of Anc on wear index and Tγ. By considering these factors together, the study aims to improve the understanding of wheel–rail wear by selecting the best wear analysis approaches based on the effectiveness of each parameter.
Dual-student knowledge distillation for visual anomaly detection
Authors: Hao Jutao , Huang Kai , Chen Chen , Mao Jian
Published: April 2024

Anomaly detection poses a significant challenge in the industry and knowledge distillation constructed using a frozen teacher network and a trainable student network is the prevailing approach for detecting suspicious regions. Forward and reverse distillation are the main ways to achieve anomaly detection. To design an effective model and aggregate detection results, we propose a dual-student knowledge distillation (DSKD) based on forward and reverse distillation. Taking advantage of the priority of reverse distillation to obtain high-level representation, we combine a skip connection and an attention module to build a reverse distillation student network that simultaneously focuses on high-level representation and low-level features. DSKD uses a forward distillation network as an auxiliary to allow the student network to preferentially obtain the query image. For different anomaly score maps obtained by the dual-student network, we use synthetic noise enhancement in combination with image segmentation loss to adaptively learn the weight scores of individual maps. Empirical experiments conducted on the MVTec dataset show that the proposed DSKD method achieves good performance on texture images as well as competitive results on object images compared with other state-of-the-art methods. Meanwhile, ablation experiments and a visualization analysis validate the contributions of each of the model’s components.
The effect of low hydrogen content on hydrogen embrittlement of additively manufactured 17–4 stainless steel
Authors: Ben-Hamu Guy , Metalnikov Polina , Eliezer Dan
Published: April 2024

This work aims to evaluate the impact of small amounts of hydrogen on the hydrogen-assisted cracking (HAC) of 17-4 martensitic stainless steel (SS) prepared by additive manufacturing (AM). To elucidate the effect of processing on the hydrogen–material interactions, the obtained results were compared with a conventionally manufactured (CM) counterpart. It was found that the hydrogen uptake of AM 17-4 SS is higher compared to CM; however, its resistance to HAC is improved. These differences are attributed to the presence of stronger hydrogen trapping sites, retained austenite and the absence of Nb-rich precipitates in the AM 17-4 SS. The effect of processing on the microstructure and the susceptibility to hydrogen-induced damage and hydrogen embrittlement is discussed in detail.
Contribution of population III stars to merging binary black holes
Authors: Tanikawa Ataru
Published: April 2024

A large number of mergers of binary black holes (BHs) have been discovered by gravitational wave observations since the first detection of gravitational waves 2015. Binary BH mergers are the loudest events in the universe; however, their origin(s) have been under debate. There have been many suggestions for merging binary BHs. Isolated binary stars are one of the most promising origins. We have investigated the evolution of isolated binary stars ranging from zero metallicity (Population III stars or Pop III stars) to the solar metallicity by means of so-called rapid binary population synthesis simulation. We have found that binary BHs formed from isolated binary stars reproduce the redshift evolution of the merger rate density and the distribution of primary BH masses and mass ratios inferred by Gravitational-Wave Transient Catalog 3 (GWTC-3). Pop III stars have a crucial role in forming merging binary BHs in so-called the pair instability mass gap. Note that we choose the conventional prescription of pair instability mass loss, based on the standard $$^{12}\textrm{C}(\alpha ,\gamma )^{16}\textrm{O}$$

12

C

(
α
,
γ
)

16

O

reaction rate. Finally, we have shown the redshift evolution of the rate density of pair instability supernovae and have predicted that a few pair instability supernovae would be discovered in the next few years. The discoveries would validate our results of merging binary BHs.
A text mining and machine learning study on the trends of and dynamics between collective action and mental health in politically polarized online environments
Authors: Lam Calvin , Chan Christian S.
Published: April 2024

Social media and online forums play an increasingly important role in the mobilization of collective action. This study examined how the discussion of collective actions impacts the expression of psychological distress in politically polarized online environments. We used text mining and machine learning models to analyze 39,487,911 user-generated comments during the 2019 social unrest in Hong Kong on two online forums frequented by anti-government (Lihkg.com) and pro-government (Discuss.com.hk) netizens. Results from time-series models yielded two main findings. First, there was a time-lagged association between the discussion of protest and the mention of psychological distress on both forums. Second, on Discuss.com.hk but not Lihkg.com, fewer comments containing psychological distress were created on days with offline protests (especially on days with violent conflicts) than days without. Together, these findings suggest that politically polarizing environments contribute to psychological distress.
Antimicrobial activities of essential oils from three species of citrus fruits against six infectious tropical bacteria: implications for the care and control of common bacterial tropical diseases in developing countries
Authors: Olatunya Ayomadewa Mercy , Olatunya Oladele Simeon , Hassan Ganiyu Foluso , Adeyemi Lateef Ademola , Oyelami Oyeku Akibu , Akintayo Emmanuel Temitope
Published: April 2024

The burden of bacterial infections and the failure of antimicrobial agents are increasing worldwide, especially in sub-Saharan Africa. This raises the need for novel therapeutic agents to combat bacterial infectious diseases. The sensitivity of several common pathogenic bacteria to essential oils from the peels of three species of citrus plants was investigated. Essential oils (EOs) were extracted from the fresh and dried peels of the citrus species using standard techniques. The antimicrobial activities of the EOs were determined using agar well diffusion and broth microdilution methods, and the activities of the EOs were compared to those of twelve conventional antibiotics. The results showed that the essential oils had high inhibitory effects. The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of the EOs ranged between 0.025 and 0.15 mg/ml. The activities of the EOs against the tested microorganisms were comparable to those of conventional antibiotics. Processing techniques did not affect the antibacterial activities of the EOs. Thus, the essential oils from the citrus species used against the investigated microorganisms were comparable to conventional antibiotics, and these findings showed that the oils could be widely applied in the health and pharmaceutical industries, where they could help in combating the menace of bacterial infections and therapeutic failure from drug resistance worldwide and especially in developing countries with limited resources available to combat these infections.
Study on the use of different machine learning techniques for prediction of concrete properties from their mixture proportions with their deterministic and robust optimisation
Authors: Mandal Sumanta , Shiuly Amit , Sau Debasis , Mondal Achintya Kumar , Sarkar Kaustav
Published: April 2024

The construction industry relies so heavily on concrete that it's crucial to precisely forecast and optimize the strength and workability of concrete mixtures, while reducing costs as much as possible. For this objective, this study tries to predict and optimize the compressive strength and workability (slump) of concrete by using deterministic and robust optimization approaches, so as to determine the optimum concrete mixture proportions, while minimizing cost. Specifically, strength and slump were predicted based on concrete mixture proportions with five different machine learning techniques—support vector machine (SVM), artificial neural network (ANN), fuzzy inference system (FIS), adaptive fuzzy inference system (ANIS), and genetic expression programming (GEP), based on a dataset comprising two hundred concrete mixtures, which has various levels of key ingredients, including cement, water, fine aggregate, coarse aggregate, and size of coarse aggregate, along with their associated measures of strength and workability. These ingredients were used as input parameters, while compressive strength and slump (representing workability) served as output parameters for each mix proportion. Experimental investigations were conducted on fifteen distinct concrete mixes to validate the performance of the five networks, finding that ANFIS can yield the best results both for training and validation. This study provides valuable insights for predicting concrete properties and optimizing concrete mixture proportions, thus helping to maximize strength and workability while minimizing costs.
Sustainable futures: from causes of environmental degradation to solutions
Authors: Ferreira Fernandes Carla Sofia , Alves Fátima , Loureiro João
Published: April 2024

The impacts of climate change, loss of biodiversity and pollution influence the living experiences of the various members of communities that rely on agriculture, shaping the adaptation responses to those phenomena and actions towards sustainable development. This study aims to understand how members of rural communities in Morocco perceive the causes of environmental degradation and the solutions meant to support the reduction of the vulnerabilities by applying a sustainable development lens. To achieve those objectives, this empirical study collects qualitative data by conducting semi-structured interviews on the local population's perceptions of environmental degradation causes and impacts, vulnerabilities, and solutions to adapt or cope with those impacts. The study includes a critical analysis of the proposals presented by the community members by addressing the economic, social, and environmental dimensions of their implications for development. The most common issue identified was water management, underscoring the water stress affecting several regions. However, several solutions presented would lead to further depletion of non-renewable water sources, which endangers the pursuit of genuinely sustainable development. The study's conclusions highlight the importance of contextualising the communication and adaptation responses that address local perceptions, namely the low prevalence of perceptions attributing anthropogenic causes to environmental degradation, leading to sentiments of helplessness among members of the rural communities.
Effects of life-work balance on health, according to gender, housing insecurity, and social class: an intersectional study
Authors: Vásquez-Vera Constanza , Fernández Ana , Borrell Carme
Published: April 2024

The study aim was to analyse the differences in work-life balance between and within genders (1159 women, 1077 men, and 5 trans*), and their effects on health outcomes, according to housing insecurity, and social class. We measured five health outcomes: mental health, self-perceived health, sleep quality, chronic headaches, and chronic backpain. The explanatory variables were productive, reproductive workloads, and their interactions. Among women with housing insecurity, those with no productive workload and moderate reproductive workload had the poorest mental health, self-perceived health, and sleep quality. Among women without housing insecurity of non-manual social class, those with productive workload and high reproductive workload had the poorest mental health and sleep quality. Among men with housing insecurity, those with no productive workload and high reproductive workload had the poorest sleep quality and chronic backpain. The health effects of the work-life balance are not the same for all people and vary according to housing situation, social class, and gender.
Modelled salinity values and episodes of critical salinities over 63 years in an estuary with bivalves of commercial interest
Authors: Parada J. M. , Fernández Besada M. , Méndez Pérez B.
Published: April 2024

Objectives

This dataset is the result of a numerical model that estimates salinity in an estuary of high interest to commercial bivalve fisheries. The estuary is subject to periodic low salinity events that cause high mortalities and economic losses. Although the estuary has a salinity monitoring system, its sensors hang from a floating platform, so the data collected are not measured close to the bottom and their position relative to the bottom varies with the tide. Therefore, their values are not representative of the salinity stress to which the bivalves are subjected. For this reason, a model was developed to estimate salinity at 1 m above the bottom and at high tide. These conditions have been defined as those necessary to detect episodes of low salinities that can generate bivalve mortality events.

Data description

The dataset includes the estimated daily salinity in the estuary from 7 January 1961 to 31 December 2023. In addition, for each of the 63 years of the series, another dataset is included containing the number of critical salinity episodes, as a function of salinity thresholds and their duration, that could have caused mortality events of different intensity of bivalves of commercial interest.
How can an in vitro incompatibility of Trichoderma-based products and herbicides impact the parasitism and control of white mold (Sclerotinia sclerotiorum (Lib.) De Bary)?
Authors: Canuto da Silva Lindomar , de Faria Amanda Flausino , Guimarães Rafaela Araújo , Afridi Muhammad Siddique , de Medeiros Flavio Henrique Vasconcelos , de Medeiros Fernanda Carvalho Lopes
Published: April 2024

The integration of management methods for both diseases and weeds depends on the compatibility between the tools. Biological control represents an important strategy to cope with the integrated management of white mold (Sclerotinia sclerotiorum) through parasitism of sclerotia. However, its application in the field is more cost-effective if combined with the herbicide in a tank mix, as long as the products are compatible. Therefore, we aimed at (i) evaluating two compatibility test methodologies (constant exposure and different times) and (ii) two soybean crop seasons to infer the compatibility of Trichoderma-based products. In vitro bioassays were performed to assess the compatibility between herbicides (Haloxifope-p- methyl, Glyphosate N-ammonium salt, Fluasifope-p-butyl, Fomesafem, Chlorimuron ethyl and Imazapyc + Imazapyr) and two biocontrol agents (Trichoderma asperellum and Trichoderma harzianum). Thus, the recommended spray volume for each herbicide was added to the PDA culture medium (Potato-Dextrose-Agar) and then deposited in the center of the plate a disc of mycelium from each antagonist isolate (constant exposure). The tests with time of exposure were marked at times 0, 2, 4, 8 and 16 h (simulating tank mixing) and at the spp of each time were plated on PDA medium. For both tests, the mycelial growth and conidiogenesis of Trichoderma spp. were observed. The combination of herbicide and biocontrol was also tested in the field and sclerotia parasitism, white mold incidence and plant yield were assessed in two field trials. The constant exposure of the antagonists to herbicides revealed that no herbicide was compatible with the T. asperellum or T. harzianum. While in test, exposure time exhibited compatibility with either T. asperellum or T. harzianum, within a period of 2 to 8 h. Conclusively, the integration of biocontrol agents with the herbicide imazapique + imazapyr exhibited significant reductions in white mold disease incidence and conidia germination, along with effective parasitism of S. sclerotiorum and even the least compatible herbicide (glyphosate) resulted in significant reduction in the disease incidence and sustained yield when compared to the untreated control. Therefore, the integration of the biocontrol agent for white mold should always be considered, and the tank mixing of it with the herbicide represents a cost-effective alternative for the grower.
Digital Response to Physical Crises: The Role of an E-Health Platform in the 2023 Southern Turkey Earthquakes
Authors: Akbasli Izzet Turkalp , Serin Oguzhan
Published: April 2024

The catastrophic earthquakes that struck Southern Turkey in 2023 highlighted the pressing need for effective disaster management strategies. The unprecedented scale of the crisis tested the robustness of traditional healthcare responses and highlighted the potential of e-health solutions. Despite the deployment of Emergency Medical Teams, initial responders - primarily survivors of the earthquakes - faced an enormous challenge due to their lack of training in mass-casualty situations. An e-health platform was introduced to support these first responders, offering tools for drug calculations, case management guidelines, and a deep learning model for pediatric X-ray analysis. This commentary presents an analysis of the platform’s use and contributes to the growing discourse on integrating digital health technologies in disaster response and management.
How do language education researchers attend to quality in qualitative studies?
Authors: Mirhosseini Seyyed-Abdolhamid , Pearson William S.
Published: April 2024

The steady expansion in qualitative research in the area of language education over the last two decades indicates the growing recognition of its importance to investigating issues of language teaching and learning. Along with this recognition, understanding and assessing the quality of qualitative studies in this area has gained increasing significance. Addressing this concern, in this research synthesis, we qualitatively explore how 236 qualitative language education studies published in seven leading journals explicitly foreground the issue of ‘research quality’. We conducted a qualitative content analysis of how authors of these studies addressed the main quality concepts proposed by well-known frameworks of qualitative research quality. Our findings, presented as ten major themes, show that qualitative researchers' overt treatment of research quality is realised based on three distinct orientations: no explicit quality criteria, positivist views of quality, and interpretive quality conceptions. We discuss aspects of these orientations and their implications for qualitative research in language education.
Small‐Scale Field‐Aligned Currents of Intense Amplitude Resolved by the Swarm Satellites
Authors: Wang Simin , Xiong Chao , Zhou Yunliang , Wang Fengjue , Hu Yang , Huang Yuyang
Published: April 2024

In this study we used the Level‐2 product of field‐aligned currents (FACs) from the Swarm satellites, to check the distribution characteristics of small‐scale FACs (SSFACs) of intense amplitude. Data applied covers 9 years from December 2013 to April 2023. Based on the statistical analysis on the amplitude, the SSFACs in this study is defined with amplitude larger than 20 μA/m2, which is also by two orders larger than the well‐known large‐scale R1 and R2 FACs (about 0.2 μA/m2). Such an intense amplitude indicates that it should play an important role in the magnetosphere‐ionosphere coupling. The location of the SSFACs observed is general between 60°∼80° and −80°∼−60° magnetic latitude, which is coincidently inside the auroral oval. The occurrence of the SSFACs depends on both solar activity and geomagnetic activity, and the influence of geomagnetic activity is more important than that of solar activity. By further checking the simultaneous in situ plasma density measured by Swarm, we find that the SSFACs are always associated with clear plasma density fluctuations. This suggests that the SSFACs play an important role for causing the small‐scale plasma density irregularities at auroral latitude.
Ray‐Tracing Analysis for the Propagation of Saturn Narrowband Emission Within the Saturnian Magnetosphere
Authors: Wu Siyuan , Taubenschuss Ulrich , Ye Shengyi , Fischer Georg , Cecconi Baptiste , Wang Mengmeng , Tao Tao , Long Minyi , Lu Peng , Liu Yuqi , Kurth William S. , Jackman Caitriona M. , Zarka Philippe , Baskevitch Claire , Feng Xuedong
Published: April 2024

This study investigates the propagation characteristics of Saturn's Narrowband (NB) emissions using a 3D ray‐tracing code incorporating Saturn's magnetic field and electron density parameters. The potential source regions and propagation zones of the L‐O mode, Z mode and whistler mode NB emissions are distinguished. The L‐O mode NB emissions, generated along local electron plasma frequency surfaces through mode conversion, exhibit straight‐line propagation but undergo reflections between the ionosphere, the plasma torus, and the magnetosheath. The slot region, characterized by a lower electron density distributed around the plasma torus boundary, significantly influences emission propagation, potentially leading to trapping and depolarization. The 5 kHz Z mode NB emissions propagate and fill the trapping region delineated by lower cut‐off and upper hybrid resonance frequencies. In contrast, the 20 kHz Z mode NB emissions are primarily confined near source regions at the north and south edges of the plasma torus, with the possibility of escaping under variable plasma conditions.
FcRn regulates antigen presentation in dendritic cells downstream of DEC205-targeted vaccines
Authors: Macri Christophe , Paxman Matthew , Jenika Devi , Lin Xiao Peng , Elahi Zahra , Gleeson Paul A. , Caminschi Irina , Lahoud Mireille H. , Villadangos Jose A. , Mintern Justine D.
Published: April 2024

Dendritic cell (DC)-targeted vaccination is a new mode of antigen delivery that relies on the use of monoclonal antibodies (mAb) to target antigen to specific DC subsets. The neonatal Fc receptor (FcRn) is a non-classical Fc receptor that binds to immunoglobulin G (IgG) in acidified endosomes and controls its intracellular transport and recycling. FcRn is known to participate in the antigen presentation of immune complexes, however its contribution to DC-targeted vaccination has not previously been examined. Here we have investigated the role of FcRn in antigen presentation using antigen conjugated to IgG mAb which target specific DC receptors, including DEC205 and Clec9A expressed by the conventional DC 1 (cDC1) subset. We show that FcRn is expressed at high levels by cDC1, both at steady-state and following activation and plays a significant role in MHC I cross-presentation and MHC II presentation of antigens that are targeted to cDC1 via mAb specific for DEC205. This effect of FcRn is intrinsic to cDC1 and FcRn impacts the efficacy of anti-DEC205-mediated vaccination against B cell lymphoma. In contrast, FcRn does not impact presentation of antigens targeted to Clec9A and does not regulate presentation of cell-associated antigen. These data highlight a new and unique role of FcRn in controlling the immunogenicity of anti-DEC205-based vaccination, with consequences for exploiting this pathway to improve DC-targeted vaccine outcomes.
Tracking and tracing water consumption for informed water sensitive intervention through machine learning approach
Authors: Tesfay Abraha Abraha , Assefa Woldeamanuel Tibebu , Gebremariam Beyene Ephrem
Published: April 2024

To develop a water conscious strategy, it is critical to track and trace water from its source to the end users, understand water conservation behaviors, and identify the factors that influence water consumption. However, in developing nations, little research has been done to provide a quantitative picture of how water is consumed and transformed in urban households, as well as the water sensitive interventions needed to improve access to clean water. Hence, the main objective of the study was to determine the most significant residential water consumption variables and to predict residential water consumption in a way that can generate water consumption information for water sensitive intervention decision making using the case study of Adama city in Ethiopia. A combination of top down and bottom up data collection techniques were employed as the data collection instrument. Machine learning was integrated with spatial and socioeconomic analytic techniques to estimate daily household water consumption and identify the factors that significantly influence household water consumption. The results show that there is only “one source option” for the city’s clean water supply and that different water harvesting methods are not likely to be developed. The average daily water consumption per person is 69 liters which falls below the national standard of 80 liters allocated per person per day. The result reveals that the water distribution network covers only 45% of the city master plan. About 38% of the water demand is unmet and 30% of households only receive water once every three days or fewer. This shows that the city is experiencing physical and economic water scarcity. The results demonstrated that family size, housing quality, income, number of rooms, legal status of the parcel, supply reliability, climate, and topographical features are the most important factors in predicting residential water consumption. This study further demonstrates how well supervised machine learning models, such as the Random Forest Regression algorithm, can predict the household’s daily water consumption. The findings also showed that there is a need for significant improvements in water saving habits of the households. Another conclusion that can be drawn is that as long as the city’s business as usual water consumption practice doesn’t change, the water supply problem will worsen over time.
A folate inhibitor exploits metabolic differences in Pseudomonas aeruginosa for narrow-spectrum targeting
Authors: Chain Connor , Sheehan Joseph P. , Xu Xincheng , Ghaffari Soodabeh , Godbole Aneesh , Kim Hahn , Freundlich Joel S. , Rabinowitz Joshua D. , Gitai Zemer
Published: April 2024

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a leading cause of hospital-acquired infections for which the development of antibiotics is urgently needed. Unlike most enteric bacteria, P. aeruginosa lacks enzymes required to scavenge exogenous thymine. An appealing strategy to selectively target P. aeruginosa is to disrupt thymidine synthesis while providing exogenous thymine. However, known antibiotics that perturb thymidine synthesis are largely inactive against P. aeruginosa.

Here we characterize fluorofolin, a dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) inhibitor derived from Irresistin-16, that exhibits significant activity against P. aeruginosa in culture and in a mouse thigh infection model. Fluorofolin is active against a wide range of clinical P. aeruginosa isolates resistant to known antibiotics. Metabolomics and in vitro assays using purified folA confirm that fluorofolin inhibits P. aeruginosa DHFR. Importantly, in the presence of thymine supplementation, fluorofolin activity is selective for P. aeruginosa. Resistance to fluorofolin can emerge through overexpression of the efflux pumps MexCD-OprJ and MexEF-OprN, but these mutants also decrease pathogenesis. Our findings demonstrate how understanding species-specific genetic differences can enable selective targeting of important pathogens while revealing trade-offs between resistance and pathogenesis.
KMT2C mutation as a predictor of immunotherapeutic efficacy in colorectal cancer
Authors: Ni Chunhua , Wang Xiaohong , Liu Shaoping , Zhang Junling , Luo Zhongguang , Xu Bei
Published: April 2024

Immunotherapy had shown good antitumor activity in a variety of solid tumors, but low benefit in CRC, so there was an urgent need to explore new biomarkers. We evaluated the role of KMT2C using publicly available data from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC). In addition, further analysis was performed in an internal cohort. Moreover, the mutant profiles of KMT2C was analyzed in a large CRC cohort. The relationship between clinical pathologic features and KMT2C were analyzed with using the two-sided chi-squared test or the Fisher exact test. Clinicopathologic characteristics associated with overall survival using Cox regression and the Kaplan–Meier method. We found that KMT2C-mutated CRC patients in the immunotherapy cohort had significantly improved OS compared with KMT2C WT patients (P = 0.013). However, this phenomenon did not exist in non-immunotherapy cohort. Our cohort validated the value of KMT2C mutations in predicting better clinical outcomes, including ORR (P < 0.0001) and OS (P = 0.010). Meanwhile, KMT2C mutation was associated with higher tumor mutation burden, MSI score, higher levels of immune-associated T cells, neutrophil, and M1-type macrophages. Our study suggested that KMT2C mutation might be a potential positive predictor for CRC immunotherapy.
Chemical eye injuries: a 10 year retrospective review of acute presentations and clinical outcomes in Auckland, New Zealand
Authors: Allen Natalie E. , Crawford Alexandra Z. , McGhee Charles N. J. , Meyer Jay J.
Published: April 2024

To assess the aetiologies, clinical characteristics, treatment regimens, and outcomes of acute chemical injuries treated at an emergency eye clinic. Retrospective, observational study of all cases of chemical eye injury that presented acutely to the Greenlane Clinical Centre in Auckland, New Zealand from 1 January 2012 through 31 December 2021. Patient demographics, activity at the time of injury, causative chemical, clinical characteristics of injury at presentation, severity (Dua) classification, admission and discharge best corrected visual acuity (BCVA), treatment regimen, time to epithelisation and number of follow-up appointments were recorded. In total, 1522 cases involving 1919 eyes were studied. The mean age was 40.6 ± 18.8 years and 65% were male. The majority of cases occurred at home (62%) and cleaning was the most common activity (38%). There were 1490 Grade I (98%), 22 Grade II (1.5%), 5 Grade III (0.3%), 1 Grade IV (0.07%), 0 Grade V, and 4 Grade VI (0.3%) cases. An epithelial defect was noted in 409 cases (26.9%), of which re-epithelialisation occurred within one week for 378 cases (92%) and within 30 days for 384 cases (94%). Moderate vision loss (BCVA ≤ 6/12) attributed to the injury occurred in 152 (10%), while severe vision loss (BCVA ≤ 6/60) occurred in 30 (2%). Lack of irrigation at the scene was associated with an increased risk of severe injury and longstanding visual impairment (p = 0.0001). Most acute chemical injuries are mild with good clinical outcomes. Although rare, severe injuries are associated with a lack of irrigation at the scene and worse visual outcomes.
Comprehensive analysis of different solvent extracts of Ferula communis L. fruit reveals phenolic compounds and their biological properties via in vitro and in silico assays
Authors: Nouioura Ghizlane , El fadili Mohamed , El Barnossi Azeddin , Loukili El Hassania , Laaroussi Hassan , Bouhrim Mohammed , Giesy John P. , Aboul-Soud Mourad A. M. , Al-Sheikh Yazeed A. , Lyoussi Badiaa , Derwich El houssine
Published: April 2024

Although giant fennel is recognized as a “superfood” rich in phytochemicals with antioxidant activity, research into the antibacterial properties of its fruits has been relatively limited, compared to studies involving the root and aerial parts of the plant. In this study, seven solvents—acetone, methanol, ethanol, ethyl acetate, chloroform, water, and hexane—were used to extract the chemical constituents of the fruit of giant fennel (Ferula communis), a species of flowering plant in the carrot family Apiaceae. Specific attributes of these extracts were investigated using in silico simulations and in vitro bioassays. High-performance liquid chromatography equipped with a diode-array detector (HPLC–DAD) identified 15 compounds in giant fennel extract, with p-coumaric acid, 3-hydroxybenzoic acid, sinapic acid, and syringic acid being dominant. Among the solvents tested, ethanol demonstrated superior antioxidant activity and phenolic and flavonoid contents. F. communis extracts showed advanced inhibition of gram-negative pathogens (Escherichia coli and Proteus mirabilis) and variable antifungal activity against tested strains. Molecular docking simulations assessed the antioxidative, antibacterial, and antifungal properties of F. communis, facilitating innovative therapeutic development through predicted compound–protein interactions. In conclusion, the results validate the ethnomedicinal use and potential of F. communis. This highlights its significance in natural product research and ethnopharmacology.
The effect analysis of shape design of different charging piles based on Human physiological characteristics using the MF-DFA
Authors: Zhang Yusheng , Kang Yaoyuan , Guo Xin , Li Pan , He Hanqing
Published: April 2024

With the rapid development of new energy vehicles, the users have an increasing demand for charging piles. It is generally believed that the charging pile is a kind of practical product, and it only needs to realize the charging function. However, as a product, the shape design of the charging pile will directly affect the user experience, thus affecting product sales. Therefore, in the face of increasingly fierce market competition, when designing the shape of charging piles, it is necessary to adopt the traditional evaluation method and human physiological cognitive characteristics to evaluate the shape of charging piles more objectively. From the user’s point of view, using the electroencephalogram (EEG) of the user, with the help of the multifractal detrended fluctuation analysis (MF-DFA) method, this paper comprehensively analyzes the differences in emotional cognitive characteristics between two kinds of charging piles, namely, the charging pile with a curved appearance design and the charging pile with square appearance design. The results show that there are significant differences in human physiological cognitive characteristics between two kinds of charging piles with different shapes. And different shapes of charging piles have different physiological cognitive differences for users. When designing charging pile product shapes, human beings can objectively evaluate the product shape design according to the physiological cognition differences of users, so as to optimize the charging pile product shape design.
The potential for artificial intelligence to transform healthcare: perspectives from international health leaders
Authors: Silcox Christina , Zimlichmann Eyal , Huber Katie , Rowen Neil , Saunders Robert , McClellan Mark , Kahn Charles N. , Salzberg Claudia A. , Bates David W.
Published: April 2024

Artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to transform care delivery by improving health outcomes, patient safety, and the affordability and accessibility of high-quality care. AI will be critical to building an infrastructure capable of caring for an increasingly aging population, utilizing an ever-increasing knowledge of disease and options for precision treatments, and combatting workforce shortages and burnout of medical professionals. However, we are not currently on track to create this future. This is in part because the health data needed to train, test, use, and surveil these tools are generally neither standardized nor accessible. There is also universal concern about the ability to monitor health AI tools for changes in performance as they are implemented in new places, used with diverse populations, and over time as health data may change. The Future of Health (FOH), an international community of senior health care leaders, collaborated with the Duke-Margolis Institute for Health Policy to conduct a literature review, expert convening, and consensus-building exercise around this topic. This commentary summarizes the four priority action areas and recommendations for health care organizations and policymakers across the globe that FOH members identified as important for fully realizing AI’s potential in health care: improving data quality to power AI, building infrastructure to encourage efficient and trustworthy development and evaluations, sharing data for better AI, and providing incentives to accelerate the progress and impact of AI.
Dynamic molecular network analysis of iPSC-Purkinje cells differentiation delineates roles of ISG15 in SCA1 at the earliest stage
Authors: Homma Hidenori , Yoshioka Yuki , Fujita Kyota , Shirai Shinichi , Hama Yuka , Komano Hajime , Saito Yuko , Yabe Ichiro , Okano Hideyuki , Sasaki Hidenao , Tanaka Hikari , Okazawa Hitoshi
Published: April 2024

Better understanding of the earliest molecular pathologies of all neurodegenerative diseases is expected to improve human therapeutics. We investigated the earliest molecular pathology of spinocerebellar ataxia type 1 (SCA1), a rare familial neurodegenerative disease that primarily induces death and dysfunction of cerebellum Purkinje cells. Extensive prior studies have identified involvement of transcription or RNA-splicing factors in the molecular pathology of SCA1. However, the regulatory network of SCA1 pathology, especially central regulators of the earliest developmental stages and inflammatory events, remains incompletely understood. Here, we elucidated the earliest developmental pathology of SCA1 using originally developed dynamic molecular network analyses of sequentially acquired RNA-seq data during differentiation of SCA1 patient-derived induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) to Purkinje cells. Dynamic molecular network analysis implicated histone genes and cytokine-relevant immune response genes at the earliest stages of development, and revealed relevance of ISG15 to the following degradation and accumulation of mutant ataxin-1 in Purkinje cells of SCA1 model mice and human patients.
Pancreatic cancer-associated fibroblasts modulate macrophage differentiation via sialic acid-Siglec interactions
Authors: Boelaars Kelly , Rodriguez Ernesto , Huinen Zowi R. , Liu Chang , Wang Di , Springer Babet O. , Olesek Katarzyna , Goossens-Kruijssen Laura , van Ee Thomas , Lindijer Dimitri , Tak Willemijn , de Haas Aram , Wehry Laetitia , Nugteren-Boogaard Joline P. , Mikula Aleksandra , de Winde Charlotte M. , Mebius Reina E. , Tuveson David A. , Giovannetti Elisa , Bijlsma Maarten F. , Wuhrer Manfred , van Vliet Sandra J. , van Kooyk Yvette
Published: April 2024

Despite recent advances in cancer immunotherapy, pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) remains unresponsive due to an immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment, which is characterized by the abundance of cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs). Once identified, CAF-mediated immune inhibitory mechanisms could be exploited for cancer immunotherapy. Siglec receptors are increasingly recognized as immune checkpoints, and their ligands, sialic acids, are known to be overexpressed by cancer cells. Here, we unveil a previously unrecognized role of sialic acid-containing glycans on PDAC CAFs as crucial modulators of myeloid cells. Using multiplex immunohistochemistry and transcriptomics, we show that PDAC stroma is enriched in sialic acid-containing glycans compared to tumor cells and normal fibroblasts, and characterized by ST3GAL4 expression. We demonstrate that sialic acids on CAF cell lines serve as ligands for Siglec-7, -9, -10 and -15, distinct from the ligands on tumor cells, and that these receptors are found on myeloid cells in the stroma of PDAC biopsies. Furthermore, we show that CAFs drive the differentiation of monocytes to immunosuppressive tumor-associated macrophages in vitro, and that CAF sialylation plays a dominant role in this process compared to tumor cell sialylation. Collectively, our findings unravel sialic acids as a mechanism of CAF-mediated immunomodulation, which may provide targets for immunotherapy in PDAC.
Probiotics reshape the coral microbiome in situ without detectable off-target effects in the surrounding environment
Authors: Delgadillo-Ordoñez Nathalia , Garcias-Bonet Neus , Raimundo Inês , García Francisca C. , Villela Helena , Osman Eslam O. , Santoro Erika P. , Curdia Joao , Rosado Joao G. D. , Cardoso Pedro , Alsaggaf Ahmed , Barno Adam , Antony Chakkiath Paul , Bocanegra Carolina , Berumen Michael L. , Voolstra Christian R. , Benzoni Francesca , Carvalho Susana , Peixoto Raquel S.
Published: April 2024

Beneficial microorganisms for corals (BMCs), or probiotics, can enhance coral resilience against stressors in laboratory trials. However, the ability of probiotics to restructure the coral microbiome in situ is yet to be determined. As a first step to elucidate this, we inoculated putative probiotic bacteria (pBMCs) on healthy colonies of Pocillopora verrucosa in situ in the Red Sea, three times per week, during 3 months. pBMCs significantly influenced the coral microbiome, while bacteria of the surrounding seawater and sediment remained unchanged. The inoculated genera Halomonas, Pseudoalteromonas, and Bacillus were significantly enriched in probiotic-treated corals. Furthermore, the probiotic treatment also correlated with an increase in other beneficial groups (e.g., Ruegeria and Limosilactobacillus), and a decrease in potential coral pathogens, such as Vibrio. As all corals (treated and non-treated) remained healthy throughout the experiment, we could not track health improvements or protection against stress. Our data indicate that healthy, and therefore stable, coral microbiomes can be restructured in situ, although repeated and continuous inoculations may be required in these cases. Further, our study provides supporting evidence that, at the studied scale, pBMCs have no detectable off-target effects on the surrounding microbiomes of seawater and sediment near inoculated corals.
Triple oxygen isotope compositions reveal transitions in the moisture source of West China Autumn Precipitation
Authors: Sha Lijuan , Tian Lijun , Sha Lifen , Li Yunxia , Wang Xuejie , Hu Peng , Liang Qisheng , Zong Baoyun , Duan Pengzhen , Cheng Hai
Published: April 2024

The isotopic composition has long been used to investigate the factors influencing precipitation, whereas the variations of event-based precipitation isotopes caused by moisture transition and synoptic meteorological conditions remain limited. Here we present triple oxygen and hydrogen isotopes in event-based precipitation during West China Autumn Precipitation to evaluate the influence of various moisture sources in the hydrological process. Isotopes δ18O, δ17O, and δD peak with convective precipitation at the onset stage, then drop to their lowest amid stratiform precipitation during the middle stage, and rise again towards the end. In contrast, Δ′17O levels remain elevated throughout the mid-stage of West China Autumn Precipitation compared to the onset and end stages. These isotopic variations, coupled with moisture analysis, reveal a distinct moisture source transition from the West Pacific Ocean to the westerly domain during West China Autumn Precipitation accompanied by the retreat of the Asian summer monsoon from Northwest China.
Pope Francis the Roman Catholic Church and citizen attitudes towards climate change in Latin America
Authors: Ecker Alejandro , Nüssel Friederike , Tosun Jale
Published: April 2024

Studies on the relationship between religious attitudes and attitudes towards climate change and other environmental issues have tended to focus on the United States. While there is good reason to expect such a relationship to exist, our understanding of it is limited first and foremost by the limited number of country-comparative studies. This study aims to reduce this gap by investigating how trust in the Church and evaluations of Pope Francis affect the views of Latin Americans on anthropogenic climate change. Our study is based on data from the 2017 Latinobarómetro with 13,472 respondents based in 18 Latin American countries. Our findings reveal that Roman Catholics are less likely to believe in manmade climate change as compared to evangelical Christians and respondents belonging to no or any other denomination. We obtain the same negative relationship between trust in the (Catholic) Church and belief in anthropogenic climate change. However, favourable assessments of Pope Francis have a positive effect, and this assessment also has a positive moderating effect on the impact of trust in the Church on the outcome variable. These findings have important implications for climate policies, as they suggest that the public demand for climate action might increase if the Roman Catholic Church in their regional dioceses, rather than mostly the Pope, were to take and communicate a more coherent, affirmative position on climate change.
Alleviation of cadmium-induced oxidative damage through application of zinc oxide nanoparticles and strigolactones in Solanum lycopersicum L.
Authors: Raja Vaseem , Singh Karanpal , Qadir Sami Ullah , Singh Jagpreet , Kim Ki-Hyun
Published: April 2024

In this research, zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) are bio-synthesized using Mangifera indica leaf extract and used for reduction of cadmium (Cd) stress in tomato plants.
Effect of chain length, electrolyte composition and aerosolization on the removal of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances during electrochemical oxidation
Authors: Londhe Kaushik , Venkatesan Arjun K.
Published: April 2024

We utilized a BDD anode in a two-electrode system to investigate the degradation of a suite of PFASs in aqueous matrices.
Reduction midpoint potential of a paradigm light–oxygen–voltage receptor and its modulation by methionine residues
Authors: García de Fuentes Andrés , Möglich Andreas
Published: April 2024

The introduction of methionine residues into the Avena sativa phototropin 1 LOV2 domain raises the reduction midpoint of its flavin-nucleotide chromophore.
Neutral rhenium(i) tricarbonyl complexes with sulfur-donor ligands: anti-proliferative activity and cellular localization
Authors: Levina Aviva , Wardhani Kartika , Stephens Liam J. , Werrett Melissa V. , Caporale Chiara , Dallerba Elena , Blair Victoria L. , Massi Massimiliano , Lay Peter A. , Andrews Philip C.
Published: April 2024

The synthesis, structure, stability, photophysical and biological properties of six rhenium tris-carbonyl diamine complexes containing thiocarboxylate methyl ester ligands have been studied as potential bio-imaging agents.