bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
LiteBIRD science goals and forecasts: improving sensitivity to inflationary gravitational waves with multitracer delensing
Authors: Namikawa T. , Lonappan A.I. , Baccigalupi C. , Bartolo N. , Beck D. , Benabed K. , Challinor A. , Diego-Palazuelos P. , Errard J. , Farrens S. , Gruppuso A. , Krachmalnicoff N. , Migliaccio M. , Martínez-González E. , Pettorino V. , Piccirilli G. , Ruiz-Granda M. , Sherwin B. , Starck J. , Vielva P. , Akizawa R. , Anand A. , Aumont J. , Aurlien R. , Azzoni S. , Ballardini M. , Banday A.J. , Barreiro R.B. , Bersanelli M. , Blinov D. , Bortolami M. , Brinckmann T. , Calabrese E. , Campeti P. , Carones A. , Carralot F. , Casas F.J. , Cheung K. , Clermont L. , Columbro F. , Conenna G. , Coppolecchia A. , Cuttaia F. , D'Alessandro G. , de Bernardis P. , de Haan T. , De Petris M. , Della Torre S. , Di Giorgi E. , Eriksen H.K. , Finelli F. , Franceschet C. , Fuskeland U. , Galloni G. , Galloway M. , Georges M. , Gerbino M. , Gervasi M. , Ghigna T. , Giardiello S. , Gimeno-Amo C. , Gjerløw E. , Hazumi M. , Henrot-Versillé S. , Hergt L.T. , Hivon E. , Kohri K. , Komatsu E. , Lamagna L. , Lattanzi M. , Leloup C. , Lembo M. , López-Caniego M. , Luzzi G. , Maffei B. , Masi S. , Massa M. , Matarrese S. , Matsumura T. , Micheli S. , Moggi A. , Monelli M. , Montier L. , Morgante G. , Mot B. , Mousset L. , Nagata R. , Natoli P. , Novelli A. , Obata I. , Occhiuzzi A. , Pagano L. , Paiella A. , Paoletti D. , Pascual-Cisneros G. , Pavlidou V. , Piacentini F. , Pinchera M. , Pisano G. , Polenta G. , Puglisi G. , Remazeilles M. , Ritacco A. , Rizzieri A. , Rubino-Martin J. , Sakurai Y. , Scott D. , Shiraishi M. , Signorelli G. , Stever S.L. , Takase Y. , Tanimura H. , Tartari A. , Tassis K. , Terenzi L. , Tristram M. , Vacher L. , van Tent B. , Wehus I.K. , Weymann-Despres G. , Zannoni M. , Zhou Y. ,   The LiteBIRD collaboration
Published: June 2024

We estimate the efficiency of mitigating the lensing B-mode polarization, the so-called delensing, for the LiteBIRD experiment with multiple external data sets of lensing-mass tracers.
The current best bound on the tensor-to-scalar ratio, r, is limited by lensing rather than Galactic foregrounds.
Delensing will be a critical step to improve sensitivity to r as measurements of r become more and more limited by lensing.
In this paper, we extend the analysis of the recent LiteBIRD forecast paper to include multiple mass tracers, i.e., the CMB lensing maps from LiteBIRD and CMB-S4-like experiment, cosmic infrared background, and galaxy number density from Euclid- and LSST-like survey.
We find that multi-tracer delensing will further improve the constraint on r by about 20%. In LiteBIRD, the residual Galactic foregrounds also significantly contribute to uncertainties of the B-modes, and delensing becomes more important if the residual foregrounds are further reduced by an improved component separation method.
Model dependent analysis of
decays in beyond standard model
Authors: Mahata S. , Mandal M. , Mahapatra H. , Biswas S. , Sahoo S.
Published: June 2024

Motivated by the recent experimental results of branching fractions for

decays, which deviate from their SM predictions, we hve investigated these decays in

model and scalar leptoquark model to determine potential signatures of new physics (NP) in semileptonic charm decays induced by

transitions. Using recent experimental results of branching fractions for semileptonic

meson decays, new coupling parameters are predicted for the aforementioned NP models. Branching fraction, forward-backward asymmetry, and lepton polarization asymmetry are examined by considering the predicted NP coupling parameters. The results of branching fractions in scalar leptoquark model are found very close to the experimental results and exist around the range of

deviation. We presented a comparative study of the NP models to check their sensitivity on these decays. We anticipate that further research on these decays will significantly support our findings.
Exact minimal effective amounts of three 1D continuous functions and their use in Anderson transitions
Authors: Gong Longyan
Published: June 2024

A conceptual quantity—the minimal effective amount of a quantum state

ϕ
(

r
j

)

in d-dimensional systems, defined by

N

∗

=

∑

j
=
1

N

min
{
N

|

ϕ
(

r
j

)

|

2

,
1
}

, is newly proposed, where system sizes

N
=

L
d

. The effective dimension d

IR
can be calculated by

N

∗

=

h

∗

(
L
)

L

d

I
R

, where

h

∗

(
L
)

does not change faster than any nonzero power. However, the nature of

h

∗

(
L
)

is unknown priori in any given model, but is at the same time very important for its numerical analysis. Hence, analytical results can provide insights on

h

∗

(
L
)

in more complex situations. In this paper, we get exact results of 1D continuous sine functions, exponential decay functions and power-law decay functions. They are used to distinguish extended and localized phases in the 1D uniform potential model, Anderson model and HMP (hopping rates modulated by a power-law function) model.
A faster direct sampling algorithm for equilateral closed polygons and the probability of knotting
Authors: Cantarella Jason , Schumacher Henrik , Shonkwiler Clayton
Published: June 2024

We present a faster direct sampling algorithm for random equilateral closed polygons in three-dimensional space. This method improves on the moment polytope sampling algorithm of Cantarella et al (2016 J. Phys. A: Math. Theor.
49 275202) and has (expected) time per sample quadratic in the number of edges in the polygon. We use our new sampling method and a new code for computing invariants based on the Alexander polynomial to investigate the probability of finding unknots among equilateral closed polygons.
Infiltration rate under the most dominant tree stands at the University Green Space: Swietenia macrophylla, Mimusops elengi, and Polyalthia longifolia
Authors: Anggraini N , Slamet B , Syahputra O K H , Keliat J M , Zaitunah A
Published: June 2024

Infiltration is crucial for determining how much rainfall enters the soil and how much becomes runoff. The Universitas Sumatera Utara (USU) Campus Medan is one of the green campuses with diverse tree species. The ability of tree stands on the USU Campus Medan to absorb water needs to be studied for flood mitigation. This study aims to analyze the infiltration rate under the most dominant tree stands at the University Green Space: Swietenia macrophylla (mahagony), Mimusops elengi (tanjung), and Polyalthia longifolia (glodokan tiang) using the Horton method. The infiltration measurement uses double ring infiltrometer. The infiltration data will process using Horton Method. The results show that the infiltration rate under mahogany and tanjung stands are included to medium infiltration. While the infiltration rate under glodokan tiang stand is included to fast infiltration. The correlation test on mahogany, tanjung, and glodokan tiang stands indicate a strong correlation between the actual infiltration rate with Horton’s infiltration rate and have a positive trend, so it can be concluded that Horton method can be used to estimate the infiltration rate in each stand.
Mitigation Control on Industrial Allotment Area Plan based on Tsunami Hazard Prone Zoning Area in Purworejo Regency, Central Java
Authors: Kusuma S H , Ratiningsih A
Published: June 2024

Purworejo district has determined an industrial allotment area of 922,238 hectares along the south coast. Meanwhile, the coast of Purworejo Regency is part of the southern coast of Java Island and has the potential to be affected by tsunamis. Tsunami disaster events in the south of Java Island recorded run-up of up to 15,7 meters and recent research shows a potential run-up of 34 meters. The study aimed to identify tsunami hazard zones and directions of control based on modelling of inundation potential. The determination of the hazard zone was conducted through spatial classification analysis, while the direction of mitigation control was formulated by descriptive analysis. The high tsunami hazard zone in the 15,7 meters run-up scenario covers 0,33% of the industrial allotment area and the high tsunami hazard zone in the 20 meters run-up scenario covers 3,47% of the industrial allotment area so that the direction of mitigation included strengthening foundations and adapting buildings, providing disaster infrastructure, optimizing regional protection functions, and limiting building density. The high tsunami hazard zone in the 34 meters run-up scenario covers 99,12% of the industrial allotment area so that directional mitigation control is the displacement of the entire industrial allotment area.
Directing the Agropolitan Centers for Horticulture Crops in the Pekalongan District
Authors: Kusuma SH , Putri SK , Sianturi RS , Harun I
Published: June 2024

Agropolitan development integrates agriculture with urban living in our evolving global landscape. The present study aims to identify the potential and challenges in agropolitan development and formulate strategies for establishing agropolitan centers. Focusing on the Pekalongan Regency in Indonesia, the Research offers recommendations for the raw material-producing villages and collection and processing sub-district. Key aspects include integrating infrastructure, technological and agricultural practices, and economic and social support to address issues and tap into the potential related to agropolitan development. This study emphasizes the importance of addressing challenges and taking advantage of opportunities to develop agropolitan centers in the Pekalongan Regency.
Deep learning-based water quality index classification using stacked ensemble variational mode decomposition
Authors: V Karpagam , S Christy , Edeh Michael Onyema
Published: June 2024

Water is crucial to human survival in general, and determining the WQI (water quality index) is one of the primary aspects. The existing water quality classification models are facing various challenges and gaps that are impeding their effectiveness. These challenges include limited data availability, the intricate nature of water systems, spatial and temporal variability, non-linear relationships, sensor noise, and error, interpretability, and explainability. It is imperative to address these challenges to improve the accuracy and efficacy of the models and to ensure that they continue to serve as reliable tools for monitoring and safeguarding water quality. To solve the issues, this paper proposes a Stacked Ensemble efficient long short-term memory (StackEL) model for an efficient water quality index classification. At first, the raw input data is pre-processed to rescale the input data using data normalization and one-hot encoding. After that, the process known as variational mode decomposition (VMD) is applied to get at the intrinsic mode functions (IMFs). Consequently, feature selection is performed using an extended coati optimization (EX-CoA) algorithm to select the most significant attributes from the feature selection. Here, publicly available datasets, namely the water quality dataset from Kaggle, are used for classification and performed using are used to perform the Stacked Ensemble efficient long short-term memory (StackEL) classification process effectively. To further perfect the proposed prediction model, the Dwarf Mongoose optimization (DMO) method is implemented. Several measures of effectiveness are examined. When compared to other existing models, the suggested model can achieve a high accuracy of 98.85% of the water quality dataset.
Ecological implications of accumulation of PTEs and PAHs deriving from fuel exhausts in coastal marine primary producers
Authors: Baldantoni D , Bellino A , Nitopi M A , Baldi V , Picariello E , De Nicola F
Published: June 2024

Anthropogenic activities, mainly in the form of local fuel exhausts and inputs from the coastline, heavily affect ecosystems at the interface between terrestrial and marine realms, impairing their functionality and the services they provide. Due to the central role of primary producers in trophic webs, their sessile nature and ethical concerns implied in experiments on animals, pollutant analyses in both sediments and macrophytes assume special relevance in assessing pollutant transfers from the abiotic to biotic compartments and their possible transfer through trophic webs. With a view to clarify the accumulation of inorganic and organic pollutants deriving from fuel exhausts on primary producers, the concentrations of Cu, Fe, Zn, phenanthrene and benzo[a]pyrene were determined in sediments and macrophytes collected from sites along the Cilento coast, in western Mediterranean Sea, characterized by different levels of anthropogenic pressures. The 18 species analysed, belonging to Cyanobacteria, Chlorophyta, Rhodophyta, Heterokontophyta and Embryophyta, exhibited different accumulation capabilities toward pollutants, with average concentrations of Cu, phenanthrene and benzo[a]pyrene in all the divisions (17.6 ± 2.3 μg g−1 d.w., 34.3 ± 2.1 ng g−1 d.w., 61.5 ± 9.4 ng g−1 d.w., respectively) higher than those measured in sediments (4.0 ± 0.7 μg g−1 d.w., 11.6 ± 0.9 ng g−1 d.w., 14.8 ± 1.0 ng g−1 d.w., respectively) and more than one order of magnitude higher in Embryophyta for Cu (62.9 ± 7.1 μg g−1 d.w.) and in Cyanobacteria for benzo[a]pyrene (181 ± 2 ng g−1 d.w.). The obtained findings constitute a reference for the accumulation capabilities of different taxa and for the behaviour of different fuel exhaust pollutants in marine coastal environments, with implication for their transfer across trophic webs.
Characteristics of microplastics in tributaries of the upper Brahmaputra River along the Himalayan foothills, India
Authors: Goswami Prasun , Bhadury Punyasloke
Published: June 2024

Microplastic (MP) pollution is a global concern, yet its presence in riverine environments has received limited research attention. This study aimed to evaluate MP levels and identify their potential sources in river surface water and nearby soil samples from two rural and remote rivers near the Jaldapara National Park in the foothills of Eastern Himalaya of India. The average MP levels in water and soil samples were 0.14 ± 0.11 pieces m−3 and 633.33 ± 124.72 pieces/kg d.w. respectively. The primary types of microplastics detected were fibres, followed by fragments, and films. MP sizes in water were larger than in soil samples. Blue, black, and red MPs were most abundant. Micro-Raman analysis revealed polyethylene was the dominant polymer type, followed by nylon, and polypropylene. Comparatively, pollution levels in the study area were relatively low when compared to other rivers worldwide. Understanding the sources and characteristics of microplastics are vital in formulating effective mitigation strategies and promoting responsible waste management practices. These findings provide valuable insights for policymakers, environmentalists, and indigenous communities to implement measures that can lead to curbing of plastic use and safeguard vulnerable riverine ecosystems from adverse impacts of MP pollution.
Impacts of integrated marketing communications on customers’ green brand awareness: an empirical case study in Vietnam
Authors: Nhuong Bui Huy , Truong Dinh Duc
Published: June 2024

Vietnam is a country with a dynamic economy, but is facing environmental problems. In the context of economic integration, greening production and consumption is becoming more and more popular in the country. This study focused on examining the impacts of integrated marketing communications on customers’ green brand awareness in Vietnam. We applied Attitude-Behavior-Context theory to build conceptual model and hypotheses. The study collected primary data from 615 customers in Hanoi using the convenience sampling method. Descriptive statistical analysis, Anova test, Cronbach’s Alpha analysis, exploring factor analysis and multivariate regression were used for data analysis. The results showed that there were 6 factors significantly impact green brand awareness including advertising, direct marketing, internet marketing, sales promotion, public relations and personal selling of which advertising was the strongest driver. This research provided brand managers and marketers with clear insight into the mechanisms for improving environmental awareness. It also suggested that companies should design their advertising to highlight the brand’s environmental responsibility and the eco-friendly attributes of products to raise environmental awareness among consumers.
Scouring around bridge pier: a comprehensive review of countermeasure techniques
Authors: Baranwal Anubhav , Das Bhabani Shankar
Published: June 2024

Scouring around bridge piers significantly threatens bridge stability and can cause tragic failures if not addressed effectively. Several countermeasure techniques have been developed to reduce local scour depth around bridge piers, including using scour countermeasures such as riprap, collar plate, slot, submerged vane, sacrificial pile, etc These countermeasures can be used alone or in combination to provide additional protection against local scour. The selection of countermeasures depends on flow velocity, river bed sediment type, and bridge geometry. A thorough analysis of these factors is necessary before selecting a countermeasure. In this paper, an attempt has been made to summarize the efficiency of different countermeasure techniques to reduce scour depth around the bridge pier. The stability of the bed armouring device depends on its depth and Installation position around the bridge pier, and its efficiency decreases as flow velocity increases. It is found that significant scour protection devices are more efficient in clear water scouring (CWS) conditions (V/Vc ≤ 1.0) than live bed scouring (LBS) conditions (V/Vc > 1.0). The combination of flow-altering devices is crucial in reducing scour, with a collar plate and slot combination being more effective than a single slot. The findings of this review paper are to provide a valuable resource for engineers and policymakers seeking to design and implement effective strategies for mitigating local scour around bridge piers.
Control algorithm for an island microgrid under DSTATCOM using a Third Order Sinusoidal Integrator (TOSSI) to improve power quality for a local nonlinear load
Authors: Bala Nishi , Mallik Sanjeev Kumar
Published: June 2024

Energy delivery to end-user customers is critically dependent on the distribution system. The system must synchronize correctly during island operation while connected as a microgrid to provide better power quality. The consumer experiences distortion and uneven power quality during these activities, raising severe research concerns. In order to mitigate the power quality issues at the end-user side, the modified Third Order Sinusoidal Integrator (TOSSI)-based DSTATCOM is the main topic of this research work. In order to instruct the DSTATCOM, the TOSSI receives feedback on phase, voltage, and frequency via the phase-locked loop (PLL) system. Through the use of the harmonic component of the load current, the enhanced TOSSI-based feedback enhances the dynamics of the distribution side. Enhancing DSTATCOM’s performance in distorted and unbalanced system circumstances is the aim of the suggested research. This work explores power factor correction and harmonic reduction in unbalanced and non-linear load settings utilizing modified TOSSI feedback, achieving an accuracy of 92%. The planned microgrid is modelled and simulated in MATLAB’s Simulink environment to demonstrate the importance of the suggested mitigation technique.
Comparative performance analysis of different types of k-nearest neighbor (k-NN) classifiers for fault diagnosis of air compressor setup
Authors: Dhakar Atul , Singh Bhagat , Gupta Pankaj
Published: June 2024

This paper presents a method for identifying Reciprocating Air Compressor (RAC) faults using acoustic signals obtained from both healthy and unhealthy conditions. The entire procedure is carried out with Uni-directional microphones using a LABVIEW-based data collection interface and data acquisition (DAQ) hardware unit that has several ports. Accumulated one healthy and seven unhealthy signals of RAC setup processed using signal processing technique called Local Mean Decomposition (LMD). Further, six Statistical Properties (SPs) have been evaluated in order to extract fault features namely: mean (US), variance (σ
s2), root square of mean (Mrms), root amplitude of mean (Mrma), absolute amplitude of mean (Mama), and Kurtosis index (Ki). Extracted fault features are classified using various types of k-NN classifiers namely: fine (f-kNN), medium (m-kNN), coarse (c-kNN) and weighted (w-kNN). It has been found that LMD along with 6 statistical properties and form different type of k-NN classifiers, the weighted k-NN classifier has a greater accuracy of 86.74%, which is quite accurate as compared to other k-NN classifiers.
GA tuned LQR controller for active vibration control of a rotor bearing system using piezoelectric actuators
Authors: Brahem Maryam , Chouchane Mnaouar
Published: June 2024

This paper proposes a vibration identification method based on a Genetic Algorithm (GA) to improve the reliability of rotating machinery by effectively controlling rotor vibrations. The classical active control approach, known as the Linear Quadratic Regulator (LQR) control algorithm, is influential in this regard but heavily depends on specific parameters. However, using a predetermined set of parameters may not suffice to address the diverse vibration control needs of different rotating systems. To address this issue, an active vibration control system employing flexible piezoelectric patches attached to the external surface of the rotating shaft, functioning as actuators, is designed. These patches are individually supplied with actuation voltages. Through a numerical example, the effectiveness of the proposed system is validated. The numerical results demonstrate a significant reduction of the amplitude of the unbalance response, with a reduction of 79% at the first critical speed during a steady-state condition and 75% during run-up. The numerical findings underscore the effectiveness of the proposed control strategy (LQR-GA), highlighting its notable dynamic impact compared to the conventional LQR algorithm with fixed parameters.
A simple measurement method for in-situ temperature-dependent piezoelectric coefficient d
33 of piezoelectric materials
Authors: Lin Tao , Zhong Meipeng , Wang Gonghai , Yuqing Zhou
Published: June 2024

Piezoelectric materials have been widely used in sensors, actuators, and transducers due to their positive and inverse piezoelectric effects, which can convert electrical and mechanical energy into one another. The most important parameter to evaluate the piezoelectric properties of materials is their piezoelectric coefficient (d
33). The value of d
33 varies with temperature. The measurement of temperature-dependent d
33 is a difficult task and at present, the equipment used to measure the temperature-dependent d
33 has many limitations. To overcome these limitations, the current study proposes an in situ temperature-dependent d
33 measuring method based on the inverse piezoelectric effect of piezoelectric materials. The newly developed measuring equipment contains a laser vibrometer, and automatic detection program including data processing. Moreover, the image is displayed on LabVIEW program. Compared with the quasi-static temperature-dependent d
33 measurement method, the KNN- based piezoelectric material demonstrated the reliability of this measurement method.
Disturbance characteristics test about double-line shield tunnel excavation in grouting-reinforced water-rich sand stratum
Authors: Liu Yu , Cheng Xuansheng , Sun Haodong , Ding Kai , Wei Qingbo , Ding Huidong
Published: June 2024

To study the disturbance characteristics of double-line shield tunnel excavation on sand bodies in grouting-reinforced water-rich sand stratum, a similar model test was carried out. Firstly, the physical parameters and strength indexes of the overlying soil strata of the tunnel in the water-rich sand stratum were determined by laboratory tests. The similar soil and tunnel support structures of each stratum were prepared. Then, considering the different seepage modes of upper and lower soil strata under the influence range of tunnel excavation, the model test of double-line shield tunnel excavation in a grouting-reinforced water-rich sand stratum is conducted. The variation rules of sand deformation, surface settlement, and sand body stress during the excavation of a double-line shield tunnel are analyzed utilizing monitoring and analyzing systems such as a flowmeter, micro earth pressure sensors, and dial indicators. It is found that during the excavation of the double-line tunnel, the self-stabilization ability of the grouting reinforced sand bodies is strong under the action of stable seepage. Under the influence of grouting reinforcement, the seepage path around the tunnel structure will change, the fluid-solid coupling effect will decrease, and the sand stratum will be uplifted to varying degrees. The sand body will change its mechanical properties due to the influence of seepage. The fluid-solid interaction effect will be enhanced. The fluid-solid coupling effect of soil particles and water will be further enhanced when the excavation of the subsequent tunnel is carried out. The effect of unsaturated seepage in the overlying soil stratum leads to greater stress at the arch waist of the arch tunnel. In the actual construction process, the grouting amount and grouting time should be strictly controlled. The tunnel basement is supported by anchor spray support to prevent the tunnel structure and surface uplift.
Vigilance and hypervigilance
Authors: Henderson Robert , McCready Elin
Published: June 2024

In this chapter we will continue to explore how listeners do/should react to dogwhistles, given that persona construction is interactional. In particular, we return to the core RSA framework developed in Chapter 4 and consider the behavior of L1, the sociolinguistically aware listener. How should a listener optimally reason about a speaker’s persona, assuming a speaker that is attempting to maximize their social utility relative to an audience? This chapter begins to look at this question and identifies two strategies that we see in actual listeners, which we dub vigilance and hypervigilance. The first follows 92from the RSA theory we have developed in previous chapters, and, in fact, we will see that it involves a standard kind of implicature familiar from the RSA literature on implicatures in the truth-conditional domain. The second we relate to the credibility result for cheap talk games of Farrell 1993, where a neologism is credible to the degree that the interests of the sender align with those of the receiver.
Introduction
Authors: Atkins Jed W
Published: June 2024

A powerful narrative holds that tolerance originated from early modern attempts to address the problem of monotheistic religious violence by protecting the individual freedoms of religion and conscience through separating church from state and sidelining judgments about the common good. This “traditional liberal history” has obscured tolerance’s origins in a North African Christian tradition comprised of Tertullian, Cyprian, Lactantius, and Augustine. This introductory chapter identifies the traditional liberal history of tolerance’s origins, sketches the historical background and key philosophical commitments of the North African Christian tradition, summarizes the different traditions of Roman republicanism and Stoicism against which the North African Christian tradition developed, and explains the methodology and central claims of the book.
More physics names
Authors: Kragh Helge
Published: June 2024

The term ‘energy’ was used in physics only from the 1860s. This and other words in thermodynamics (such as entropy) are discussed in this chapter, which also takes a close look at Röntgen’s X-rays and the terminology associated with radioactivity. Section 4.3 is devoted to quantum languages, that is, the words introduced in connection with quantum mechanics, many of them being German–English hybrids such as eigenvalue and eigenstate. Solid-state physics, essentially a branch of applied quantum theory, resulted in several entities called quasi particles and also in a number of acronyms, of which ‘laser’ is probably the best known.
Occupational exposure to pesticides and neurobehavioral outcomes. Impact of different original and recalled exposure measures on the associations
Authors: Fuhrimann Samuel , Mueller William , Atuhaire Aggrey , Mubeezi Ruth , Ohlander Johan , Povey Andrew , Basinas Ioannis , van Tongeren Martie , Jones Kate , Galea Karen S , Kromhout Hans
Published: June 2024

Background

Several measures of occupational exposure to pesticides have been used to study associations between exposure to pesticides and neurobehavioral outcomes. This study assessed the impact of different exposure measures for glyphosate and mancozeb on the association with neurobehavioral outcomes based on original and recalled self-reported data with 246 smallholder farmers in Uganda.

Methods

The association between the 6 exposure measures and 6 selected neurobehavioral test scores was investigated using linear multivariable regression models. Exposure measures included original exposure measures for the previous year in 2017: (i) application status (yes/no), (ii) number of application days, (iii) average exposure-intensity scores (EIS) of an application and (iv) number of EIS-weighted application days. Two additional measures were collected in 2019: (v) recalled application status and (vi) recalled EIS for the respective periods in 2017.

Results

Recalled applicator status and EIS were between 1.2 and 1.4 times more frequent and higher for both pesticides than the original application status and EIS. Adverse associations between the different original measures of exposure to glyphosate and 4 neurobehavioral tests were observed. Glyphosate exposure based on recalled information and all mancozeb exposure measures were not associated with the neurobehavioral outcomes.

Conclusions

The relation between the different original self-reported glyphosate exposure measures and neurobehavioral test scores appeared to be robust. When based on recalled exposure measures, associations observed with the original exposure measures were no longer present. Therefore, future epidemiological studies on self-reported exposure should critically evaluate the potential bias towards the null in observed exposure–response associations.
Work bout handling of a search dog reduces handgrip strength and increases firefighters’ risk of falls
Authors: Pimenta Luís Gustavo , Molento Carla Forte Maiolino , Farah Leonardo , de Lourdes Nahhas Rodacki Cintia , Paulo Anderson Caetano
Published: June 2024

Objectives

Firefighters work with dogs as support for their search activities for victims. Firefighters who handle dogs supposedly have higher acute muscle pain, more stumbling, and fatigue. This study aimed to verify the influence of a mantrailing dog on the firefighter’s psychophysiological and muscular responses and the number of imbalances in a simulated activity of searching for people.

Methods

The sample consisted of 10 canine operators characterized by mass (92.57 ± 9.66 kg), height (1.78 ± 0.06 m), age (37.8 ± 2.1 yr), and length of service (9.5 ± 4.6 yr), who performed a search activity under 2 experimental conditions (dog condition and control condition). The simulated search activity consisted of a predefined hike of 2.5 km between the beginning of a search and the place where the sham victim was hidden. Cardiometabolic variables, pain level, and muscular performance were measured pre and postactivity (time factor). The number of imbalances suffered during hiking was also quantified.

Results

ANOVA data indicated interactions (condition × time) related to handgrip strength (P < 0.05). Handgrip strength was reduced in the postsearch activity with the dog, and it increased the control when compared to the preactivity (–12.3% versus +9.2%). Also, the level of pain and discomfort in the neck, trunk, and hip regions was higher with dogs (P < 0.05). Under the dog and control conditions, there were 25 and 05 imbalances, respectively, during the hike. There were no significant differences between the experimental conditions for vertical jump performance and cardiovascular responses either with dog or control.

Conclusions

The findings of this study highlight that a mantrailing dog with the firefighter increased the number of slips, trips, sudden changes in direction, and loss of body balance, accompanied by a reduction in handgrip strength, and increased acute pain in the neck, trunk, and hip. These findings may contribute to support strategies for mitigating injuries and optimizing the performance of canine operators in the fire department and other units cinotechnic.
Fustin suppressed melanoma cell growth via cAMP/PKA-dependent mechanism
Authors: Kumazoe Motofumi , Fujimura Yoshinori , Shimada Yu , Onda Hiroaki , Hatakeyama Yui , Tachibana Hirofumi
Published: June 2024

Melanoma, a cancer arising from melanocytes, requires a novel treatment strategy because of the ineffectiveness of conventional therapies in certain patients. Fustin is a flavanonol found in young fustic (Cotinus coggygria). However, little is known about its antimelanoma effects. Our study demonstrates that fustin suppresses the growth of B16 melanoma cells. Phalloidin staining of cytoskeletal actin revealed that fustin induced a conformational change in the actin structure of melanoma cells, accompanied by suppressed phosphorylation of myosin regulatory light chain 2 (MLC2), a regulator of actin structure. Furthermore, the protein kinase A (cAMP-dependent protein kinase) inhibitor H89 completely attenuated fustin-induced downregulation of phosphorylated myosin phosphatase targeting subunit 1, which is involved in dephosphorylation of MLC2. In a mouse model, administration of fustin suppressed tumor growth in B16 melanoma cells without adverse effects. In conclusion, our findings suggest that fustin effectively suppresses melanoma cell growth both in vitro and in vivo.
OM2Seq: learning retrieval embeddings for optical genome mapping
Authors: Nogin Yevgeni , Sapir Danielle , Zur Tahir Detinis , Weinberger Nir , Belinkov Yonatan , Ebenstein Yuval , Shechtman Yoav
Published: June 2024

Motivation

Genomics-based diagnostic methods that are quick, precise, and economical are essential for the advancement of precision medicine, with applications spanning the diagnosis of infectious diseases, cancer, and rare diseases. One technology that holds potential in this field is optical genome mapping (OGM), which is capable of detecting structural variations, epigenomic profiling, and microbial species identification. It is based on imaging of linearized DNA molecules that are stained with fluorescent labels, that are then aligned to a reference genome. However, the computational methods currently available for OGM fall short in terms of accuracy and computational speed.

Results

This work introduces OM2Seq, a new approach for the rapid and accurate mapping of DNA fragment images to a reference genome. Based on a Transformer-encoder architecture, OM2Seq is trained on acquired OGM data to efficiently encode DNA fragment images and reference genome segments to a common embedding space, which can be indexed and efficiently queried using a vector database. We show that OM2Seq significantly outperforms the baseline methods in both computational speed (by 2 orders of magnitude) and accuracy.

Availability and implementation

https://github.com/yevgenin/om2seq.
Improving the performance and interpretability on medical datasets using graphical ensemble feature selection
Authors: Battistella Enzo , Ghiassian Dina , Barabási Albert-László
Published: June 2024

Motivation

A major hindrance towards using Machine Learning (ML) on medical datasets is the discrepancy between a large number of variables and small sample sizes. While multiple feature selection techniques have been proposed to avoid the resulting overfitting, overall ensemble techniques offer the best selection robustness. Yet, current methods designed to combine different algorithms generally fail to leverage the dependencies identified by their components. Here, we propose Graphical Ensembling (GE), a graph-theory-based ensemble feature selection technique designed to improve the stability and relevance of the selected features.

Results

Relying on four datasets, we show that GE increases classification performance with fewer selected features. For example, on rheumatoid arthritis patient stratification, GE outperforms the baseline methods by 9% Balanced Accuracy while relying on fewer features. We use data on sub-cellular networks to show that the selected features (proteins) are closer to the known disease genes, and the uncovered biological mechanisms are more diversified. By successfully tackling the complex correlations between biological variables, we anticipate that GE will improve the medical applications of ML.

Availability and implementation

https://github.com/ebattistella/auto_machine_learning.
HE2Gene: image-to-RNA translation via multi-task learning for spatial transcriptomics data
Authors: Chen Xingjian , Lin Jiecong , Wang Yuchen , Zhang Weitong , Xie Weidun , Zheng Zetian , Wong Ka-Chun
Published: June 2024

Motivation

Tissue context and molecular profiling are commonly used measures in understanding normal development and disease pathology. In recent years, the development of spatial molecular profiling technologies (e.g. spatial resolved transcriptomics) has enabled the exploration of quantitative links between tissue morphology and gene expression. However, these technologies remain expensive and time-consuming, with subsequent analyses necessitating high-throughput pathological annotations. On the other hand, existing computational tools are limited to predicting only a few dozen to several hundred genes, and the majority of the methods are designed for bulk RNA-seq.

Results

In this context, we propose HE2Gene, the first multi-task learning-based method capable of predicting tens of thousands of spot-level gene expressions along with pathological annotations from H&E-stained images. Experimental results demonstrate that HE2Gene is comparable to state-of-the-art methods and generalizes well on an external dataset without the need for re-training. Moreover, HE2Gene preserves the annotated spatial domains and has the potential to identify biomarkers. This capability facilitates cancer diagnosis and broadens its applicability to investigate gene-disease associations.

Availability and implementation

The source code and data information has been deposited at https://github.com/Microbiods/HE2Gene.
Effect of parasite infection and invasion history on feeding, growth, and energy allocation of cane toads
Authors: Crane Hailey R , Rollins Lee A , Shine Richard , Brown Gregory P
Published: June 2024

The energy allocation decisions that organisms make can differ between sexes and populations and can be influenced by factors such as age and parasite infection. We conducted experimental parasite infections on common-garden reared cane toads originating from sites across the species’ invasive range in Australia to assess how sex, parasite infection, and invasion history affected the toad’s food intake, growth rate, and organ weights. Female toads had larger fat stores, larger livers, and larger gonads than did males, reflecting increased investment into gametes. Growth rate did not differ between the sexes. Lungworm infection increased feeding by male but not female toads and increased fat storage in all toads. Fat body, liver, gonad sizes, and feeding rates all differed among toads from different locations within the toad’s invasion transect across Australia, even though our measurements were made under standardized conditions on captive animals. Toads from populations close to the invasion front ate more, had heavier fat bodies, and had larger livers than did toads from long-colonized areas, but they had smaller gonads. This pattern reflects the evolution of a more dispersive phenotype among invasive populations, whereby the rate of dispersal is enhanced by increased energy intake and storage, and delayed reproduction.
Prevalence, incidence and treatment patterns of prurigo nodularis in England: a retrospective database analysis
Authors: Bahloul Donia , Hudson Richard , Balogh Orsolya , Mathias Elgan , Heywood Ben , Hubbuck Ellen , Diribe Onyinye , McDonald Robert , Bewley Anthony
Published: June 2024

Background

Prurigo nodularis (PN) is a pruritic skin disease characterized by multiple intensely itchy skin nodules in symmetrically distributed areas of the extremities. There are limited studies on the epidemiology and treatment pathways of PN, especially moderate-to-severe PN, from England.

Objectives

To assess the epidemiology and treatment pathways of mild and moderate-to-severe PN in England.

Methods

This retrospective cohort study used data from the Clinical Practice Research Datalink and Hospital Episode Statistics in England. Adult patients (aged ≥ 18 years) with a PN-specific diagnosis code allocated any time between 1 April 2007 and 1 March 2019 (patient identification period) were selected. Patients were included if their first PN diagnostic code (index diagnosis date; IDD) was recorded during the identification period, with data available 6 months before and ≥ 12 months after the IDD. Patients were classified as having moderate-to-severe PN (MSPN) or mild PN (MiPN), based on the presence or absence of a prescription record, post-IDD, for either a systemic immunosuppressant or a gabapentinoid. Patients with MSPN and MiPN were matched 1 : 1 according to age, sex and IDD. Prevalence and incidence were calculated for each year from 2007 to 2019. Drugs prescribed post-IDD were analysed.

Results

A total of 8933 patients (MSPN, n = 2498; MiPN, n = 6435) were included in the study; 2462 patients with MiPN and 2462 with MSPN were included for the comparative analysis. The presence of atopic dermatitis, asthma and eosinophilic oesophagitis were significantly higher (all P < 0.001) in patients with MSPN compared with those with MiPN. The overall prevalence of cases of PN increased during the study period. The incidence rate also showed a similar trend. The rates of prescription of potent and super-potent topical corticosteroids (TCS), topical calcineurin inhibitors, first- and second-generation antihistamines, oral and injectable systemic corticosteroids, methotrexate, antidepressants and tacrolimus were significantly higher (all P < 0.001) in patients with MSPN compared with those with MiPN.

Conclusions

The epidemiology of PN was consistent with that found in other European studies. Patients with MSPN received a significantly higher number of prescriptions for potent TCS and systemic drugs compared with patients with MiPN.
Survival after live donor versus deceased donor liver transplantation: propensity score–matched study
Authors: Kaltenmeier Christof , Liu Hao , Zhang Xingyu , Ganoza Armando , Crane Andrew , Powers Colin , Gunabushanam Vikraman , Behari Jaideep , Molinari Michele
Published: June 2024

Background

For individuals with advanced liver disease, equipoise in outcomes between live donor liver transplant (LDLT) and deceased donor liver transplant (DDLT) is uncertain.

Methods

A retrospective cohort study was performed using data extracted from the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients. Adults who underwent first-time DDLT or LTDL in the United States between 2002 and 2020 were paired using propensity-score matching with 1:10 ratio without replacement. Patient and graft survival were compared using the model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) score for stratification.

Results

After propensity-score matching, 31 522 DDLT and 3854 LDLT recipients were included. For recipients with MELD scores ≤15, LDLT was associated with superior patient survival (HR = 0.92; 95% c.i. 0.76 to 0.96; P = 0.013). No significant differences in patient survival were observed for MELD scores between 16 and 30. Conversely, for patients with MELD scores >30, LDLT was associated with higher mortality (HR 2.57; 95% c.i. 1.35 to 4.62; P = 0.003). Graft survival was comparable between the two groups for MELD ≤15 and for MELD between 21 and 30. However, for MELD between 16 and 20 (HR = 1.15; 95% c.i. 1.00 to 1.33; P = 0.04) and MELD > 30 (HR = 2.85; 95% c.i. 1.65 to 4.91; P = 0.001), graft survival was considerably shorter after LDLT. Regardless of MELD scores, re-transplantation rate within the first year was significantly higher after LDLT.

Conclusions

In this large propensity score–matched study using national data, comparable patient survival was found between LDLT and DDLT in recipients with MELD scores between 16 and 30. Conversely, for patients with MELD > 30, LDLT was associated with worse outcomes. These findings underscore the importance of transplant selection for patients with high MELD scores.
TRIM71 mutations cause a neurodevelopmental syndrome featuring ventriculomegaly and hydrocephalus
Authors: Duy Phan Q , Jux Bettina , Zhao Shujuan , Mekbib Kedous Y , Dennis Evan , Dong Weilai , Nelson-Williams Carol , Mehta Neel H , Shohfi John P , Juusola Jane , Allington Garrett , Smith Hannah , Marlin Sandrine , Belhous Kahina , Monteleone Berrin , Schaefer G Bradley , Pisarska Margareta D , Vásquez Jaime , Estrada-Veras Juvianee I , Keren Boris , Mignot Cyril , Flore Leigh A , Palafoll Irene V , Alper Seth L , Lifton Richard P , Haider Shozeb , Moreno-De-Luca Andres , Jin Sheng Chih , Kolanus Waldemar , Kahle Kristopher T
Published: June 2024

Congenital hydrocephalus, characterized by cerebral ventriculomegaly, is one of the most common reasons for paediatric brain surgery. Recent studies have implicated lin-41 (lineage variant 41)/TRIM71 (tripartite motif 71) as a candidate congenital hydrocephalus risk gene; however, TRIM71 variants have not been systematically examined in a large patient cohort or conclusively linked with an OMIM syndrome.

Through cross-sectional analysis of the largest assembled cohort of patients with cerebral ventriculomegaly, including neurosurgically-treated congenital hydrocephalus (totalling 2697 parent-proband trios and 8091 total exomes), we identified 13 protein-altering de novo variants (DNVs) in TRIM71 in unrelated children exhibiting variable ventriculomegaly, congenital hydrocephalus, developmental delay, dysmorphic features and other structural brain defects, including corpus callosum dysgenesis and white matter hypoplasia.

Eight unrelated patients were found to harbour arginine variants, including two recurrent missense DNVs, at homologous positions in RPXGV motifs of different NHL domains. Seven patients with rare, damaging, unphased or transmitted variants of uncertain significance were also identified. NHL-domain variants of TRIM71 exhibited impaired binding to the canonical TRIM71 target CDKN1A; other variants failed to direct the subcellular localization of TRIM71 to processing bodies. Single-cell transcriptomic analysis of human embryos revealed expression of TRIM71 in early first-trimester neural stem cells of the brain.

These data show TRIM71 is essential for human brain morphogenesis and that TRIM71 mutations cause a novel neurodevelopmental syndrome that we term ‘TRIM71-associated developmental disorders (TADD)’, featuring variable ventriculomegaly, congenital hydrocephalus and other structural brain defects.