bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Triple-meron crystal in high-spin Kitaev magnets
Authors: Chen Ken , Luo Qiang , Zhou Zongsheng , He Saisai , Xi Bin , Jia Chenglong , Luo Hong-Gang , Zhao Jize
Published: January 2023

Skyrmions hold great promise in future spintronics applications since they are robust against local deformations. The meron, due to its topological equivalence to a half skyrmion, has been widely found to appear in pairs. Motivated by recent progresses in high-spin Kitaev magnets, here we investigate numerically a classical Kitaev-Γ model with a single-ion anisotropy. An exotic spin texture consisting of three merons is discovered. Such a state features a peculiar property with an odd number of merons in one magnetic unit cell. Therefore, these merons cannot be dissociated from skyrmions as reported in the literature and their origin is briefly discussed. Moreover, we find that these three merons contribute a finite topological number and thus it can induce the topological Hall effect (THE). Experimentally this spin texture can be observed by the Lorentz transmission electron microscopy and the THE can be used to identify the finite topological number. Our work demonstrates that high-spin Kitaev magnets can host robust unconventional spin textures and thus they offer a versatile platform for exploring exotic spin textures as well as their applications in spintronics.
Investigation of mechanical properties of microwave welded SS304-SS202 lap joints
Authors: Samyal Rahul , Bedi Raman , Bagha Ashok Kumar
Published: January 2023

The joint between dissimilar materials is always challenging to develop through traditional techniques due to the different properties of the parent materials. However, a novel non-traditional route of joining similar and dissimilar materials through energy conversion and absorption has been developed called SMHH (selective microwave hybrid heating). It has gained much attention due to its unique heating abilities. In the present work, the lap joint between SS202-SS304 is developed through SMHH placing nickel powder as an interlayer. The lap joint was characterized mechanically through shear tests and microhardness. Since the sheared area of the joint is large, it is challenging to achieve a good joint. Thus, to develop a solid joint, laser surface texturing (LST) was introduced to the joining surfaces, and the joints were characterized. After LST was introduced, a fully diffused joint interlayer region was observed through scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The EDS results confirmed the complete metallurgical bonding occurred by the diffusion of elements across the weld zone. From the XRD spectrum, the formation of intermetallic compounds like FeNi, FeNi3, C3Fe7, and M23C6 were identified at the joint region. The mean microhardness of 355 ± 10 HV was determined at the joint region of lap joints with LST. A lap joint with LST exhibits 217 MPa of shear strength, which is significantly higher than the joints without LST. Fractography of the shear failure specimens pointed out that partial heating of the interlayer caused incomplete bonding of the base metal and interlayer for without LST lap joints. However, mixed mode failure of SS202 near the overlap region of the LST lap joint occurred. It is concluded that the addition of LST on the lap joint has made a colossal impact on enhancing joint strength and intermetallic bonding. In addition, temperature-time profiling was studied to understand the heating mechanism involved in SMHH using thermocouples.
Multi-party quantum private comparison of size relationship with two third parties based on d-dimensional Bell states
Authors: Lian Jiang-Yuan , Li Xia , Ye Tian-Yu
Published: January 2023

In this paper, we put forward a multi-party quantum private comparison (MQPC) protocol with two semi-honest third parties (TPs) by adopting

d

-dimensional Bell states, which can judge the size relationship of private integers from more than two users within one execution of protocol. Each TP is permitted to misbehave on her own but cannot collude with others. In the proposed MQPC protocol, TPs are only required to apply

d

-dimensional single-particle measurements rather than

d

-dimensional Bell state measurements. There are no quantum entanglement swapping and unitary operations required in the proposed MQPC protocol. The security analysis validates that the proposed MQPC protocol can resist both the outside attacks and the participant attacks. The proposed MQPC protocol is adaptive for the case that

n

users want to compare the size relationship of their private integers under the control of two supervisors. Furthermore, the proposed MQPC protocol can be used in the strange user environment, because there are not any communication and pre-shared key between each pair of users.
Droplet time crystals
Authors: Simula Tapio
Published: January 2023

We have constructed and characterised an instrument to study gravitationally bouncing droplets of fluid, subjected to periodic driving force. Our system incorporates a droplet printer that enables an on-demand computer controlled deposition of droplets on the fluid surface. We demonstrate the operation of this instrument by creating and observing long-lived and interacting time crystals whose evolution we have witnessed for more than one hundred thousand oscillation periods. Our observations provide points of comparison for experiments that differentiate between quantum and classical time crystal behaviours in driven non-equilibrium systems.
Scattering of the quantized electromagnetic waves from a bi-anisotropic absorbing magneto-dielectric slab
Authors: Hossein Zadeh Marzieh , Amooshahi Majid
Published: January 2023

A canonical quantization of electromagnetic field in the presence of a bi-anisotropic absorbing magneto-dielectric slab is provided. The quantized Maxwell’s equations in the presence of the slab are exactly solved and the time-space dependence of the quantized electric and magnetic fields are obtained. The Fock space of the total system is introduced. The scattering matrix of the bi-anisotropic magneto-dielectric slab is obtained in terms of the susceptibility tensors of the slab. The scattering matrix relates the annihilation operators of the outgoing quantized electromagnetic waves from the slab to the annihilation operators of the incoming quantized electromagnetic waves to the slab. The Fresnel’s coefficients of the bi-anisotropic magneto-dielectric slab are obtained in terms of the susceptibility tensors of the slab. The Fresnel’s coefficients relate the powers radiated by the outgoing quantized electromagnetic waves from the slab to the powers radiated by the incoming quantized electromagnetic waves to the slab. The radiated powers by the outgoing quantized electromagnetic waves are calculated in the special cases that the slab is in the thermal state and the incoming quantized electromagnetic waves to the slab are in the vacuum state and the coherent state.
Radiation shielding properties of low-density Ti-based bulk metallic glass composites: a computational study
Authors: Subedi Basanta , Lamichhane Tika Ram
Published: January 2023

Bulk metallic glasses (BMGs), a new class of structural and functional materials with unique physical and chemical features like high corrosion resistance, high yield strength, low elastic modulus, and transparency to visible light, indicate they could be potential shield against unwanted radiations. This study presents an attempt to investigate radiation shielding efficiencies of a few titanium (Ti)-based BMGs with low densities of range 4.43–5.15 g/cm3. Different shielding properties viz., attenuation coefficients (μ

m
and μ), half and tenth value layers (HVL and TVL), mean free path (λ), effective atomic number (Zeff), buildup factors (EBF and EABF), and fast neutron removal cross-section (Σ
R
) were evaluated in 0.015 − 15 MeV energy range using Phy-X/PSD software. The interaction of charged particles (i.e., H1 and He+2 ions) with BMG samples was investigated in terms of mass stopping power (MSP) and projected range (PR) by deploying Monte Carlo-based SRIM software. The five-parametric geometric-progression (G-P) fitting method was employed to calculate EBF and EABF, whereas Zeff values were calculated through atomic to electronic cross-section ratio. Further, obtained results were compared with two conventional shielding materials: lead (Pb) and heavy concrete (StMg). We found that among 8 BMGs, sample Ti41.9Zr36.3V12.1Cu6.3Be3.4(S1) with the lowest Ti and highest Zr-composition by mass (41.9% and 36.3%, respectively) exhibited the best gamma-rays, fast neutrons, and H1/He+2 ions shielding characteristics with the highest μ

m
(0.02–15 MeV), μ (0.015−0.2 MeV), Zeff (0.015–0.06 MeV) and Σ
R
. These values were higher than that of StMg, but lower than those of Pb. Moreover, S1 exhibited the lowest values of HVL, TVL, and λ in 0.015 − 0.2 MeV region for gamma-rays and also has the lowest MSP and PR values for H1/He+2 ions. However, the lowest EBF and EABF values belonged to BMG S1 in intermediate energy region (0.1−2 MeV) only. But, the sample Ti90Al6V4(S7) was the worst among all BMGs and StMg. Thus, low-density Ti-based BMGs have better performances towards gamma-rays, fast neutrons, and H1/He+2 ions shielding and hence the potential to replace conventional StMgs and toxic Pb-based materials.
Metaplectic operator approach to Gutzwiller’s trace formula
Authors: Lee Min-Ho
Published: January 2023

We derive the Gutzwiller’s trace formula by considering the time-evolution operator of the Hamiltonian which describes an N-dimensional time-dependent generalized harmonic oscillator with general force terms, where the time-evolution operator is composed of metaplectic and Weyl-Heisenberg operators. The Hamiltonian is constructed by expanding a wave packet quadratically in position and momentum operators around a reference trajectory. Using the explicit form of the metaplectic operator recently obtained in (2022, J. Korean Phys. Soc.
80, 95), we give the proof of the well known properties of the metaplectic operator, and using those properties, we derive Gutzwiller’s trace formula and investigate the Maslov index appearing in the formula.
Redshift requirements for cosmic shear with intrinsic alignment
Authors: Fischbacher Silvan , Kacprzak Tomasz , Blazek Jonathan , Refregier Alexandre
Published: January 2023

Intrinsic alignment (IA) modelling and photometric redshift estimation are two of the main
sources of systematic uncertainty in weak lensing surveys. We investigate the impact of redshift
errors and their interplay with different IA models. Generally, errors on the mean δz
and
on the width σz
of the redshift bins can both lead to biases in cosmological constraints.
We find that such biases can, however, only be partially resolved by marginalizing over δz
 
and σz
. For Stage-III surveys, δz
and σz
cannot be well constrained due
to limited statistics. The resulting biases are thus sensitive to prior volume effects. For
Stage-IV surveys, we observe that marginalizing over the redshift parameters has an impact and
reduces the bias. We derive requirements on the uncertainty of σz
and δz
for both
Stage-III and Stage-IV surveys. We assume that the redshift systematic errors on S
8 should be
less than half of the statistical errors, and the median bias should be smaller than 0.25σ.
We find that the uncertainty on δz
has to be ≲ 0.025 for the NLA IA model with a
Stage-III survey. We find no requirement threshold for σz
since the requirements are met
even for our maximum prior width of 0.3. For the TATT IA model, the uncertainty on δz
has
to be ≲ 0.02 and the uncertainty on σz
has to be ≲ 0.2. Current redshift
precision of Stage-III surveys is therefore high enough to meet these requirements. For Stage-IV
surveys, systematic effects will be more important due to the higher statistical precision. In
this case, the uncertainty on δz
has to be ≲ 0.005 and the uncertainty
on σz
should be ≲ 0.1, with no significant dependence on the IA model. This
required high precision will be a challenge for the redshift calibration of these future surveys.
Finally, we investigate whether the interplay between redshift systematics and IA modelling can
explain the S
8-tension between cosmic shear results and CMB measurements. We find that this is
unlikely to explain the current S
8-tension. The code that was used to conduct this
analysis is publicly available.[refrigerator: https://cosmo-gitlab.phys.ethz.ch/cosmo_public/refrigerator.]
ATLAS LAr calorimeter commissioning for LHC Run-3
Authors: Zang J.
Published: January 2023

To cope with the increase of the luminosity at Run-3 of the LHC, new trigger readout electronics have been installed on the Liquid Argon Calorimeters. More than 1500 boards of the legacy system were refurbished and re-installed, 124 new on-detector boards and 116 new back-end mezzanine cards equipped with large FPGAs were added to digitize the calorimeter trigger signals. All the monitoring and control infrastructure is being adapted and commissioned. These proceedings will present the challenges of the installation, the commissioning, and the works still to be completed toward the full operation of both the legacy and the digital trigger in the LHC Run-3.
Performance characterization and radiation tolerance evaluation of the SSA2 ASIC, the strip sensor readout ASIC of the CMS Outer Tracker at the HL-LHC
Authors: Caratelli A. , Bergamin G. , Ceresa D. , Kaplon J. , Kloukinas K. , Nedergaard C. , Nookala A. , Scarfi S.
Published: January 2023

This contribution presents the results of the performance characterization and radiation tolerance evaluation of the SSA2 ASIC, the short-strip readout ASIC for the CMS Outer-Tracker PS-module. The ASIC performance is characterised by different temperatures and operating conditions, at the die level as well as at the wafer level. The radiation evaluation comprises Total-Ionising-Dose (TID) tests and Single-Event-Effects (SEEs). Wafer-level testing provided a large dataset to evaluate the production yield. The presented test results are in agreement with the design simulations and are well within the application requirements for operation in the CMS outer-tracker at the HL-LHC.
10 ps timing with highly irradiated 3D trench silicon pixel sensors
Authors: Lampis A. , Borgato F. , Brundu D. , Cardini A. , Cossu G.M. , Dalla Betta G.-F. , Garau M. , La Delfa L. , Lai A. , Loi A. , Obertino M. , Simi G. , Vecchi S.
Published: January 2023

In this paper the results of a beam test characterization campaign of 3D trench silicon pixel sensors are presented. A time resolution in the order of 10 ps was measured both for non-irradiated and irradiated sensors up to a fluence of 2.5 × 1016 1 MeV neq cm−2. This feature and a detection efficiency close to 99% make this sensors one of the best candidates for 4D tracking detectors in High-Energy-Physics experiments.
Characterization of 3.2 Gbps readout in 65 nm CMOS technology
Authors: Jirsa J. , Gecnuk J. , Havranek M. , Janoska Z. , Jansky M. , Kafka V. , Korchak O. , Kostina A. , Lednicky D. , Marcisovska M. , Marcisovsky M. , Stanek P. , Tomasek L. , Vancura P.
Published: January 2023

A new class of photon-counting pixel detectors allows for capturing of an image in several photon energy bins in one shot. A decreased pixel pitch and an increased number of energy bins are needed to enhance the spatial and spectral resolution of the detector. This led to new requirements for the readout systems and their bandwidths, as more data is generated for the same detection area. Fast differential serial communication enables high-speed data rates, thus providing an ideal solution to transfer large amounts of data generated by the detector’s front-end electronics. However, its implementation provides extra challenges. This work introduces a novel high-speed serial readout designed in a 65 nm CMOS technology that will be used in the future photon-counting X-ray imaging detectors. The design of the serial transmitter is presented together with the characterization of jitter and channel performance.
Simulating future climate change impacts on snow- and ice-related driving hazards in Arctic-boreal regions
Authors: Greaves Heather E , Boelman Natalie T , Brinkman Todd J , Liston Glen E , Prugh Laura R , Reinking Adele K
Published: January 2023

As Arctic and boreal regions rapidly warm, the frequency and seasonal timing of hazardous driving conditions on all-season Arctic-boreal roads are likely to change. Because these roads link remote Arctic areas to the rest of the North American road system, climate change may substantially affect safety and quality of life for northern residents and commercial enterprises. To gain insight into future hazardous driving conditions, we built Random Forest models that predict the occurrence of hazardous driving conditions by linking snow, ice, and weather simulated by a spatially explicit modeling system (SnowModel) to archived road condition reports from two highly trafficked all-season northern roads: the Dalton Highway (Alaska, USA) and Dempster Highway (Yukon, Canada). We applied these models to downscaled future climate trajectories for the study period of 2006–2100. We estimated future trends in the frequency and timing of icy, wet-icy, and snowy road surfaces, blowing and drifting snow, and high winds. We found that as the climate warms, and the portion of the year when snow and ice occur becomes shorter, overall frequency of snow storms and ice- and snow-related driving hazards decreased. For example, the mean number of days per year when roads are covered in snow or ice decreased by 51 d (−21%) on the Dalton Highway between the 2006–2020 and 2081–2100 time periods. However, the intensity of storms was predicted to increase, resulting in higher mean annual storm wind speeds (Dalton +0.56 m s−1 [+17%]) and snowfall totals (Dalton +0.3 cm [+36%]). Our models also predicted increasing frequency of wet-icy driving conditions during November, December, January, and February, when daylength is short and hazardous conditions may be more difficult to perceive. Our findings may help road managers and drivers adapt their expectations and behaviors to minimize accident risk on Arctic-boreal roads in the future.
The Use of Pest Mobile Application for Optimizing the Sustainability Support of Pest Management in Oil Palm Plantation
Authors: Hendarjanti Henny , Indratno Sapto W.
Published: January 2023

The road map of the Indonesian palm oil industry, which is entering the industrial revolution 4.0, is by innovation and sustainable development of digitalization, referring to the application of machine automation and human-machine communication. As a significant player in the global palm oil industry, Indonesia has started to apply digital technology in the oil palm plantation industry. In this paper a digital early detection of pests and its contributions to sustainable pest control is explored. This technology will make it easier to monitor activities on the plantation on a regular basis. Real-time observation is needed to find out the problem as early as possible. This collected digital information is then statistically analyzed and linked to ecosystem services to get better decisions, especially for sustainable integrated pest control (IPM). The use of smartphone technology with an HDI implementation assessment approach and the Triple Bottom Line is the company’s responsibility to the environment (planet), social (humans), and profit.
Function Spaces of Logarithmic Smoothness: Embeddings and Characterizations
Authors: Domínguez Óscar , Tikhonov Sergey
Published: January 2023

In this paper we present a comprehensive treatment of function spaces with logarithmic smoothness (Besov, Sobolev, Triebel-Lizorkin). We establish the following results: Sharp embeddings between the Besov spaces defined by differences and by Fourier-analytical decompositions as well as between Besov and Sobolev/Triebel-Lizorkin spaces; Various new characterizations for Besov norms in terms of different K-functionals. For instance, we derive characterizations via ball averages, approximation methods, heat kernels, and Bianchini-type norms; Sharp estimates for Besov norms of derivatives and potential operators (Riesz and Bessel potentials) in terms of norms of functions themselves. We also obtain quantitative estimates of regularity properties of the fractional Laplacian. The key tools behind our results are limiting interpolation techniques and new characterizations of Besov and Sobolev norms in terms of the behavior of the Fourier transforms for functions such that their Fourier transforms are of monotone type or lacunary series.
Towards van der Waerden’s conjecture
Authors: Chow Sam , Dietmann Rainer
Published: January 2023

How often is a quintic polynomial solvable by radicals? We establish that the number of such polynomials, monic and irreducible with integer coefficients in

[
−
H
,
H
]

[-H,H]

, is

O
(

H

3.91

)

O(H^{3.91})

. More generally, we show that if

n
⩾
3

n \geqslant 3

and

n
∉
{
7
,
8
,
10
}

n \notin \{ 7, 8, 10 \}

then there are

O
(

H

n
−
1.017

)

O(H^{n-1.017})

monic, irreducible polynomials of degree

n
n

with integer coefficients in

[
−
H
,
H
]

[-H,H]

and Galois group not containing

A
n

A_n

. Save for the alternating group and degrees

7
,
8
,
10

7,8,10

, this establishes a 1936 conjecture of van der Waerden.
Targeting of Hmo1 to subcompartments of the budding yeast nucleolus
Authors: Girke Philipp , Seufert Wolfgang
Published: January 2023

The nucleolus is a multilayered, membraneless organelle consisting of ribosomal DNA surrounded by liquidlike biogenesis compartments. We show that the budding yeast rDNA binding protein Hmo1 is mobile within but efficiently retained inside the nucleolus by interactions with the central chromatin as well as the adjacent biogenesis compartment.
Generalized urticated papules and plaques with facial swelling
Authors: Reguigui Leïla S , Purdy Kerri S , Wright Glenda
Published: January 2023

A patient presented with widespread urticated lesions with facial swelling, initially suggestive of a drug eruption. Follow-up histology and bloodwork point to an alternative diagnosis, however.
Major gaps in the information provided to patients before implantation of cardioverter defibrillators: a prospective patient European evaluation
Authors: Januszkiewicz Łukasz , Barra Sérgio , Marijon Eloi , Providencia Rui , de Asmundis Carlo , Chun Julian K R , Farkowski Michał M , Conte Giulio , Boveda Serge
Published: January 2023

Aims

Information provided to patients prior to implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) insertion and their participation in the decision-making process are crucial for understanding ICD function and accepting this lifelong therapy. The aim of this study is to evaluate the extent to which different aspects related to ICD and quality of life were transmitted to patients prior to ICD implantation.

Methods and results

Prospective, multicenter European study with an online questionnaire initiated by the European Heart Rhythm Association. The questionnaire was filled-in directly and personally by the ICD patients who were invited to participate. A total of 1809 patients (majority in their 40s–70s, with 624 women, 34.5%) from 10 European countries participated in the study. The median time from first ICD implantation was 5 years (interquartile range 2–10). Overall, 1155 patients (71.5%) felt optimally informed at the time of device implantation, however many respondents received no information about ICD-related complications (n = 801, 49.6%), driving restrictions (n = 718, 44.5%), and possibility of end-of-life ICD deactivation (n = 408, 25.4%). Of note, women were less frequently involved in the decision-making process than men (47.3% vs. 55.9%, P = 0.003) and reported to be less often optimally informed before ICD implantation than men (61.2% vs. 76.8%, P < 0.001). More women mentioned the desire to have learned more about ICD therapy and the benefit/risk balance (45.4% vs. 33.7% of men; P < 0.001).

Conclusions

This patient-based evaluation provides alarming findings on the lack of information provided to patients prior ICD implantation, particularly for women.
Technology, job characteristics, and retirement of aged workers: evidence from automation and IT adoption of firms in Korea
Authors: Chung Jongwoo , Lee Chulhee
Published: January 2023

We investigated how the adoption of a new production technology differently affects the risk of job separation of young and old employees in South Korea by analyzing establishment-level panel data linked with administrative employment insurance records on individual workers. To address potential endogeneity associated with a firm’s technology adoption, we conducted instrumental variable estimations with a two-stage residual inclusion (2SRI) approach. The results suggest that technology (indicated by newly adopted automation and increased purchase of Information Technology equipment) positively affects the overall employment of incumbent workers. However, the employment of aged workers is less favorably affected by newly adopted technologies compared to that of younger workers. In some conditions, technology adoptions increase the retirement risk of older workers absolutely as well as relative to that of younger workers. Newly adopted automation negatively affects the employment of aged workers who are engaged in clerical and support occupations or employed in the wholesale and retail industry. Estimation results according to the reason for retirement suggest that the negative effect of technology adoption on employment may be related to both labor demand and supply.
Phylogenetic analysis, computer modeling and catalytic prediction of an Amazonian soil β-glucosidase against a soybean saponin
Authors: Hernandez Andrea I , dos Santos Azevedo Raíza , Werhli Adriano V , dos Santos Machado Karina , Nornberg Bruna F , F Marins Luis
Published: January 2023

Saponins are amphipathic glycosides with detergent properties present in vegetables. These compounds, when ingested, can cause difficulties in absorbing nutrients from food and even induce inflammatory processes in the intestine. There is already some evidence that saponins can be degraded by β-glucosidases of the GH3 family. In the present study, we evaluated, through computational tools, the possibility of a β-glucosidase (AMBGL17) obtained from a metagenomic analysis of the Amazonian soil, to catalytically interact with a saponin present in soybean. For this, the amino acid sequence of AMBGL17 was used in a phylogenetic analysis to estimate its origin and to determine its three-dimensional structure. The 3D structure of the enzyme was used in a molecular docking analysis to evaluate its interaction with soy saponin as a ligand. The results of the phylogenetic analysis showed that AMBGL17 comes from a microorganism of the phylum Chloroflexi, probably related to species of the order Aggregatinales. Molecular docking showed that soybean saponin can interact with the catalytic site of AMBGL17, with the amino acid GLY345 being important in this catalytic interaction, especially with a β-1,2 glycosidic bond present in the carbohydrate portion of saponin. In conclusion, AMBGL17 is an enzyme with interesting biotechnological potential in terms of mitigating the anti-nutritional and pro-inflammatory effects of saponins present in vegetables used for human and animal food.
Distance-based Decision-making in Oviposition byTribolium castaneumHerbst (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) on Low- and No-gluten Flours
Authors: Gerken Alison R , Dryer Danielle , Campbell James F
Published: January 2023

The increasing popularity of low- and no-gluten flours as wheat flour alternatives has driven the need to understand risks of insect pest infestation in these products. Previous research using no-choice bioassays found that the red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum Herbst can oviposit and develop on a range of alternative flours; here we test T. castaneum preference by assessing attraction in a wind tunnel assay and oviposition preference in both small- and large-scale choice assays between alternative and wheat flour. Some flours such as buckwheat, teff, millet, rice, and rye elicit similar responses as wheat flour for both attraction and oviposition. Other flours such as cassava and oat were not preferred for either oviposition or attraction behaviors. Flours like sorghum and amaranth, had mixed preferences for oviposition, with decreased oviposition in the small arena but not the large arena. Comparisons to published developmental success rates of T. castnaeum on these dietsindicate that females can choose diets on which they have high developmental success, such as buckwheat or teff, and avoid flours like cassava where developmental success is low. However, mismatch of oviposition preference and developmental success also occurs, in flours such as rice and amaranth. These results suggest the red flour beetle has limited ability to make adaptive food selections for egg laying. Further analysis of the chemical and physical properties associated with preferred and nonpreferred flours can provide information on cues associated with egg laying as well as how these cues could be exploited in pest management programs.
Impacts of Bioassay Type on Insecticide Resistance Assessment in the German Cockroach (Blattodea: Ectobiidae)
Authors: Gits Madison P , Gondhalekar Ameya D , Scharf Michael E
Published: January 2023

The German cockroach, Blattella germanica (L.), is one of the most critical urban pests globally due to the health risks it imposes on people, such as asthma. Insecticides are known to manage large cockroach population sizes, but the rapid rate at which they develop resistance is a continuing problem. Dealing with insecticide resistance can be expensive and time-consuming for both the consumer and the pest management professional (PMP) applying the treatment. Each cockroach population is unique because different strains have different insecticide susceptibilities, so resistance profiles must be considered. This study addressed the above issue in a controlled laboratory setting. Cockroach strains from Indianapolis, Indiana, Danville, Illinois, and Baltimore, Maryland, USA were used. Four insecticide active ingredients (AIs) most used by consumers and PMPs were selected for testing in vial bioassays to establish resistance profiles. Next, no-choice and choice feeding assays with four currently registered bait products were performed to assess the impacts of competing food and circadian rhythms on bait resistance levels. The results indicate that emamectin benzoate (Optigard) was the most effective AI in causing the highest mortality in all strains in vial and no-choice bioassays; whereas, the other AIs and products were more impacted by resistance. The results acquired from these studies can help develop rapid tests for use by PMPs based on the no-choice feeding assay while also adding more information supporting current resistance and cross-resistance evolution theories.
Preanalytic variable effects on segmentation and quantification machine learning algorithms for amyloid-β analyses on digitized human brain slides
Authors: Oliveira Luca Cerny , Lai Zhengfeng , Harvey Danielle , Nzenkue Kevin , Jin Lee-Way , Decarli Charles , Chuah Chen-Nee , Dugger Brittany N
Published: January 2023

Computational machine learning (ML)-based frameworks could be advantageous for scalable analyses in neuropathology. A recent deep learning (DL) framework has shown promise in automating the processes of visualizing and quantifying different types of amyloid-β deposits as well as segmenting white matter (WM) from gray matter (GM) on digitized immunohistochemically stained slides. However, this framework has only been trained and evaluated on amyloid-β-stained slides with minimal changes in preanalytic variables. In this study, we evaluated select preanalytical variables including magnification, compression rate, and storage format using three digital slides scanners (Zeiss Axioscan Z1, Leica Aperio AT2, and Leica Aperio GT 450), on over 60 whole slide images, in a cohort of 14 cases having a spectrum of amyloid-β deposits. We conducted statistical comparisons of preanalytic variables with repeated measures analysis of variance evaluating the outputs of two DL frameworks for segmentation and object classification tasks. For both WM/GM segmentation and amyloid-β plaque classification tasks, there were statistical differences with respect to scanner types (p < 0.05) and magnifications (p < 0.05). Although small numbers of cases were analyzed, this pilot study highlights the significance of preanalytic variables that may alter the performance of ML algorithms.
Multivariate claim count regression model with varying dispersion and dependence parameters
Authors: Jeong Himchan , Tzougas George , Fung Tsz Chai
Published: January 2023

The aim of this paper is to present a regression model for multivariate claim frequency data with dependence structures across the claim count responses, which may be of different sign and range, and overdispersion from the unobserved heterogeneity due to systematic effects in the data. For illustrative purposes, we consider the bivariate Poisson-lognormal regression model with varying dispersion. Maximum likelihood estimation of the model parameters is achieved through a novel Monte Carlo expectation–maximization algorithm, which is shown to have a satisfactory performance when we exemplify our approach to Local Government Property Insurance Fund data from the state of Wisconsin.
Relational hyperevent models for polyadic interaction networks
Authors: Lerner Jürgen , Lomi Alessandro
Published: January 2023

Polyadic, or ‘multicast’ social interaction networks arise when one sender addresses multiple receivers simultaneously. Available relational event models are not well suited to the analysis of polyadic interaction networks because they specify event rates for sets of receivers as functions of dyadic covariates associated with the sender and one receiver at a time. Relational hyperevent models (RHEM) address this problem by specifying event rates as functions of hyperedge covariates associated with the sender and the entire set of receivers. We illustrate the empirical value of RHEM in a comparative reanalysis of the canonical Enron email data set.
A Bayesian decision support system for counteracting activities of terrorist groups
Authors: Shenvi Aditi , Bunnin Francis Oliver , Smith Jim Q
Published: January 2023

We present an integrating decision support system designed to aid security analysts’ monitoring of terrorist groups. The system comprises of (i) a dynamic network model of the level of bilateral communications between individuals and (ii) dynamic graphical models of those individual’s latent threat states. These component models are combined in a statistically coherent manner to provide measures of the imminence of an attack by the terrorist group. Domain knowledge provides the structures of the models, values of parameters and prior distributions over latent variables. Inference of the values is performed using time-series of observed data and the statistical dependencies assumed between said data and model variables. The work draws on social network and graphical models used in sociological, military, and medical fields.
A search for transient, monochromatic light from the Galactic plane
Authors: Marcy Geoffrey W , Tellis Nathaniel K
Published: January 2023

The Galactic plane was searched for transient, monochromatic light at optical and near-IR wavelengths to detect pulses shorter than 1 s. An objective-prism Schmidt telescope of 0.28-m aperture and a CMOS camera were used to observe 973 square deg, with 8864 exposures of 1-s each, within a strip 2.1 deg wide along the Galactic plane, from Galactic longitude −4 deg to +248 deg. All exposures were analysed for transient, monochromatic sources using a ‘difference image’ algorithm that yielded 11 candidate sources. All 11 sources were found to be associated with either astrophysical emission-line objects or aircraft with subsecond blinking lights. Our survey ‘rediscovered’ many Wolf–Rayet stars, M dwarf flare stars, and planetary nebulae. It also identified an aircraft, of unknown type, that apparently had a nearly monochromatic lamp and a xenon lamp. This survey would have revealed optical and near-IR pulses having a power of ∼180 GW (wavelength dependent) if emitted by a 10-m aperture laser located 1 kiloparsec away. These non-detections of laser pulses from the Galactic plane, including a 10-deg region towards the Galactic centre, add to the non-detections from more than 5000 nearby stars. Indeed, all-sky surveys for emission-line objects (e.g. ionized gas, supernovae remnants, and active galactic nuclei) would have revealed lasers of a wide range of average brightness, wavelength, and cadence. The absence of beacons reveals more of a SETI desert, notably at the intensely surveyed optical and radio wavelengths.
The role of cooling induced by mixing in the mass and energy cycles of the solar atmosphere
Authors: Hillier Andrew , Snow Ben , Arregui Iñigo
Published: January 2023

In many astrophysical systems, mixing between cool and hot temperature gas/plasma through Kelvin–Helmholtz-instability-driven turbulence leads to the formation of an intermediate temperature phase with increased radiative losses that drive efficient cooling. The solar atmosphere is a potential site for this process to occur with interaction between either prominence or spicule material and the solar corona allowing the development of transition region material with enhanced radiative losses. In this paper, we derive a set of equations to model the evolution of such a mixing layer and make predictions for the mixing-driven cooling rate and the rate at which mixing can lead to the condensation of the coronal material. These theoretical predictions are benchmarked against 2.5D MHD simulations. Applying the theoretical scalings to prominence threads or fading spicules, we found that as a mixing layer grows on their boundaries this would lead to the creation of transition region material with a cooling time of ∼100 s, explaining the warm emission observed as prominence threads or spicules fade in cool spectral lines without the requirement for any heating. For quiescent prominences, dynamic condensation driven by the mixing process could restore ∼18 per cent of the mass lost from a prominence through downflows. Overall, this mechanism of thermal energy loss through radiative losses induced by mixing highlights the importance for considering dynamical interaction between material at different temperatures when trying to understand the thermodynamic evolution of the cool material in the solar corona.
The star formation history and the nature of the mass–metallicity relation of passive galaxies at 1.0 <z< 1.4 from VANDELS
Authors: Saracco P , Barbera F La , De Propris R , Bevacqua D , Marchesini D , De Lucia G , Fontanot F , Hirschmann M , Nonino M , Pasquali A , Spiniello C , Tortora C
Published: January 2023

We derived stellar ages and metallicities [Z/H] for ∼70 passive early-type galaxies (ETGs) selected from VANDELS survey over the redshift range 1.0 < z < 1.4 and stellar mass range 10 < log(M*/M⊙) < 11.6. We find significant systematics in their estimates depending on models and wavelength ranges considered. Using the full-spectrum fitting technique, we find that both [Z/H] and age increase with mass as for local ETGs. Age and metallicity sensitive spectral indices independently confirm these trends. According to EMILES models, for 67 per cent of the galaxies we find [Z/H] > 0.0, a percentage which rises to ∼90 per cent for log(M*/M⊙) > 11 where the mean metallicity is [Z/H] = 0.17 ± 0.1. A comparison with homogeneous measurements at similar and lower redshift does not show any metallicity evolution over the redshift range 0.0 < z < 1.4. The derived star formation (SF) histories show that the stellar mass fraction formed at early epoch increases with the mass of the galaxy. Galaxies with log(M*/M⊙) > 11.0 host stellar populations with [Z/H] > 0.05, formed over short time-scales (Δt50 < 1 Gyr) at early epochs (tform < 2 Gyr), implying high star formation rates (SFR > 100 M⊙ yr−1) in high-mass density regions (log(Σ1kpc) > 10 M⊙/kpc2). This sharp picture tends to blur at lower masses: log(M*/M⊙) ∼ 10.6 galaxies can host either old stars with [Z/H] < 0.0 or younger stars with [Z/H] > 0.0, depending on the duration (Δt50) of the SF. The relations between galaxy mass, age, and metallicities are therefore largely set up ab initio as part of the galaxy formation process. Mass, SFR, and SF time-scale all contribute to shape up the stellar mass–metallicity relation with the mass that modulates metals retention.
Grid-based simulations of polar circumbinary discs: polar alignment and vortex formation
Authors: Rabago Ian , Zhu Zhaohuan , Martin Rebecca G , Lubow Stephen H
Published: January 2023

We describe the first grid-based simulations of the polar alignment of a circumbinary disc. We simulate the evolution of an inclined disc around an eccentric binary using the grid-based code athena++ . The use of a grid-based numerical code allows us to explore lower disc viscosities than have been examined in previous studies. We find that the disc aligns to a polar orientation when the α viscosity is high, while discs with lower viscosity nodally precess with little alignment over 1000 binary orbital periods. The time-scales for polar alignment and disc precession are compared as a function of disc viscosity, and are found to be in agreement with previous studies. At very low disc viscosities (e.g. α = 10−5), anticyclonic vortices are observed along the inner edge of the disc. These vortices can persist for thousands of binary orbits, creating azimuthally localized overdensities and multiple pairs of spiral arms. The vortex is formed at ∼3–4 times the binary semimajor axis, close to the inner edge of the disc, and orbits at roughly the local Keplerian speed. The presence of a vortex in the disc may play an important role in the evolution of circumbinary systems, such as driving episodic accretion and accelerating the formation of polar circumbinary planets.
Transit timing variation analysis of the low-mass brown dwarf KELT-1 b
Authors: Baştürk Ö , Southworth J , Yalçınkaya S , Mancini L , Esmer E M , Tekin M , Tezcan F , Evans D F , Tezcan C T , Bruni I , Yeşilyaprak C
Published: January 2023

We investigate whether there is a variation in the orbital period of the short-period brown dwarf-mass KELT-1 b, which is one of the best candidates to observe orbital decay. We obtain 19 high-precision transit light curves of the target using six different telescopes. We add all precise and complete transit light curves from open databases and the literature, as well as the available Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) observations from sectors 17 and 57, to form a transit timing variation (TTV) diagram spanning more than 10 yr of observations. The analysis of the TTV diagram, however, is inconclusive in terms of a secular or periodic variation, hinting that the system might have synchronized. We update the transit ephemeris and determine an informative lower limit for the reduced tidal quality parameter of its host star of Q$_{\star }^{\prime } \gt (8.5 \pm 3.9) \times 10^{6}$ assuming that the stellar rotation is not yet synchronized. Using our new photometric observations, published light curves, the TESS data, archival radial velocities, and broadband magnitudes, we also update the measured parameters of the system. Our results are in good agreement with those found in previous analyses.
MeV neutrino flash from neutron star mergers viar-process nucleosynthesis
Authors: Chen Meng-Hua , Hu Rui-Chong , Liang En-Wei
Published: January 2023

Detection of kilonova AT2017gfo proves that binary neutron star mergers can be the dominant contributor to the production of heavy elements in our Universe. Neutrinos from the radioactive decay of heavy elements would be the most direct messengers of merger ejecta. Based on r-process nucleosynthesis calculations, we study the neutrinos emitted from the β-decay of r-process elements and find that about half of the β-decay energy is carried away by neutrinos. The neutrino energy generation rate remains approximately constant at the early stage (t ≲ 1 s) and then decays as a power-law function with an index of −1.3. This powers a short-lived fast neutrino burst with a peak luminosity of ∼1049 erg s−1 in the early stage. Observation of neutrinos from neutron star mergers will be an important step towards understanding the properties of extremely neutron-rich nuclei and r-process nucleosynthesis, since the dominant contribution to the early time neutrino production is from nuclides near the r-process path. The typical neutrino energy is ≲8 MeV, which is within the energy ranges of the water-Cherenkov neutrino detectors such as Super-Kamiokande and future Hyper-Kamiokande, but the extremely low neutrino flux and event rate in our local Universe challenge the detection of the neutrino flashes.
Relating galaxies across different redshift to study galaxy evolution
Authors: Wang Kai , Mo Houjun , Li Cheng , Chen Yangyao
Published: January 2023

We propose a general framework leveraging the galaxy–halo connection to link galaxies observed at different redshift in a statistical way, and use the link to infer the redshift evolution of the galaxy population. Our tests based on hydrodynamic simulations show that our method can accurately recover the stellar mass assembly histories up to z ∼ 3 for present star-forming and quiescent galaxies down to 1010 h−1 M⊙. Applying the method to observational data shows that the stellar mass evolution of the main progenitors of galaxies depends strongly on the properties of descendants, such as stellar mass, halo mass, and star formation states. Galaxies hosted by low-mass groups/haloes at the present time have since z ∼ 1.8 grown their stellar mass ∼2.5 times as fast as those hosted by massive clusters. This dependence on host halo mass becomes much weaker for descendant galaxies with similar star formation states. Star-forming galaxies grow about 2–4 times faster than their quiescent counterparts since z ∼ 1.8. Both TNG and EAGLE simulations overpredict the progenitor stellar mass at z > 1, particularly for low-mass descendants.
Bidirectional Movement of Emerging H5N8 Avian Influenza Viruses Between Europe and Asia via Migratory Birds Since Early 2020
Authors: Zhang Guogang , Li Bingying , Raghwani Jayna , Vrancken Bram , Jia Ru , Hill Sarah C , Fournié Guillaume , Cheng Yanchao , Yang Qiqi , Wang Yuxin , Wang Zengmiao , Dong Lu , Pybus Oliver G , Tian Huaiyu
Published: January 2023

Migratory birds play a critical role in the rapid spread of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N8 virus clade 2.3.4.4 across Eurasia. Elucidating the timing and pattern of virus transmission is essential therefore for understanding the spatial dissemination of these viruses. In this study, we surveyed >27,000 wild birds in China, tracked the year-round migration patterns of 20 bird species across China since 2006, and generated new HPAI H5N8 virus genomic data. Using this new data set, we investigated the seasonal transmission dynamics of HPAI H5N8 viruses across Eurasia. We found that introductions of HPAI H5N8 viruses to different Eurasian regions were associated with the seasonal migration of wild birds. Moreover, we report a backflow of HPAI H5N8 virus lineages from Europe to Asia, suggesting that Europe acts as both a source and a sink in the global HPAI virus transmission network.