bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The burgeoning role of literature review articles in management research: an introduction and outlook
Authors: Kraus Sascha , Bouncken Ricarda B. , Yela Aránega Alba
Published: January 2024

This article delves into the significance and utility of literature review articles in the field of management research, encompassing their three most prominent forms: structured literature reviews, bibliometric analyses, and meta-analyses. It discusses the evolving role of literature reviews as essential tools in a research process, their methodological intricacies, and their contribution to shaping the landscape of management studies. Through a thorough examination of their merits, limitations, and best practices, our article sheds light on how literature review articles serve as valuable resources for scholars, policymakers, and practitioners in the field of management. In addition, the article points towards opportunities for using AI tools, for example Google Colab, ChatGPT, Methods Wizards, or Petal for single or multiple stages and tasks of structured literature analyses.
Fabry Disease: Cardiac Implications and Molecular Mechanisms
Authors: Weissman David , Dudek Jan , Sequeira Vasco , Maack Christoph
Published: January 2024

Purpose of Review

This review explores the interplay among metabolic dysfunction, oxidative stress, inflammation, and fibrosis in Fabry disease, focusing on their potential implications for cardiac involvement. We aim to discuss the biochemical processes that operate in parallel to sphingolipid accumulation and contribute to disease pathogenesis, emphasizing the importance of a comprehensive understanding of these processes.

Recent Findings

Beyond sphingolipid accumulation, emerging studies have revealed that mitochondrial dysfunction, oxidative stress, and chronic inflammation could be significant contributors to Fabry disease and cardiac involvement. These factors promote cardiac remodeling and fibrosis and may predispose Fabry patients to conduction disturbances, ventricular arrhythmias, and heart failure. While current treatments, such as enzyme replacement therapy and pharmacological chaperones, address disease progression and symptoms, their effectiveness is limited.

Our review uncovers the potential relationships among metabolic disturbances, oxidative stress, inflammation, and fibrosis in Fabry disease–related cardiac complications. Current findings suggest that beyond sphingolipid accumulation, other mechanisms may significantly contribute to disease pathogenesis. This prompts the exploration of innovative therapeutic strategies and underscores the importance of a holistic approach to understanding and managing Fabry disease.
Rapid testing in the food industry: the potential of Fourier transform near-infrared (FT-NIR) spectroscopy and spatially offset Raman spectroscopy (SORS) to detect raw material defects in hazelnuts (Corylus avellana L.)
Authors: Lösel Henri , Shakiba Navid , Bachmann René , Wenck Soeren , Le Tan Phat , Creydt Marina , Seifert Stephan , Hackl Thomas , Fischer Markus
Published: January 2024

The detection of raw material defects, e.g., due to incorrect or excessively long storage, is an important issue in incoming goods inspections in the food industry. Fast and easy-to-use analytical methods for evaluating the usability of raw materials are particularly important. In this study, the applicability of Fourier transform near-infrared (FT-NIR) spectroscopy and spatially offset Raman spectroscopy (SORS) for the detection of raw material defects was evaluated. For this purpose, six hazelnut batches stored at different temperatures, humidity levels, and storage times were used as examples in this pilot study. Classification models of samples before and after the different physical treatments show that the resulting changes can be detected by FT-NIR spectroscopy and SORS at elevated temperature and humidity. When one of the storage parameters is increased, FT-NIR spectroscopy is also useful for detecting differences between sample groups. In contrast, SORS cannot distinguish between pre- and post-stored samples when only one of the storage parameters is increased, making SORS unsuitable for incoming inspection of nuts. FT-NIR spectroscopy analysis is also a fast application, because freeze-drying of the sample material prior to analysis is not required as the results before and after freeze-drying are comparable. Combining the FT-NIR spectroscopy and SORS data in a low-level data fusion improved the classification models for samples stored at low storage temperatures, suggesting that the two methods provide complementary information. In summary, analyzing nuts with FT-NIR spectroscopy and SORS, as shown for hazelnuts, has the potential to identify abnormal samples during incoming goods inspections.
Carbon Footprint Evaluation in Tunnels Excavated in Rock Using Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM)
Authors: Rodríguez Rafael , Bascompta Marc , García Héctor
Published: January 2024

The generation of CO2 is an important element in assessing the environmental impact generated in a tunnel construction project, making this knowledge very useful for evaluating different alternatives. In this study, an analysis of the carbon footprint has been carried out, including the main elements during the construction phase of a tunnel employing a tunnel boring machine (TBM). The research proposes several options for an easy and quick calculation of CO2 generation in a design phase. Its determination can be crucial for decision-making before and during the execution of any tunnel in the near future. The estimation models have been validated based on real case studies, defining the carbon footprint of each construction element. The proposed procedure can apply to any tunnel. However, it should be noted that it is an approximate analysis, and the limitations described in each section should be considered. The main CO2 generator found in the construction process is the lining element; the percentage varies between 50% in tunnels with smaller diameters (4–5 m) and 75% for tunnels with larger diameters (9–10 m), followed by the auxiliary elements, 16%, and the operation of the tunnel boring machine itself, 11.2%, while the other parts remain in a range between 1.3 and 5.7%. This knowledge makes it possible to define the aspects on which efforts should be focussed to reduce the carbon footprint of the tunnel construction process.
Quantum Gaussian process regression for Bayesian optimization
Authors: Rapp Frederic , Roth Marco
Published: January 2024

Gaussian process regression is a well-established Bayesian machine learning method. We propose a new approach to Gaussian process regression using quantum kernels based on parameterized quantum circuits. By employing a hardware-efficient feature map and careful regularization of the Gram matrix, we demonstrate that the variance information of the resulting quantum Gaussian process can be preserved. We also show that quantum Gaussian processes can be used as a surrogate model for Bayesian optimization, a task that critically relies on the variance of the surrogate model. To demonstrate the performance of this quantum Bayesian optimization algorithm, we apply it to the hyperparameter optimization of a machine learning model which performs regression on a real-world dataset. We benchmark the quantum Bayesian optimization against its classical counterpart and show that quantum version can match its performance.
Clustering Uniswap v3 traders from their activity on multiple liquidity pools, via novel graph embeddings
Authors: Miori Deborah , Cucuringu Mihai
Published: January 2024

Uniswap is a Constant Product Market Maker built around liquidity pools, where pairs of tokens are exchanged subject to a fee that is proportional to the size of transactions. At the time of writing, there exist more than 6000 pools associated with Uniswap v3, implying that empirical investigations on the full ecosystem can easily become computationally expensive. We propose a systematic workflow to extract a tractable sub-universe of liquidity pools, where the interconnection among such pools is maximised to capture broader dynamics within the ecosystem. The resultant set of 34 pools is then used to cluster market participants according to their liquidity consumption behaviour over such environments, for the time window January–June 2022. Introducing a novel approach, we proceed to represent each liquidity taker by a suitably constructed transaction graph. The graph is a fully connected network where nodes are the liquidity taker’s executed transactions on the 34 pools of reference, and edges contain weights encoding the time elapsed between any two transactions. We then extend the NLP-inspired graph2vec algorithm to the weighted undirected setting, and employ it to obtain an embedding of the set of graphs representing market participants. This embedding allows us to extract seven clusters of liquidity takers, with equivalent behavioural patterns that can be interpreted in terms of trading attributes, i.e. preference for exotic assets over stablecoins, frequency of activity, tolerance for higher trading fees.
Discrete Variational Problems with Interfaces
Authors: Alicandro Roberto , Braides Andrea , Cicalese Marco , Solci Margherita
Published: January 2024

Many materials can be modeled either as discrete systems or as continua, depending on the scale. At intermediate scales it is necessary to understand the transition from discrete to continuous models and variational methods have proved successful in this task, especially for systems, both stochastic and deterministic, that depend on lattice energies. This is the first systematic and unified presentation of research in the area over the last 20 years. The authors begin with a very general and flexible compactness and representation result, complemented by a thorough exploration of problems for ferromagnetic energies with applications ranging from optimal design to quasicrystals and percolation. This leads to a treatment of frustrated systems, and infinite-dimensional systems with diffuse interfaces. Each topic is presented with examples, proofs and applications. Written by leading experts, it is suitable as a graduate course text as well as being an invaluable reference for researchers.
Trends and Characteristics of Terrorist Attacks Against Nightclub Venues Over 5 Decades
Authors: Rahman Grace R. , Liang Stephen Y. , Tian Linlin , Sin Steve S. , Jasani Gregory N.
Published: January 2024

Introduction:

Nightclubs are entertainment and hospitality venues historically vulnerable to terrorist attacks. This study identified and characterized terrorist attacks targeting nightclubs and discotheques documented in the Global Terrorism Database (GTD) over a 50-y period.

Methods:

A search of the Global Terrorism Database (GTD) was conducted from 1970 to 2019. Precoded variables for target type “business” and target subtype “entertainment/cultural/stadium/casino” were used to identify attacks potentially involving nightclubs. Nightclub venues were specifically identified using the search terms “club,” “nightclub,” and “discotheque.” Two authors manually reviewed each entry to confirm the appropriateness for inclusion. Descriptive statistics were performed using R (3.6.1).

Results:

A total of 114 terrorist attacks targeting nightclub venues were identified from January 1, 1970, through December 31, 2019. Seventy-four (64.9%) attacks involved nightclubs, while forty (35.1%) attacks involved discotheques. A bombing or explosion was involved in 84 (73.7%) attacks, followed by armed assault in 14 (12.3%) attacks. The highest number of attacks occurred in Western Europe and Sub-Saharan Africa. In total, 284 persons died, and 1175 persons were wounded in attacks against nightclub venues.

Conclusions:

While terrorist attacks against nightclub venues are infrequent, the risk for mass casualties and injuries can be significant, mainly when explosives and armed assaults are used.
Sex ratios and gender norms: why both are needed to understand sexual conflict in humans
Authors: Hagen Renée V. , Scelza Brooke A.
Published: January 2024

Sexual conflict theory has been successfully applied to predict how in non-human animal populations, sex ratios can lead to conflicting reproductive interests of females and males and affect their bargaining positions in resolving such conflicts of interests. Recently this theory has been extended to understand the resolution of sexual conflict in humans, but with mixed success. We argue that an underappreciation of the complex relationship between gender norms and sex ratios has hampered a successful understanding of sexual conflict in humans. In this paper, we review and expand upon existing theory to increase its applicability to humans, where gender norms regulate sex ratio effects on sexual conflict. Gender norms constrain who is on the marriage market and how they are valued, and may affect reproductive decision-making power. Gender norms can also directly affect sex ratios, and we hypothesize that they structure how individuals respond to market value gained or lost through biased sex ratios. Importantly, gender norms are in part a product of women's and men's sometimes conflicting reproductive interests, but these norms are also subject to other evolutionary processes. An integration of sexual conflict theory and cultural evolutionary theory is required to allow for a full understanding of sexual conflict in humans.
The Absent Dimension: Anti-Racism in Mbark Ben Zayda's Amazigh Poetics
Authors: El Guabli Brahim
Published: January 2024

Racism is a scourge that has not spared any society or community. Moroccan society is not different in its grappling with the legacy of the complex history of slavery and racialization in North Africa. Although social scientists have dedicated much scholarly attention to the study of race in Morocco, they have not accounted for Amazigh language's rich documentation of and grappling with race and racism. Ethnographic work has emerged to explain racial dynamics between Imazighen and isuqiyn (Blacks) or Haratines, but these crucial interventions fall short of examining primary sources in Tamazight to explain how Amazigh communities negotiated racism openly in the public sphere. This article draws on the experience of the Black Amazigh poet Mbark u-Ms‘ud Ben Zayda to demonstrate that racism was not, and is not, entirely silenced in Amazigh-speaking Morocco. In fact, Amazigh sources and terminology reveal that poetic performances in this social environment have not only unsilenced racism but actively grappled with its multilayered dimensions. Adopting a close reading methodology, the article interprets portions of Ben Zayda's poetry and its response to the explicitly racializing compositions of his contemporaries.
Politics and Religion’s Resilience During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Lewis Andrew R. , Tepe Sultan
Published: January 2024

At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, scholars predicted that this transboundary crisis would cause enormous change and disruption, not only to global health but also to many areas of productivity, including academic life (Donina and Antonowicz 2022; Lewis 2021; Witze 2020). Although the impact has been widespread and devastating to public health, it has not triggered the dramatic changes to the academy that might have been predicted, particularly in the areas of scholarship.
Feasibility of a home-designed respiratory rehabilitation program for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
Authors: Belloumi Nidhal , Habouria Chaima , Bachouch Imen , Mersni Meriem , Chermiti Fatma , Fenniche Soraya
Published: January 2024

Background:

According to international guidelines, respiratory rehabilitation (RR) for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a cornerstone of standard non-pharmacological treatment.

Aims:

To evaluate feasibility of a home-designed RR program and analyze its medium-term impact on respiratory parameters and quality of life.

Methods:

This was a prospective study involving 74 COPD patients enrolled in January 2019 and put on inhaled bronchodilator treatment associated with RR at home following a written protocol, for 16 weeks. The comparative statistical analysis highlights the difference before and after RR in terms of clinical and functional respiratory parameters as well as in terms of quality of life (assessed on the short form 36 (SF-36) questionnaire). The comparison involves RR-adherent patients versus non-adherent patients.

Results:

Mean age was 66.7 ± 8.3 years with a median of 67 years. All patients were smokers, out of which 42 patients (57%) did not quit yet. Forty-one percent of patients were frequent exacerbators. The average COPD assessment test (CAT) score in our patients was 23. The average 6-minutes walk distance (MWD) was 304 m. The BODE index in our patients was 4.11 on average. The RR program was followed by 36 patients (48%). Thirty patients (40%) applied it at least twice a week. RR-adherent patients had an average CAT score decreasing from 23 to 14.5 (P = 0.011). Their average 6-MWD was 444.6 m by the end of the study, which would be 64.2% of the calculated theoretical value. The average FEV1 increase after RR was 283 mL. The majority (69%) of RR-adherent patients were ranked as quartile 1; BODE index ≤2. The average scores of physical, psycho-social, and general dimensions assessed on the SF-36 questionnaire improved in RR-adherent patients.

Conclusions:

RR is a key non-pharmacological treatment for COPD. Its interest originates from its multidisciplinary nature, hence its effectiveness in several respiratory parameters. Our study reflects the feasibility of home-designed protocols in the absence of contraindications. We highlight also the positive impact on quality of life after RR at home.
People’s Contrasting Attitudes Towards Universal Basic Income in Sweden and South Korea
Authors: Yang Jae-jin , Choe Yonhyok , Nam Yunmin
Published: January 2024

The discourse on universal basic income varies widely across countries. In Sweden, public opinion is generally negative even in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic, and it is barely discussed on the public policy table. On the other hand, in South Korea, public opinion is not as negative as in Sweden, and basic income is actively raised as policy agenda. Our study based on survey results reaffirmed the contrasting attitudes of the Swedish and Suth Korean people regarding basic income and related tax increase. The basic income could appeal to the people in South Korea. On the contrary, there is little room for the introduction of basic income in Sweden. The analysis also revealed similarities within the difference. Those with high income, political-right orientation, high protection against income loss, and high tax burden would be more unfavourable toward introduction of basic income no matter which country they live in.
Applying the Affective Events Theory to Explore the Effect of Daily Micro-Interruptions on Mental Health: The Mediating Role of Affect and the Moderating Role of Pets at Work
Authors: Junça Silva Ana
Published: January 2024

This study relied on the affective events theory and the social exchange theory to develop a framework that explains how situational factors (daily micro-interruptions) enhance affective reactions (negative affect) and, in turn, impair health conditions (mental health) at work. We further delineate theoretical arguments to propose the pet-human’s health effect by demonstrating that pets are boundary conditions that attenuate this relation, and as such are protective conditions for employees’ mental health. We conducted a 5-day diary study with two groups of participants, one with participants who owned pets (N = 82 x 5 = 410), and the other who did not own pets (N = 87 x 5 = 435). The multilevel results showed an indirect effect of daily micro-interruptions on individuals’ mental health through negative affect, with a daily backdrop of poorer mental health for those who did not own a pet (compared to those who owned a pet). These results evidence the benefits of owning a pet for individuals’ mental health, even at work, and as such provide recommendations for teleworking practices. Moreover, this study resorts to an innovative and robust data collection method to demonstrate the pet-human’ health effect. This study expands knowledge on the role of pets in working daily routines and shows that pets may be a personal resource for individuals while working.
Rime Priming Effects in Spoken Word Recognition
Authors: Dufour Sophie , Mirault Jonathan , Grainger Jonathan
Published: January 2024

Abstract: In this study, we re-examined the facilitation that occurs when auditorily presented monosyllabic primes and targets share their final phonemes, and in particular the rime (e.g., /vɔʀd/–/kɔʀd/). More specifically, we asked whether this rime facilitation effect is also observed when the two last consonants of the rime are transposed (e.g., /vɔʀd/–/kɔʀd/). In comparison to a control condition in which the primes and the targets were unrelated (e.g., /pylt/–/kɔʀd/), we found significant priming effects in both the rime (/vɔdʀ/–/kɔʀd/) and the transposed-phoneme “rime” /vɔdʀ/–/kɔʀd/ conditions. We also observed a significantly greater priming effect in the former condition than in the latter condition. We use the theoretical framework of the TISK model ( Hannagan et al., 2013 ) to propose a novel account of final overlap phonological priming in terms of activation of both position-independent phoneme representations and bi-phone representations.
Numerical Simulation of Orographic Gravity Waves Observed Over Syowa Station: Wave Propagation and Breaking in the Troposphere and Lower Stratosphere
Authors: Kohma M. , Sato K. , Fritts D. C. , Lund T. S.
Published: January 2024

A high‐resolution model in conjunction with realistic background wind and temperature profiles has been used to simulate gravity waves (GWs) that were observed by an atmospheric radar at Syowa Station, Antarctica on 18 May 2021. The simulation successfully reproduces the observed features of the GWs, including the amplitude of vertical wind disturbances in the troposphere and vertical fluxes of northward momentum in the lower stratosphere. In the troposphere, ship‐wave responses are seen along the coastal topography, while in the stratosphere, critical‐level filtering due to the directional shear causes significant change of the wave pattern. The simulation shows the multi‐layer structure of small‐scale turbulent vorticity around the critical level, where turbulent energy dissipation rates estimated from the radar spectral widths were large, indicative of GW breaking. Another interesting feature of the simulation is a wave pattern with a horizontal wavelength of about 25 km, whose phase lines are aligned with the front of turbulent wake downwind of a hydraulic jump that occurs over steep terrain near the coastline. It is suggested that the GWs are likely radiated from the adiabatic lift of an airmass along an isentropic surface hump near the ground, which explains certain features of the observed GWs in the lower stratosphere.
Neutralizing IL-16 enhances the efficacy of targeting Aurora-A therapy in colorectal cancer with high lymphocyte infiltration through restoring anti-tumor immunity
Authors: Yang Shiang-Jie , Chang Sheng-Tsung , Chang Kung-Chao , Lin Bo-Wen , Chang Kwang-Yu , Liu Yao-Wen , Lai Ming-Derg , Hung Liang-Yi
Published: January 2024

Cancer cells can evade immune elimination by activating immunosuppressive signaling pathways in the tumor microenvironment (TME). Targeting immunosuppressive signaling pathways to promote antitumor immunity has become an attractive strategy for cancer therapy. Aurora-A is a well-known oncoprotein that plays a critical role in tumor progression, and its inhibition is considered a promising strategy for treating cancers. However, targeting Aurora-A has not yet got a breakthrough in clinical trials. Recent reports have indicated that inhibition of oncoproteins may reduce antitumor immunity, but the role of tumor-intrinsic Aurora-A in regulating antitumor immunity remains unclear. In this study, we demonstrated that in tumors with high lymphocyte infiltration (hot tumors), higher tumor-intrinsic Aurora-A expression is associated with a better prognosis in CRC patients. Mechanically, tumor-intrinsic Aurora-A promotes the cytotoxic activity of CD8+ T cells in immune hot CRC via negatively regulating interleukin-16 (IL-16), and the upregulation of IL-16 may impair the therapeutic effect of Aurora-A inhibition. Consequently, combination treatment with IL-16 neutralization improves the therapeutic response to Aurora-A inhibitors in immune hot CRC tumors. Our study provides evidence that tumor-intrinsic Aurora-A contributes to anti-tumor immunity depending on the status of lymphocyte infiltration, highlighting the importance of considering this aspect in cancer therapy targeting Aurora-A. Importantly, our results suggest that combining Aurora-A inhibitors with IL-16-neutralizing antibodies may represent a novel and effective approach for cancer therapy, particularly in tumors with high levels of lymphocyte infiltration.
Exosome-derived tRNA fragments tRF-GluCTC-0005 promotes pancreatic cancer liver metastasis by activating hepatic stellate cells
Authors: Chen Wei , Peng Wang , Wang Ronghua , Bai Shuya , Cao Mengdie , Xiong Si , Li Yanling , Yang Yilei , Liang Jingwen , Liu Luyao , Yazdani Hamza O. , Zhao Yuchong , Cheng Bin
Published: January 2024

Early metastasis is the primary factor in the very poor prognosis of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), with liver metastasis being the most common form of distant metastasis in PDAC. To investigate the mechanism of PDAC liver metastasis, we found that PDAC cells can promote the formation of pre-metastatic niches (PMNs) through exosomes to facilitate liver metastasis in the early stage. In our study, hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) were treated with PDAC-derived exosomes (PDAC-exo), and the activation of HSCs was detected. A novel transfer RNA-derived fragment, the tRF-GluCTC-0005 was obtained by small RNA sequencing from serum exosomes of PDAC patients. Bioinformatics analysis and RNA pull-down assays revealed the interaction between WDR1 and tRF-GluCTC-0005. A KPC transgenic mouse model and an AAV-mediated sh-WDR1 mouse model were used to detect the mechanism of liver metastasis in vivo. Finally, the dual luciferase reporter assay, protein mutation truncation assay, Co-IP assay, and flow cytometry assay were used to explore the molecular mechanism in HSCs activation and PMNs formation. We found that the tRF-GluCTC-0005 in exosomes binds to the 3’ untranslated region of the mRNA of the WDRl in HSCs and increases mRNA stability. The N-terminals of WDR1 bind to the YAP protein directly, inhibit YAP phosphorylation, and promote the expression of YAP transcription factors. The tRF-GluCTC-0005 in PDAC-exo significantly recruits myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) in the liver, creating a PMNs immunosuppressive microenvironment and further advancing liver metastasis from PDAC. Our results suggest that the key of PDAC liver metastasis is the activation of HSCs through upregulation of WDR1 by tRF-GluCTC-0005 in exosomes, which mediates the infiltration of MDSCs to form PMNs.
Structural insights into the specific recognition of mitochondrial ribosome-binding factor hsRBFA and 12 S rRNA by methyltransferase METTL15
Authors: Lv Mengqi , Zhou Wanwan , Hao Yijie , Li Fudong , Zhang Huafeng , Yao Xuebiao , Shi Yunyu , Zhang Liang
Published: January 2024

Mitochondrial rRNA modifications are essential for mitoribosome assembly and its proper function. The m4C methyltransferase METTL15 maintains mitochondrial homeostasis by catalyzing m4C839 located in 12 S rRNA helix 44 (h44). This modification is essential to fine-tuning the ribosomal decoding center and increasing decoding fidelity according to studies of a conserved site in Escherichia coli. Here, we reported a series of crystal structures of human METTL15–hsRBFA–h44–SAM analog, METTL15–hsRBFA–SAM, METTL15–SAM and apo METTL15. The structures presented specific interactions of METTL15 with different substrates and revealed that hsRBFA recruits METTL15 to mitochondrial small subunit for further modification instead of 12 S rRNA. Finally, we found that METTL15 deficiency caused increased reactive oxygen species, decreased membrane potential and altered cellular metabolic state. Knocking down METTL15 caused an elevated lactate secretion and increased levels of histone H4K12-lactylation and H3K9-lactylation. METTL15 might be a suitable model to study the regulation between mitochondrial metabolism and histone lactylation.
Improved machine learning algorithm for predicting ground state properties
Authors: Lewis Laura , Huang Hsin-Yuan , Tran Viet T. , Lehner Sebastian , Kueng Richard , Preskill John
Published: January 2024

Finding the ground state of a quantum many-body system is a fundamental problem in quantum physics. In this work, we give a classical machine learning (ML) algorithm for predicting ground state properties with an inductive bias encoding geometric locality. The proposed ML model can efficiently predict ground state properties of ann-qubit gapped local Hamiltonian after learning from only$${{{{{{{\mathcal{O}}}}}}}}(\log (n))$$O(log(n))data about other Hamiltonians in the same quantum phase of matter. This improves substantially upon previous results that require$${{{{{{{\mathcal{O}}}}}}}}({n}^{c})$$O(nc)data for a large constantc. Furthermore, the training and prediction time of the proposed ML model scale as$${{{{{{{\mathcal{O}}}}}}}}(n\log n)$$O(nlogn)in the number of qubitsn. Numerical experiments on physical systems with up to 45 qubits confirm the favorable scaling in predicting ground state properties using a small training dataset.
Bubble nucleation and growth on microstructured surfaces under microgravity
Authors: Zhang Qiushi , Mo Dongchuan , Moon Seunghyun , Janowitz Jiya , Ringle Dan , Mays David , Diddle Andrew , Rexroat Jason , Lee Eungkyu , Luo Tengfei
Published: January 2024

Understanding the dynamics of surface bubble formation and growth on heated surfaces holds significant implications for diverse modern technologies. While such investigations are traditionally confined to terrestrial conditions, the expansion of space exploration and economy necessitates insights into thermal bubble phenomena in microgravity. In this work, we conduct experiments in the International Space Station to study surface bubble nucleation and growth in a microgravity environment and compare the results to those on Earth. Our findings reveal significantly accelerated bubble nucleation and growth rates, outpacing the terrestrial rates by up to ~30 times. Our thermofluidic simulations confirm the role of gravity-induced thermal convective flow, which dissipates heat from the substrate surface and thus influences bubble nucleation. In microgravity, the influence of thermal convective flow diminishes, resulting in localized heat at the substrate surface, which leads to faster temperature rise. This unique condition enables quicker bubble nucleation and growth. Moreover, we highlight the influence of surface microstructure geometries on bubble nucleation. Acting as heat-transfer fins, the geometries of the microstructures influence heat transfer from the substrate to the water. Finer microstructures, which have larger specific surface areas, enhance surface-to-liquid heat transfer and thus reduce the rate of surface temperature rise, leading to slower bubble nucleation. Our experimental and simulation results provide insights into thermal bubble dynamics in microgravity, which may help design thermal management solutions and develop bubble-based sensing technologies.
Past and recent anthropogenic pressures drive rapid changes in riverine fish communities
Authors: Danet Alain , Giam Xingli , Olden Julian D. , Comte Lise
Published: January 2024

Understanding how and why local communities change is a pressing task for conservation, especially in freshwater systems. It remains challenging because of the complexity of biodiversity changes, driven by the spatio-temporal heterogeneity of human pressures. Using a compilation of riverine fish community time series (93% between 1993 and 2019) across the Palaearctic, Nearctic and Australasia realms, we assessed how past and recent anthropogenic pressures drive community changes across both space and time. We found evidence of rapid changes in community composition of 30% per decade characterized by important changes in the dominant species, together with a 13% increase in total abundance per decade and a 7% increase in species richness per decade. The spatial heterogeneity in these trends could be traced back to the strength and timing of anthropogenic pressures and was mainly mediated by non-native species introductions. Specifically, we demonstrate that the negative effects of anthropogenic pressures on species richness and total abundance were compensated over time by the establishment of non-native species, a pattern consistent with previously reported biotic homogenization at the global scale. Overall, our study suggests that accounting for the complexity of community changes and its drivers is a crucial step to reach global conservation goals.
TrackdAT, an acoustic telemetry metadata dataset to support aquatic animal tracking research
Authors: Matley Jordan K. , Klinard Natalie V. , Martins Ana Barbosa , Oakley-Cogan Arun , Huveneers Charlie , Vandergoot Christopher S. , Fisk Aaron T.
Published: January 2024

Data on the movement and space use of aquatic animals are crucial to understand complex interactions among biotic and abiotic components of ecosystems and facilitate effective conservation and management. Acoustic telemetry (AT) is a leading method for studying the movement ecology of aquatic animals worldwide, yet the ability to efficiently access study information from AT research is currently lacking, limiting advancements in its application. Here, we describe TrackdAT, an open-source metadata dataset where AT research parameters are catalogued to provide scientists, managers, and other stakeholders with the ability to efficiently identify and evaluate existing peer-reviewed research. Extracted metadata encompasses key information about biological and technical aspects of research, providing a comprehensive summary of existing AT research. TrackdAT currently hosts information from 2,412 journal articles published from 1969 to 2022 spanning 614 species and 380,289 tagged animals. TrackdAT has the potential to enable regional and global mobilization of knowledge, increased opportunities for collaboration, greater stakeholder engagement, and optimization of future ecological research.
Memory reports are biased by all relevant contents of working memory
Authors: Zerr Paul , Gayet Surya , Van der Stigchel Stefan
Published: January 2024

Sensory input is inherently noisy while the world is inherently predictable. When multiple observations of the same object are available, integration of the available information necessarily increases the reliability of a world estimate. Optimal integration of multiple instances of sensory evidence has already been demonstrated during multisensory perception but could benefit unimodal perception as well. In the present study 330 participants observed a sequence of four orientations and were cued to report one of them. Reports were biased by all simultaneously memorized items that were similar and relevant to the target item, weighted by their reliability (signal-to-noise ratio). Orientations presented before and presented after the target biased report, demonstrating that the bias emerges in memory and not (exclusively) during perception or encoding. Only attended, task-relevant items biased report. We suggest that these results reflect how the visual system integrates information that is sampled from the same object at consecutive timepoints to promote perceptual stability and behavioural effectiveness in a dynamic world. We suggest that similar response biases, such as serial dependence, might be instances of a more general mechanism of working memory averaging. Data is available at https://osf.io/embcf/.
Dysregulation of RNA splicing in early non-alcoholic fatty liver disease through hepatocellular carcinoma
Authors: Webster Nicholas J. G. , Kumar Deepak , Wu Panyisha
Published: January 2024

While changes in RNA splicing have been extensively studied in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), no studies have systematically investigated changes in RNA splicing during earlier liver disease. Mouse studies have shown that disruption of RNA splicing can trigger liver disease and we have shown that the splicing factor SRSF3 is decreased in the diseased human liver, so we profiled RNA splicing in liver samples from twenty-nine individuals with no-history of liver disease or varying degrees of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). We compared our results with three publicly available transcriptome datasets that we re-analyzed for splicing events (SEs). We found many changes in SEs occurred during early liver disease, with fewer events occurring with the onset of inflammation and fibrosis. Many of these early SEs were enriched for SRSF3-dependent events and were associated with SRSF3 binding sites. Mapping the early and late changes to gene ontologies and pathways showed that the genes harboring these early SEs were involved in normal liver metabolism, whereas those harboring late SEs were involved in inflammation, fibrosis and proliferation. We compared the SEs with HCC data from the TCGA and observed that many of these early disease SEs are found in HCC samples and, furthermore, are correlated with disease survival. Changes in splicing factor expression are also observed, which may be associated with distinct subsets of the SEs. The maintenance of these SEs through the multi-year oncogenic process suggests that they may be causative. Understanding the role of these splice variants in metabolic liver disease progression may shed light on the triggers of liver disease progression and the pathogenesis of HCC.
CircXRN2 accelerates colorectal cancer progression through regulating miR-149-5p/MACC1 axis and EMT
Authors: Feng Pan-Feng , Zhu Long-Xun , Sheng Nan , Li Xin-Shuai , Liu Pei-Gen , Chen Xiang-Fan
Published: January 2024

In China, there has been a persistent upward trend in the incidence and mortality rates of colorectal cancer (CRC), with CRC ranking second in incidence and fifth in mortality among all malignant tumors. Although circular RNAs (circRNAs) have been implicated in the progression of various cancers, their specific role in CRC progression remains largely unexplored. The objective of this study was to elucidate the role and underlying mechanisms of circXRN2 in CRC. Differential expression of circXRN2 was identified through whole transcriptome sequencing. The expression levels of circXRN2 and miR-149-5p were quantified in CRC tissues, corresponding adjacent normal tissues, and CRC cell lines using quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). The stability of circXRN2 was confirmed through RNase R and actinomycin D experiments. The binding interaction between circXRN2 and miR-149-5p was validated through RNA pull-down, RNA immunoprecipitation, and dual-luciferase assays. The biological functions of circXRN2 were assessed through a battery of in vitro experiments, including the CCK-8 assay, EdU assay, scratch assay, Transwell assay, and flow cytometry assay. Additionally, in vivo experiments involving a tumor transplantation model and a liver-lung metastasis model were conducted. The influence of circXRN2 on the expression of epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT)-related genes was determined via Western blotting analysis. In CRC tissues and cells, there was an upregulation in the expression levels of both circXRN2 and ENC1, while miR-149-5p exhibited a downregulation in its expression. The overexpression of circXRN2 was found to enhance tumor proliferation and metastasis, as evidenced by results from both in vitro and in vivo experiments. Functionally, circXRN2 exerted its antitumor effect by suppressing cell proliferation, migration, and invasion while also promoting apoptosis. Mechanistically, the dysregulated expression of circXRN2 had an impact on the expression of proteins within the EMT signaling pathway. Our results demonstrated that circXRN2 promoted the proliferation and metastasis of CRC cells through the miR-149-5p/ENC1/EMT axis, suggesting that circXRN2 might serve as a potential therapeutic target and novel biomarker in the progression of CRC.
First archaeological evidence for ginger consumption as a potential medicinal ingredient in a late medieval leprosarium at St Leonard, Peterborough, England
Authors: Fiorin Elena , Roberts Charlotte A. , Baldoni Marica , Connelly Erin , Lee Christina , Ottoni Claudio , Cristiani Emanuela
Published: January 2024

Leprosy was one of the most outwardly visible diseases in the European Middle Ages, a period during which leprosaria were founded to provide space for the sick. The extant documentary evidence for leprosy hospitals, especially in relation to diet, therapeutic, and medical care, is limited. However, human dental calculus stands to be an important source of information as it provides insight into the substances people were exposed to and accumulated in their bodies during their lives. In the present study, microremains and DNA were analysed from the calculus of individuals buried in the late medieval cemetery of St Leonard, a leprosarium located in Peterborough, England. The results show the presence of ginger (Zingiber officinale), a culinary and medicinal ingredient, as well as evidence of consumption of cereals and legumes. This research suggests that affected individuals consumed ingredients mentioned in medieval medical textbooks that were used to treat regions of the body typically impacted by leprosy. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first study which has identified Zingiber officinale in human dental calculus in England or on the wider European continent.
Improved image quality in CT pulmonary angiography using deep learning-based image reconstruction
Authors: Klemenz Ann-Christin , Albrecht Lasse , Manzke Mathias , Dalmer Antonia , Böttcher Benjamin , Surov Alexey , Weber Marc-André , Meinel Felix G.
Published: January 2024

We investigated the effect of deep learning-based image reconstruction (DLIR) compared to iterative reconstruction on image quality in CT pulmonary angiography (CTPA) for suspected pulmonary embolism (PE). For 220 patients with suspected PE, CTPA studies were reconstructed using filtered back projection (FBP), adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction (ASiR-V 30%, 60% and 90%) and DLIR (low, medium and high strength). Contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) served as the primary parameter of objective image quality. Subgroup analyses were performed for normal weight, overweight and obese individuals. For patients with confirmed PE (n = 40), we further measured PE-specific CNR. Subjective image quality was assessed independently by two experienced radiologists. CNR was lowest for FBP and enhanced with increasing levels of ASiR-V and, even more with increasing strength of DLIR. High strength DLIR resulted in an additional improvement in CNR by 29–67% compared to ASiR-V 90% (p < 0.05). PE-specific CNR increased by 75% compared to ASiR-V 90% (p < 0.05). Subjective image quality was significantly higher for medium and high strength DLIR compared to all other image reconstructions (p < 0.05). In CT pulmonary angiography, DLIR significantly outperforms iterative reconstruction for increasing objective and subjective image quality. This may allow for further reductions in radiation exposure in suspected PE.
Risk factors for instent restenosis of sirolimus-coated stents in coronary intervention for patients with unstable angina
Authors: Liu Dongchao , Xue Zheng , Qi Jingxian , Yin Liang , Duan Bing , Wu Lin , Yang Kun , Gao Bulang , Cao Qinying , Mi Jie
Published: January 2024

To investigate the instent restenosis rate of sirolimus-coated stents in percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and risk factors for in-stent restenosis, patients with unstable angina (UA) caused by coronary artery stenosis were enrolled, and all clinical and imaging data were analyzed. Among 143 enrolled patients with UA aged 35–83 (mean 60.9 ± 10.0) years enrolled, there were 114 (79.7%) male and 29 (20.3%) female patients. Arterial stenosis was present in one coronary artery in 6 (4.2%) patients, in two coronary arteries in 20 (14.0%) patients, in three arteries in 116 (81.1%), and in four coronary arteries in 1 (0.7%) patient. Stenting was successfully performed in all (100%) patients, and 181 stents were deployed. The quantitative flow ratio (QFR) was 0.92 ± 0.03 (range 0.84–0.96) immediately after stenting, and the TIMI was grade 3 in all patients. The diameter of the stents deployed ranged 2.25–4 mm (mean 3.04 ± 0.44) with a length ranging 10 mm to 104 mm (mean 32.73 ± 15.5). Follow-up angiography was performed in all patients with a duration of 1–92 (mean 15.0 ± 18.8) months. Instent restenosis ≥ 50% occurred in 25 (17.5%) patients. In univariate logistic regression analysis, significant (P < 0.05) risk factors for instent restenosis ≥ 50% were QFR (OR 0.036, 95% CI 0.13–0.97), stent diameter (OR 0.43, 95% CI 0.18–0.92), hypertension (OR 3.16, 95% CI 1.02–9.82), smoking (OR 0.31, 95% CI 0.11–0.89), and neutrophil count (OR 2.22, 95% CI 1.10–5.44). In multivariate analysis, QFR (OR 0.02, 95% CI 0.002–0.19), stent diameter (OR 0.06, 95% CI 0.005–0.59), hypertension (OR 6.75, 95% CI 1.83–35.72) and neutrophil count (OR 276.07, 95% CI 12.32–10,959.95) were significant (P < 0.05) independent risk factors for instent restenosis ≥ 50%. In conclusion, certain instent restenosis rates occurs after the sirolimus-eluted coronary stent deployment for the treatment of coronary artery stenosis in patients with UA, and quantitative flow ratio after stenting, stent diameter, hypertension, and neutrophil count are significant risk factors for instent restenosis of the sirolimus-coated stents in coronary intervention.
Six-minute walk test distance at time of hospital discharge is strongly and independently associated with all-cause mortality following cardiac surgery
Authors: Shawon Md Shajedur Rahman , Hsu Benjumin , Chard Richard , Nicholson Ian A. , Elias Victoria L. , Nicola Lauren K. , Moore Corrina R. , Hirschhorn Andrew D. , Jorm Louisa R. , Mungovan Sean F.
Published: January 2024

We investigated the impact of distance covered in the six-minute walk test (6mWT) before being discharged from the hospital after cardiac surgery on the risk of all-cause mortality. Our study included 1127 patients who underwent cardiac surgery and then took part in a standardised physiotherapist-supervised inpatient rehabilitation programme during 2007–2017. The percentage of the predicted 6mWT distance, and the lower limit of normal distance was calculated based on individual patients’ age, sex, and body mass index. We used Cox regression with adjustment for confounders to determine multivariable-adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) for mortality. Over a median follow-up period of 6.4 (IQR: 3.5–9.2) years, 15% (n = 169) patients died. We observed a strong and independent inverse association between 6mWT distance and mortality, with every 10 m increase in distance associated to a 4% reduction in mortality (HR: 0.96, 95% CI 0.94–0.98, P < 0.001). Those in the top tertile for predicted 6mWT performance had a 49% reduced risk of mortality (HR: 0.51, 95% CI 0.33–0.79) compared to those in the bottom tertile. Patients who met or exceeded the minimum normal 6mWT distance had 36% lower mortality risk (HR: 0.64, 95% CI 0.45–0.92) compared to those who did not meet this benchmark. Subgroup analysis showed that combined CABG and valve surgery patients walked less in the 6mWT compared to those undergoing isolated CABG or valve surgeries, with a significant association between 6mWT and mortality observed in the isolated procedure groups only. In conclusion, the longer the distance covered in the 6mWT before leaving the hospital, the lower the risk of mortality.