bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A joint convolutional-recurrent neural network with an attention mechanism for detecting intracranial hemorrhage on noncontrast head CT
Authors: Alis Deniz , Alis Ceren , Yergin Mert , Topel Cagdas , Asmakutlu Ozan , Bagcilar Omer , Senli Yeseren Deniz , Ustundag Ahmet , Salt Vefa , Dogan Sebahat Nacar , Velioglu Murat , Selcuk Hakan Hatem , Kara Batuhan , Ozer Caner , Oksuz Ilkay , Kizilkilic Osman , Karaarslan Ercan
Published: February 2022

To investigate the performance of a joint convolutional neural networks-recurrent neural networks (CNN-RNN) using an attention mechanism in identifying and classifying intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) on a large multi-center dataset; to test its performance in a prospective independent sample consisting of consecutive real-world patients. All consecutive patients who underwent emergency non-contrast-enhanced head CT in five different centers were retrospectively gathered. Five neuroradiologists created the ground-truth labels. The development dataset was divided into the training and validation set. After the development phase, we integrated the deep learning model into an independent center’s PACS environment for over six months for assessing the performance in a real clinical setting. Three radiologists created the ground-truth labels of the testing set with a majority voting. A total of 55,179 head CT scans of 48,070 patients, 28,253 men (58.77%), with a mean age of 53.84 ± 17.64 years (range 18–89) were enrolled in the study. The validation sample comprised 5211 head CT scans, with 991 being annotated as ICH-positive. The model's binary accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity on the validation set were 99.41%, 99.70%, and 98.91, respectively. During the prospective implementation, the model yielded an accuracy of 96.02% on 452 head CT scans with an average prediction time of 45 ± 8 s. The joint CNN-RNN model with an attention mechanism yielded excellent diagnostic accuracy in assessing ICH and its subtypes on a large-scale sample. The model was seamlessly integrated into the radiology workflow. Though slightly decreased performance, it provided decisions on the sample of consecutive real-world patients within a minute.
Taking a machine learning approach to optimize prediction of vaccine hesitancy in high income countries
Authors: Lincoln Tania M. , Schlier Björn , Strakeljahn Felix , Gaudiano Brandon A. , So Suzanne H. , Kingston Jessica , Morris Eric M.J. , Ellett Lyn
Published: February 2022

Understanding factors driving vaccine hesitancy is crucial to vaccination success. We surveyed adults (N = 2510) from February to March 2021 across five sites (Australia = 502, Germany = 516, Hong Kong = 445, UK = 512, USA = 535) using a cross-sectional design and stratified quota sampling for age, sex, and education. We assessed willingness to take a vaccine and a comprehensive set of putative predictors. Predictive power was analysed with a machine learning algorithm. Only 57.4% of the participants indicated that they would definitely or probably get vaccinated. A parsimonious machine learning model could identify vaccine hesitancy with high accuracy (i.e. 82% sensitivity and 79–82% specificity) using 12 variables only. The most relevant predictors were vaccination conspiracy beliefs, various paranoid concerns related to the pandemic, a general conspiracy mentality, COVID anxiety, high perceived risk of infection, low perceived social rank, lower age, lower income, and higher population density. Campaigns seeking to increase vaccine uptake need to take mistrust as the main driver of vaccine hesitancy into account.
Super-efficient drilling of metals with ultrafast non diffractive laser beams
Authors: Nguyen Huu Dat , Moreno Enrique , Rudenko Anton , Faure Nicolas , Sedao Xxx , Mauclair Cyril , Colombier Jean-Philippe , Stoian Razvan
Published: February 2022

A highly efficient drilling process is found in non-transparent metallic materials enabled by the use of non-diffractive ultrafast Bessel beams. Applied for deep drilling through a 200 μm-thick steel plate, the Bessel beam demonstrates twofold higher drilling efficiency compared to a Gaussian beam of similar fluence and spot size. Notwithstanding that surface ablation occurs with the same efficiency for both beams, the drilling booster results from a self-replication and reconstruction of the beam along the axis, driven by internal reflections within the crater at quasi-grazing incidence, bypassing potential obstacles. The mechanism is the consequence of an oblique wavevectors geometry with low angular dispersion and generates a propagation length beyond the projection range allowed by the geometry of the channel. With only the main lobe being selected by the channel entrance, side-wall reflection determines the refolding of the lobe on the axis, enhancing and replicating the beam multiple times inside the channel. The process is critically assisted by the reduction of particle shielding enabled by the intrinsic self-healing of the Bessel beam. Thus the drilling process is sustained in a way which is uniquely different from that of the conventional Gaussian beam, the latter being damped within its Rayleigh range. These mechanisms are supported and quantified by Finite Difference Time Domain calculations of the beam propagation. The results show key advantages for the quest towards efficient laser drilling and fabrication processes.
Langevin based turbulence model and its relationship with Kappa distributions
Authors: Gallo-Méndez Iván , Moya Pablo S.
Published: February 2022

Kappa distributions (or $$\kappa $$
κ
-like distributions) represent a robust framework to characterize and understand complex phenomena with high degrees of freedom, as turbulent systems, using non-extensive statistical mechanics. Here we consider a coupled map lattice Langevin based model to analyze the relation of a turbulent flow, with its spatial scale dynamic, and $$\kappa $$
κ
-like distributions. We generate the steady-state velocity distribution of the fluid at each scale, and show that the generated distributions are well fitted by $$\kappa $$
κ
-like distributions. We observe a robust relation between the $$\kappa $$
κ
parameter, the scale, and the Reynolds number of the system, Re. In particular, our results show that there is a closed scaling relation between the level of turbulence and the $$\kappa $$
κ
parameter; namely $$\kappa \sim \text {Re}\,k^{-5/3}$$

κ
∼
Re

k

-
5
/
3

. We expect these results to be useful to characterize turbulence in different contexts, and our numerical predictions to be tested by observations and experimental setups.
Development of SARS-CoV2 humoral response including neutralizing antibodies is not sufficient to protect patients against fatal infection
Authors: Choteau Mathilde , Scohy Anaïs , Messe Stéphane , Luyckx Mathieu , Dechamps Mélanie , Montiel Virginie , Yombi Jean Cyr , Gruson Damien , Limaye Nisha , Michiels Thomas , Dumoutier Laure
Published: February 2022

More than a year after the start of the pandemic, COVID-19 remains a global health emergency. Although the immune response against SARS-CoV-2 has been extensively studied, some points remain controversial. One is the role of antibodies in viral clearance and modulation of disease severity. While passive transfer of neutralizing antibodies protects against SARS-CoV-2 infection in animal models, titers of anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies have been reported to be higher in patients suffering from more severe forms of the disease. A second key question for pandemic management and vaccine design is the persistence of the humoral response. Here, we characterized the antibody response in 187 COVID-19 patients, ranging from asymptomatic individuals to patients who died from COVID-19, and including patients who recovered. We developed in-house ELISAs to measure titers of IgG, IgM and IgA directed against the RBD or N regions in patient serum or plasma, and a spike-pseudotyped neutralization assay to analyse seroneutralization. Higher titers of virus-specific antibodies were detected in patients with severe COVID-19, including deceased patients, compared to asymptomatic patients. This demonstrates that fatal infection is not associated with defective humoral response. Finally, most of recovered patients still had anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG more than 3 months after infection.
Application of consecutive polyethylene glycol treatments for modeling the seminal root growth of rice under water stress
Authors: Susilawati Pepi Nur , Tajima Ryosuke , Giamerti Yuti , Yang Yi , Yufdy Muhammad Prama , Lubis Iskandar , Homma Koki
Published: February 2022

The response of root growth to various osmotic potentials is quite important in assessing the drought resistance of rice. This study modeled seminal root growth by applying consecutive polyethylene glycol (PEG) treatments (from 0 to 25%, 1% step), mathematical equations and noncontact image analysis to quantitatively evaluate the root response. Treatment began after seeds were germinated, and root growth was recorded by a digital camera every day from 7 to 20 days after seeding (DAS). Although the seminal root length (SRL) measured by image analysis slightly varied with DAS, the equations explained the differences in SRL increases under each PEG concentration relatively well (R2 = 0.774). The equations also suggested that the maximum seminal root length was observed at 5.9% PEG. This numerical characterization of root growth is an effective means of evaluating drought resistance.
Synthetic flow-based cryptomining attack generation through Generative Adversarial Networks
Authors: Mozo Alberto , González-Prieto Ángel , Pastor Antonio , Gómez-Canaval Sandra , Talavera Edgar
Published: February 2022

Due to the growing rise of cyber attacks in the Internet, the demand of accurate intrusion detection systems (IDS) to prevent these vulnerabilities is increasing. To this aim, Machine Learning (ML) components have been proposed as an efficient and effective solution. However, its applicability scope is limited by two important issues: (i) the shortage of network traffic data datasets for attack analysis, and (ii) the data privacy constraints of the data to be used. To overcome these problems, Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs) have been proposed for synthetic flow-based network traffic generation. However, due to the ill-convergence of the GAN training, none of the existing solutions can generate high-quality fully synthetic data that can totally substitute real data in the training of ML components. In contrast, they mix real with synthetic data, which acts only as data augmentation components, leading to privacy breaches as real data is used. In sharp contrast, in this work we propose a novel and deterministic way to measure the quality of the synthetic data produced by a GAN both with respect to the real data and to its performance when used for ML tasks. As a by-product, we present a heuristic that uses these metrics for selecting the best performing generator during GAN training, leading to a novel stopping criterion, which can be applied even when different types of synthetic data are to be used in the same ML task. We demonstrate the adequacy of our proposal by generating synthetic cryptomining attacks and normal traffic flow-based data using an enhanced version of a Wasserstein GAN. The results evidence that the generated synthetic network traffic can completely replace real data when training a ML-based cryptomining detector, obtaining similar performance and avoiding privacy violations, since real data is not used in the training of the ML-based detector.
Evolution of an increased performance under acute challenge does not exacerbate vulnerability to chronic stress
Authors: Lipowska Małgorzata M. , Sadowska Edyta T. , Palme Rupert , Koteja Paweł
Published: February 2022

An adequate stress response plays a vital role in coping with challenges. However, if selection for improved coping with an acute challenge affects the entire stress response system, susceptibility to adverse effects of chronic stressors can be deepened. Here, we used bank voles from lines selected for high swim-induced aerobic metabolism (A) and unselected control (C), and asked if the selection affected sensitivity to chronic mild stress (CMS). The voles were first habituated to daily weighing and feces collection for three weeks, and then for two weeks were exposed to CMS or remained undisturbed. The habituation itself resulted in an increased swim-induced oxygen consumption in both line types, and a decreased body mass. The CMS treatment caused reduction of food consumption in the second week of the experiment, and, in males, a decline in the metabolic rate. Paradoxically, fecal corticosterone metabolites decreased in the CMS-treated group. The response to CMS did not differ between the line types. Thus, the selection for increased performance was not traded off by increased vulnerability to chronic stress. The counter-intuitive results may even lead to a speculation that bank voles—and perhaps also other animals—prefer experiencing unpredictable, unpleasant stressors over the monotony of standard laboratory housing.
Self-aligning roly-poly RFID tag
Authors: Dobrykh Dmitry , Yusupov Ildar , Ginzburg Pavel , Slobozhanyuk Alexey , Filonov Dmitry
Published: February 2022

Radio frequency identification (RFID) is a mature technology that allows contactless data readout via a wireless communication link. While numerous passive RFID tags are available on the market, accurate alignment between tags and readers is required in a vast majority of cases to mitigate polarization mismatches. We show that enhancing electromagnetic designs with additional mechanical degrees of freedom allows bypassing fundamental limitations and approach ideal performances. Here, we demonstrate a new miniature tag, accessible from any direction and immune to rotations in space. Our tag is made of a high permittivity ceramic resonator, inductively coupled to a metal ring, which contains an RFID chip. The structure is placed inside a spherical plastic holder. In this architecture, the ceramic resonator serves several functions. First, it allows reducing the device footprint without significant bandwidth degradation. Second, it acts as a bob, aligning the electromagnetic structure parallel to the ground, regardless of its initial orientation in space. The bob is designed to slide inside the plastic holder. This roly-poly effect relaxes the constraint on a mutual tag-reader orientation, including the polarization mismatch, and provides next to perfect long-range operation. Being only 55 mm in diameter, our device can be interrogated from a 12 m distance, regardless of the tag’s orientation in space. Introducing mechanical degrees of freedom into electromagnetic designs allows obtaining new functionalities, contributing to applications where a mutual orientation between transvers is required.
Age-related long-term response in rat thyroid tissue and plasma after internal low dose exposure to 131I
Authors: Larsson Malin , Rudqvist Nils-Petter , Spetz Johan , Parris Toshima Z. , Langen Britta , Helou Khalil , Forssell-Aronsson Eva
Published: February 2022

131I is used clinically for therapy, and may be released during nuclear accidents. After the Chernobyl accident papillary thyroid carcinoma incidence increased in children, but not adults. The aims of this study were to compare 131I irradiation-dependent differences in RNA and protein expression in the thyroid and plasma of young and adult rats, and identify potential age-dependent biomarkers for 131I exposure. Twelve young (5 weeks) and twelve adult Sprague Dawley rats (17 weeks) were i.v. injected with 50 kBq 131I (absorbed dose to thyroid = 0.1 Gy), and sixteen unexposed age-matched rats were used as controls. The rats were killed 3–9 months after administration. Microarray analysis was performed using RNA from thyroid samples, while LC–MS/MS analysis was performed on proteins extracted from thyroid tissue and plasma. Canonical pathways, biological functions and upstream regulators were analysed for the identified transcripts and proteins. Distinct age-dependent differences in gene and protein expression were observed. Novel biomarkers for thyroid 131I exposure were identified: (PTH), age-dependent dose response (CA1, FTL1, PVALB (youngsters) and HSPB6 (adults)), thyroid function (Vegfb (adults)). Further validation using clinical samples are needed to explore the role of the identified biomarkers.
Structure of Escherichia coli O157:H7 bacteriophage CBA120 tailspike protein 4 baseplate anchor and tailspike assembly domains (TSP4-N)
Authors: Chao Kinlin L. , Shang Xiaoran , Greenfield Julia , Linden Sara B. , Alreja Adit B. , Nelson Daniel C. , Herzberg Osnat
Published: February 2022

Four tailspike proteins (TSP1-4) of Escherichia coli O157:H7 bacteriophage CBA120 enable infection of multiple hosts. They form a branched complex that attaches to the tail baseplate. Each TSP recognizes a different lipopolysaccharide on the membrane of a different bacterial host. The 335 N-terminal residues of TSP4 promote the assembly of the TSP complex and anchor it to the tail baseplate. The crystal structure of TSP4-N335 reveals a trimeric protein comprising four domains. The baseplate anchor domain (AD) contains an intertwined triple-stranded β-helix. The ensuing XD1, XD2 and XD3 β-sheet containing domains mediate the binding of TSP1-3 to TSP4. Each of the XD domains adopts the same fold as the respective XD domains of bacteriophage T4 gp10 baseplate protein, known to engage in protein–protein interactions via its XD2 and XD3 domains. The structural similarity suggests that XD2 and XD3 of TSP4 also function in protein–protein interactions. Analytical ultracentrifugation analyses of TSP4-N335 and of domain deletion proteins showed how TSP4-N335 promotes the formation of the TSP quaternary complex. TSP1 and TSP2 bind directly to TSP4 whereas TSP3 binding requires a pre-formed TSP4-N335:TSP2 complex. A 3-dimensional model of the bacteriophage CBA120 TSP complex has been developed based on the structural and ultracentrifuge information.
Irreversible alteration of extracellular vesicle and cell-free messenger RNA profiles in human plasma associated with blood processing and storage
Authors: Kim Hyun Ji , Rames Matthew J. , Tassi Yunga Samuel , Armstrong Randall , Morita Mayu , Ngo Anh T. P. , McCarty Owen J. T. , Civitci Fehmi , Morgan Terry K. , Ngo Thuy T. M.
Published: February 2022

The discovery and utility of clinically relevant circulating biomarkers depend on standardized methods that minimize preanalytical errors. Despite growing interest in studying extracellular vesicles (EVs) and cell-free messenger RNA (cf-mRNA) as potential biomarkers, how blood processing and freeze/thaw impacts the profiles of these analytes in plasma was not thoroughly understood. We utilized flow cytometric analysis to examine the effect of differential centrifugation and a freeze/thaw cycle on EV profiles. Utilizing flow cytometry postacquisition analysis software (FCMpass) to calibrate light scattering and fluorescence, we revealed how differential centrifugation and post-freeze/thaw processing removes and retains EV subpopulations. Additionally, cf-mRNA levels measured by RT-qPCR profiles from a panel of housekeeping, platelet, and tissue-specific genes were preferentially affected by differential centrifugation and post-freeze/thaw processing. Critically, freezing plasma containing residual platelets yielded irreversible ex vivo generation of EV subpopulations and cf-mRNA transcripts, which were not removable by additional processing after freeze/thaw. Our findings suggest the importance of minimizing confounding variation attributed to plasma processing and platelet contamination.
Directional analysis of intensity changes for determining the existence of cyst in optical coherence tomography images
Authors: Monemian Maryam , Rabbani Hossein
Published: February 2022

Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is an important cause of blindness in people with the long history of diabetes. DR is caused due to the damage to blood vessels in the retina. One of the most important manifestations of DR is the formation of fluid-filled regions between retinal layers. The evaluation of stage and transcribed drugs can be possible through the analysis of retinal Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) images. Therefore, the detection of cysts in OCT images and the is of considerable importance. In this paper, a fast method is proposed to determine the status of OCT images as cystic or non-cystic. The method consists of three phases which are pre-processing, boundary pixel determination and post-processing. After applying a noise reduction method in the pre-processing step, the method finds the pixels which are the boundary pixels of cysts. This process is performed by finding the significant intensity changes in the vertical direction and considering rectangular patches around the candidate pixels. The patches are verified whether or not they contain enough pixels making considerable diagonal intensity changes. Then, a shadow omission method is proposed in the post-processing phase to extract the shadow regions which can be mistakenly considered as cystic areas. Then, the pixels extracted in the previous phase that are near the shadow regions are removed to prevent the production of false positive cases. The performance of the proposed method is evaluated in terms of sensitivity and specificity on real datasets. The experimental results show that the proposed method produces outstanding results from both accuracy and speed points of view.
PPE51 mediates uptake of trehalose across the mycomembrane of Mycobacterium tuberculosis
Authors: Babu Sait Mohammed Rizwan , Koliwer-Brandl Hendrik , Stewart Jessica A. , Swarts Benjamin M. , Jacobsen Marc , Ioerger Thomas R. , Kalscheuer Rainer
Published: February 2022

The disaccharide trehalose is essential for viability of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, which synthesizes trehalose de novo but can also utilize exogenous trehalose. The mycobacterial cell wall encompasses two permeability barriers, the cytoplasmic membrane and the outer mycolic acid-containing mycomembrane. The ABC transporter LpqY–SugA–SugB–SugC has previously been demonstrated to mediate the specific uptake of trehalose across the cytoplasmic membrane. However, it is still unclear how the transport of trehalose molecules across the mycomembrane is mediated. In this study, we harnessed the antimycobacterial activity of the analogue 6-azido trehalose to select for spontaneous resistant M. tuberculosis mutants in a merodiploid strain harbouring two LpqY–SugA–SugB–SugC copies. Mutations mediating resistance to 6-azido trehalose mapped to the proline–proline–glutamate (PPE) family member PPE51 (Rv3136), which has recently been shown to be an integral mycomembrane protein involved in uptake of low-molecular weight compounds. A site-specific ppe51 gene deletion mutant of M. tuberculosis was unable to grow on trehalose as the sole carbon source. Furthermore, bioorthogonal labelling of the M. tuberculosis Δppe51 mutant incubated with 6-azido trehalose corroborated the impaired internalization. Taken together, the results indicate that the transport of trehalose and trehalose analogues across the mycomembrane of M. tuberculosis is exclusively mediated by PPE51.
Dynamics of actively dividing prokaryotes in the western Mediterranean Sea
Authors: Mena Catalina , Reglero Patricia , Balbín Rosa , Martín Melissa , Santiago Rocío , Sintes Eva
Published: February 2022

Microbial community metabolism and functionality play a key role modulating global biogeochemical processes. However, the metabolic activities and contribution of actively growing prokaryotes to ecosystem energy fluxes remain underexplored. Here we describe the temporal and spatial dynamics of active prokaryotes in the different water masses of the Mediterranean Sea using a combination of bromodeoxyuridine labelling and 16S rRNA gene Illumina sequencing. Bulk and actively dividing prokaryotic communities were drastically different and depth stratified. Alteromonadales were rare in bulk communities (contributing 0.1% on average) but dominated the actively dividing community throughout the overall water column (28% on average). Moreover, temporal variability of actively dividing Alteromonadales oligotypes was evinced. SAR86, Actinomarinales and Rhodobacterales contributed on average 3–3.4% each to the bulk and 11, 8.4 and 8.5% to the actively dividing communities in the epipelagic zone, respectively. SAR11 and Nitrosopumilales contributed less to the actively dividing than to the bulk communities during all the study period. Noticeably, the large contribution of these two taxa to the total prokaryotic communities (23% SAR11 and 26% Nitrosopumilales), especially in the meso- and bathypelagic zones, results in important contributions to actively dividing communities (11% SAR11 and 12% Nitrosopumilales). The intense temporal and spatial variability of actively dividing communities revealed in this study strengthen the view of a highly dynamic deep ocean. Our results suggest that some rare or low abundant phylotypes from surface layers down to the deep sea can disproportionally contribute to the activity of the prokaryotic communities, exhibiting a more dynamic response to environmental changes than other abundant phylotypes, emphasizing the role they might have in community metabolism and biogeochemical processes.
Central retinal thickness changes and risk of neovascular glaucoma after intravitreal bevacizumab injection in patients with central retinal vein occlusion
Authors: Lee You Hyun , Kim Yu Cheol
Published: February 2022

This retrospective study evaluated changes in the central retinal thickness (CRT) and the risk factors for neovascular glaucoma (NVG) after intravitreal bevacizumab injection under a pro re nata (PRN) regimen for macular oedema in 57 eyes with central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO). The clinical characteristics at the time of NVG diagnosis were assessed, and baseline and final clinical characteristics and mean CRT values at 1-, 3-, and 6-month follow-up evaluations were recorded. The incidence of NVG was 21.1%, with the neovascular group (12 eyes) showing poor baseline and final visual acuity, a higher incidence of baseline ischaemic-type CRVO and subretinal fluid, a higher mean CRT at the 1-month follow-up, and a higher number of intravitreal bevacizumab injections during the 6-month follow-up. Nine eyes with NVG (75%) showed a mean CRT < 300 μm at the time of diagnosis. An ischaemic CRVO and higher CRT at the 1-month follow-up were related to the development of NVG in the multivariate analysis. Thus, NVG development in CRVO patients treated with intravitreal bevacizumab injections was associated with an ischaemic CRVO and elevated CRT at the 1-month follow-up; PRN bevacizumab regimens based on CRT or control of macular oedema did not completely prevent NVG development.
Understanding the dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern in Ontario, Canada: a modeling study
Authors: Layton Anita T. , Sadria Mehrshad
Published: February 2022

A year after the initial wild-type Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) strains began their devastation of the world, they were supplanted by new variants of concern (VOC). In Ontario, Canada, the wild type was overtaken first by the Alpha/B1.1.17 variant, and then by the Delta/B.1.617 variant. The principal objective of the present study is to develop and apply a much expanded Susceptible-Infection-Recovered-type model to better understand the spread of multiple VOC, and assess the effectiveness of vaccination and non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPI). The model represents competition among VOC, and reveals their mutual inhibitory effects. By separately tracking asymptomatic and symptomatic infections, model simulations identify a significant role of vaccine breakthrough in the spread of Delta. Furthermore, the severity of a Delta outbreak depends not only on the NPI and vaccination rate but also on the vaccine types. Alarmingly, despite Ontario’s existing NPI and relatively successful vaccine rollout, a future, more dangerous VOC could potentially infect a significant fraction of the province’s population and overwhelm the health care system. To stop that VOC, the province may need the simultaneous and rapid deployment of a third booster vaccine and stringent NPI.
Glucosamine-6-phosphate N-acetyltransferase gene silencing by parental RNA interference in rice leaf folder, Cnaphalocrocis medinalis (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae)
Authors: Shakeel Muhammad , Du Juan , Li Shang-Wei , Zhou Yuan-Jin , Sarwar Naeem , Guo Xiaolan
Published: February 2022

Parental RNAi (pRNAi) is a response of RNA interference in which treated insect pests progenies showed a gene silencing phenotypes. pRNAi of CmGNA gene has been studied in Cnaphalocrocis medinalis via injection. Our results showed significant reduction in ovulation per female that was 26% and 35.26% in G1 and G2 generations, respectively. Significant reduction of hatched eggs per female were observed 23.53% and 45.26% as compared to control in G1–G2 generations, respectively. We also observed the significant variation in the sex ratio between female (40% and 53%) in G1–G2 generations, and in male (65%) in G1 generation as compared to control. Our results also demonstrated the significant larval mortality (63% and 55%) and pupal mortality (55% and 41%), and significant reduction of mRNA expression level in G1 and G2 generations. Our findings have confirmed that effectiveness of pRNAi induced silencing on the CmGNA target gene in G1–G2 generations of C. medinalis. These results suggested the potential role of pRNAi in insect pest resistance management strategies.
Dispersal of Aphanoascus keratinophilus by the rook Corvus frugilegus during breeding in East Poland
Authors: Kitowski Ignacy , Korniłłowicz-Kowalska Teresa , Bohacz Justyna , Ciesielska Anita
Published: February 2022

The process of dispersal of the potentially disease-causing, geophilic and keratinolytic fungal strain Aphanoascus keratinophilus (the perfect, sexual stage of Chrysosporium keratinophilum) by the rook Corvus frugilegus was studied. The source of A. keratinophilus strains was pellets of the rook, thus far not considered a carrier of this particular opportunistic pathogen. Pellets collected from breeding colonies of rooks were analysed in terms of the occurrence of keratinolytic fungi with the application of the native keratin bait method. Among the 83 rook pellets analysed, 24 (29%) were infected by keratinophilic fungi. Pure cultures of the fungi were identified to species based on traditional morphological features. Traditional mycological identification was verified by the PCR–RFLP molecular identification method as well as DNA sequencing. The obtained results showed the presence of 90 Aphanoascus keratinophilus strains, 6 Chrysosporium tropicum strains, and 3 Chrysosporium pannicola strains. The PCR melting profile (PCR-MP) method was used to identify intraspecies variations of the 90 analysed A. keratinophilus strains. The dispersal of genotypes and possible pathways of A. keratinophilus dispersal and infection via rook pellets were analysed.
Activation of molecular oxygen over Mn-doped La2CuO4perovskite for direct epoxidation of propylene
Authors: Zhang Xinxin , Dai Jiajun , Ding Jiageng , Tan Kok Bing , Zhan Guowu , Huang Jiale , Li Qingbiao
Published: February 2022

The synergetic interaction between manganese and copper in LaMn0.5Cu0.5O3significantly promoted the epoxidation of propylene at lower temperature by converting the active sites from oxygen vacancies to Cu active sites of Cu–O–Mn.
Hypoglycemic activity of Codonopsis pilosula (Franch.) Nannf. in vitro and in vivo and its chemical composition identification by UPLC-Triple-TOF-MS/MS
Authors: Jia Wenjing , Bi Qimao , Jiang Sirong , Tao Jihong , liu Liying , Yue Huilan , Zhao Xiaohui
Published: February 2022

Firstly confirmed the a-glucosidase inhibitory effects of Codonopsis pilosula (Franch.) Nannf. in vivo and in vitro. 29 ingredients in this plant were detected and identified by UPLC-Triple-TOF-MS/MS.
A review on advancements in carbon quantum dots and their application in photovoltaics
Authors: Kumar Pawan , Dua Shweta , Kaur Ravinder , Kumar Mahesh , Bhatt Geeta
Published: February 2022

This review puts forth the in-depth understanding of the fundamentals of carbon quantum dots(CQDs), recent advancements in the field including a thorough discussion on different roles of CQDs to enhance the performance of solar cells and white-LEDs.
Nickel-adsorbed two-dimensional Nb2C MXene for enhanced energy storage applications
Authors: Zaheer Ayesha , Zahra Syedah Afsheen , Iqbal Muhammad Z. , Mahmood Asif , Khan Salem Ayaz , Rizwan Syed
Published: February 2022

Owing to the tremendous energy storage capacity of two-dimensional transition metal carbides (MXenes), they have been efficiently utilized as a promising candidate in the field of super-capacitors.
Memory-Paced Tapping to Auditory Rhythms: Effects of Rate, Speech, and Motor Engagement
Authors: Kliger Amrani Anat , Zion Golumbic Elana
Published: February 2022

Purpose:

Humans have a near-automatic tendency to entrain their motor actions to rhythms in the environment. Entrainment has been hypothesized to play an important role in processing naturalistic stimuli, such as speech and music, which have intrinsically rhythmic properties. Here, we studied two facets of entraining one's rhythmic motor actions to an external stimulus: (a) synchronized finger tapping to auditory rhythmic stimuli and (b) memory-paced reproduction of a previously heard rhythm.

Method:

Using modifications of the Synchronization–Continuation tapping paradigm, we studied how these two rhythmic behaviors were affected by different stimulus and task features. We tested synchronization and memory-paced tapping for a broad range of rates, from stimulus onset asynchrony of subsecond to suprasecond, both for strictly isochronous tone sequences and for rhythmic speech stimuli (counting from 1 to 10), which are more ecological yet less isochronous. We also asked what role motor engagement plays in forming a stable internal representation for rhythms and guiding memory-paced tapping.

Results and Conclusions:

Our results show that individuals can flexibly synchronize their motor actions to a very broad range of rhythms. However, this flexibility does not extend to memory-paced tapping, which is accurate only in a narrower range of rates, around ~1.5 Hz. This pattern suggests that intrinsic rhythmic defaults in the auditory and/or motor system influence the internal representation of rhythms, in the absence of an external pacemaker. Interestingly, memory-paced tapping for speech rhythms and simple tone sequences shared similar “optimal rates,” although with reduced accuracy, suggesting that internal constraints on rhythmic entrainment generalize to more ecological stimuli. Last, we found that actively synchronizing to tones versus passively listening to them led to more accurate memory-paced tapping performance, which emphasizes the importance of action–perception interactions in forming stable entrainment to external rhythms.
An energy‐efficiency‐adaptive clustering formation mechanism for the wireless sensor networks
Authors: Lin Deyu , Kong Linghe , Zhao Chengkun , Gao Jiayi , Ouyang Hao , Yang Ziyuan , Zhang Zhiqiang
Published: February 2022

Energy inequality caused by the process of cluster head election has a large influence on energy efficiency and the network lifetime of wireless sensor networks (WSNs). To this end, a novel concept of EIec is proposed to evaluate the equality degree of energy consumption. Related theorems for establishing the candidate set of cluster heads are proposed, with the aim of promoting energy equality in each cluster. Subsequently, a novel energy‐efficiency‐adaptive cluster formation mechanism based on economic (ECFE) theory is proposed and detailed. Finally, extensive experiments are carried out to assess its energy efficiency and the network performance by comparisons with the existing classic and latest intelligent clustering algorithms. The results indicate that ECFE improves not only the energy efficiency but also the network performance effectively.
MOTS‐ACO: An improved ant colony optimiser for multi‐objective task scheduling optimisation problem in cloud data centres
Authors: Elsedimy Elsayed , Algarni Fahad
Published: February 2022

Task scheduling in cloud data centres is an optimisation problem that aims to minimise power consumption and task makespan as well as ensures the quality of service delivered to cloud consumers. Although there are several existing task scheduling approaches, these methods mainly focus on optimising makespans of tasks while ignoring critical issues. This paper presents a comprehensive multi‐objective task scheduling model based on an improved Ant Colony Optimisation (ACO) algorithm, referred to as MOTS‐ACO. In order to promote the diversity of the Pareto set and accelerate the convergence speed, adaptive distribution probability is incorporated into the proposed algorithm, specifically in the process of updating the global rule. The performance of MOTS‐ACO is compared with several existing multi‐objectives task scheduling algorithms based on the makespan time, turnaround time, power efficiency and load balancing parameters. The results show the superiority of MOTS‐ACO in terms of the makespan time, turnaround time, power efficiency and load balancing. Moreover, the proposed MOTS‐ACO algorithm introduces more diversity in the search and accelerates the convergence speed towards the Pareto optimal solution.
Are low-frequency quasi-periodic oscillations in accretion flows the disk response to jet instability?
Authors: Ferreira J. , Marcel G. , Petrucci P.-O. , Rodriguez J. , Malzac J. , Belmont R. , Clavel M. , Henri G. , Corbel S. , Coriat M.
Published: February 2022

Low-frequency quasi-periodic oscillations, or LFQPOs, are ubiquitous in black hole X-ray binaries and provide strong constraints on the accretion-ejection processes. Although several models have been proposed, none has been proven to reproduce all observational constraints, and no consensus has emerged so far. We make the conjecture that disks in binaries are threaded by a large-scale vertical magnetic field that splits it into two radial zones. In the inner jet-emitting disk (JED), a near equipartition field allows driving powerful self-collimated jets, while beyond a transition radius, the disk magnetization is too low and a standard accretion disk (SAD) is settled. In a series of papers, this hybrid JED-SAD disk configuration has been shown to successfully reproduce most multiwavelength (radio and X-rays) observations, as well as the concurrence with the LFQPOs for the archetypal source GX 339-4. We first analyze the main QPO scenarios provided in the literature: (1) a specific process occurring at the transition radius, (2) the accretion-ejection instability, and (3) the solid-body Lense-Thirring disk precession. We recall their main assumptions and shed light on some severe theoretical issues that question the capability of reproducing LFQPOs. We then argue that none of these models can be operating under JED-SAD physical conditions. We finally propose an alternative scenario according to which LFQPOs are the disk response to an instability triggered in the jets near a magnetic recollimation zone. This situation can account for most of the type C QPO phenomenology and is consistent with the global behavior of black hole binaries. This nondestructive jet instability remains to be calculated, however. If this instability is numerically confirmed, then it might also naturally account for the jet wobbling phenomenology seen in various accreting sources such as compact objets and young forming stars.
Probabilités d’occurrence des séquences sèches les plus longues sur le bassin versant du Gardon (sud-est de la France) – Quels impacts de la définition du jour sec sur les distributions statistiques des séquences sèches les plus longues en climat méditerranéen ?
Authors: Di Costanzo Hadrien
Published: February 2022

En climat méditerranéen, l’évapotranspiration potentielle est forte, en particulier durant la saison estivale. Elle coïncide avec une période de faible pluviosité. Si celle-ci perdure durant des phases de forte évapotranspiration, elle peut avoir de graves conséquences sur les activités agricoles très consommatrices en eau pendant leur période de croissance. Une étude de la sécheresse atmosphérique dans le secteur du Gardon est réalisée à partir de l’indicateur des séquences sèches. Premièrement, une étude historique permet d’identifier les grands évènements de sécheresse dans le bassin du Gardon entre 1900 et 2019. Puis une analyse sur l’effet du seuil de pluie pour caractériser les précipitations utiles est proposée. Différentes définitions du jour sec sont testées pour calculer les séquences sèches entre 2000 et 2019. L’utilisation d’un seuil d’évapotranspiration réelle ou d’évapotranspiration potentielle, par rapport à un seuil de 1 mm, modifie à probabilité d’occurrence égale la saisonnalité et la géographie de l’intensité des séquences sèches. Les seuils d’évapotranspiration réelle et d’évapotranspiration potentielle produisent des évènements plus intenses qu’un seuil de 1 mm. L’intensité des séquences sèches est sous-estimée avec un seuil de 1 mm pour les évènements des mois de printemps mais surtout pour ceux de début d’été. Sont identifiés à risque, quel que soit le seuil retenu, les secteurs du sous-bassin de la Salindrenque et la partie la plus aval du bassin du Gardon. Elles sont touchées à probabilité d’occurrence égale par des intensités plus importantes pour les évènements de moyenne et de forte intensité que le reste du bassin. La comparaison des distributions statistiques en fonction du seuil retenu montre que, à défaut d’avoir une valeur d’évapotranspiration réelle pour déterminer les précipitations utiles, le seuil 1 mm reste plus pertinent qu’un seuil d’évapotranspiration potentiel.
Peut-on modifier l’effet de site sismique ?
Authors: Javelaud Emmanuel , Semblat Jean-François
Published: February 2022

Réduire le mouvement sismique atteignant les ouvrages de surface par modification de l’effet de site sismique est une solution innovante pour contribuer à répondre aux objectifs de protection parasismique. Cela peut être obtenu par modification du sol dans la masse pour réduire l’effet de site lithologique ou bien par la mise en place de dispositifs d’atténuation des ondes de surfaces pour réduire l’effet de site géométrique. Des difficultés pratiques doivent encore être résolues, dont l’identification des situations où réduire le mouvement sismique peut être utile en lien avec le type d’ondes (de volume/de surface) concernées, la faisabilité pratique des travaux envisagés, et la nécessité d’intégrer le comportement non-linéaire du sol dans les études spécifiques d’effet de site sismique. Cet article propose un cadre permettant d’évaluer l’intérêt pratique d’une réduction de l’effet de site sismique. Il fait le lien entre les capacités à modifier les caractéristiques mécaniques des sols à l’échelle de petits bassins sédimentaires, et d’autre part les études spécifiques des effets de site lithologique 1D et géométriques 2D/3D. Dans les conditions restrictives d’une configuration tabulaire 1D ou d’un bassin de forme géométrique 2D simple, il explore, pour un chargement sismique donné, les possibilités de modification du mouvement sismique en surface. Quatre profils de sols types sont considérés : trois sols de caractéristiques mécaniques croissantes (module de Young effectif, amortissement effectif) et un quatrième profil comprenant la purge des formations superficielles. Les résultats permettent d’apprécier les effets respectifs d’une atténuation des ondes de surface se propageant horizontalement et des ondes de volume à propagation verticale.
Smart inclusive universities: the role of technology for the accessibility and usability in the Italian context
Authors: Varriale Luisa , Briganti Paola , Volpe Tiziana
Published: February 2022

This paper aims to investigate the Italian universities outlining their degree of accessibility and usability using digital technologies. Considering the crucial role played by the digital technologies in supporting educational and training processes and making them much more accessible and used in practice for students with disability and special needs, we aim to provide a portrait of the Italian universities and their way to be accessible and inclusive adopting the digital technologies (accessible website; visual content in PowerPoint slides; student-facing online tools, such as, clickers, discussion boards, chat bots, and WIKIs accessible, etc.). Starting from a deep review of the literature on the topic, we investigate the Italian universities mapping them considering some specific main features (i.e. the degree of accessibility and usability of website, the adoption of e-learning solutions, etc.). Our qualitative research, through a multiple case study, aims to provide interesting insights for the future analysing one specific country, where some relevant cultural, contextual, geographic and organizational factors can significantly impact the way the universities try to be much more inclusive, adopting digital technologies, and consequently becoming ‘smart’ universities.
Die pleuroperitoneale Leckage
Authors: Artunc Ferruh
Published: February 2022

Die pleuroperitoneale Leckage ist eine seltene Komplikation der Peritonealdialyse (PD), die sich durch einen großen, meist rechtsseitigen Hydrothorax manifestiert. Sie tritt infolge von angeborenen Schwachstellen bzw. Defekten im Zwerchfell auf. Die Diagnose wird durch Nachweis eines Übertritts von toluidingefärbtem Dialysat durch Pleurapunktion oder mittels Computertomografie durch den Nachweis kontrastmittelangehobenen Dialysats im Thoraxraum gestellt. Therapieversuche in Form einer PD-Pause oder Pleurodese sind oft nicht wirksam, sodass eine fortbestehende pleuroperitoneale Leckage bisher das Ende der PD darstellte. Als vielversprechend erweist sich ein videoassistierter thorakoskopischer Eingriff, durch welchen die Leckage entweder mittels Naht oder Netzeinbringung erfolgreich behandelt werden kann.
Der ungeplante Start mit der Peritonealdialyse
Authors: Artunc Ferruh
Published: February 2022

Der ungeplante Dialysestart bezeichnet die Einleitung einer Nierenersatztherapie bei terminaler Niereninsuffizienz ohne etablierten Dialysezugang. Während diese Patienten gewöhnlich mittels Hämodialyse (HD) behandelt werden, etablierte sich in den letzten Jahren das Konzept, manche dieser Patienten auch mittels Peritonealdialyse (PD) zu behandeln. Die Umsetzung des ungeplanten PD-Starts erfordert eine enge Zusammenarbeit der Nephrologie mit der Allgemeinchirurgie und Anästhesie. Bis auf eine leicht erhöhte Rate an Dialysatleckagen sind die Ergebnisse des ungeplanten mit denen eines geplanten PD-Starts vergleichbar, was Gesamt- und technisches Überleben wie auch infektiöse Komplikationen anbelangt. Insgesamt ist der ungeplante PD-Start eine gute Option für Patienten mit terminaler Niereninsuffizienz in einer ungeplanten Situation.
Familienzentrierte Pflege in der häuslichen Versorgung von beatmeten Kindern
Authors: Fischer Lisa , Klingshirn Hanna , Reuschenbach Bernd
Published: February 2022

Die Versorgung heimbeatmeter Kinder in der häuslichen Umgebung stellt hohe Anforderungen an Pflegefachpersonen. Sie benötigen intensivpflegerisches und medizinisches Wissen, aber auch soziale Kompetenzen. Im Rahmen einer qualitativen Studie wurden die notwendigen Kompetenzen und Herausforderungen in diesem Pflegefeld durch sechs Experteninterviews mit Pflegefachpersonen erschlossen.