bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Scoliosis development in 5q-spinal muscular atrophy under disease modifying therapies
Authors: Vu-Han Tu-Lan , Weiß Claudia , Köhli Paul , Schönnagel Lukas , Perka Carsten , Pumberger Matthias
Published: December 2024

Purpose

5q-spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is a treatable neuromuscular disorder associated with scoliosis in up to 90% of patients. New SMA therapies could mark a paradigm shift in scoliosis management, but their effects on scoliosis development remain unclear. This study aims to observe scoliosis progression in the current treatment landscape to inform management strategies.

Methods

We conducted a cross-sectional retrospective analysis of 94 SMA patients treated at our center. Scoliosis development was evaluated in 75 patients using spine radiographs and electronic health records. Statistical analysis was performed using Python and GraphPad Prism. One-way ANOVA and Pearson correlation were used for group comparisons and correlation analysis, respectively.

Results

Scoliosis parameters in 5q-SMA patients who had received either nusinersen, onasemnogene abeparvovec, risdiplam, or their combinations showed mean ages at scoliosis detection were 23.94, 55.52, and 168.11 months for SMA types 1, 2, and 3, respectively. Cobb angles at detection showed no significant intergroup differences. The mean ages at scoliosis surgery were 60, 88.43, and 124.8 months. Pelvic obliquity (PO) was highest in type 1 and lowest in type 3. A strong correlation (r = 0.9) was found between PO measurement techniques. HFMSE scores correlated moderately with scoliosis severity (r = -0.38), while CHOP-INTEND showed no correlation.

Conclusion

The observations made in this study suggest that the effects of SMA therapies do not prevent scoliosis development. The improved prognosis may lead to a growing cohort of SMA type 1 and 2 patients with early onset scoliosis who require early growth-friendly surgical interventions.
Addressing life history information gaps for Caribbean parrotfishes: queen parrotfish Scarus vetula and stoplight parrotfish Sparisoma viride
Authors: Rivera Hernández Jesús M. , Shervette Virginia R.
Published: December 2024

Queen parrotfish Scarus vetula and stoplight parrotfish Sparisoma viride are widely distributed throughout the subtropical/tropical regions of the northwestern Atlantic, play important ecological roles in reef ecosystems, and contribute to small-scale commercial landings within several Caribbean management jurisdictions. Prior to this work, no comprehensive life history information existed for either species that combined otolith analysis and gonad histology. Queen parrotfish (n = 390) and stoplight parrotfish (n = 1801) were sampled throughout the U.S. Caribbean from 2013 to 2023. Queen parrotfish range in size from 82 to 402 mm FL and age from 0 to 16 years; stoplight parrotfish ranged from 73 to 433 mm FL and 0 to 20 years. Growth parameter estimates for queen parrotfish were L
∞ = 347 mm FL and K = 0.42, when t
0 was fixed to −0.06; for stoplight parrotfish, L
∞ = 332 mm FL and K = 0.39, with a fixed t
0 of −0.06. All female queen parrotfish transitioned to males by a maximum length and age of 322 mm FL and 14 years. In contrast, not all female stoplight parrotfish transitioned to males since the largest and oldest individuals sampled were females. Spawning capable queen parrotfish females were collected from November to August indicating a protracted spawning season of 10 months. Stoplight parrotfish exhibited year-round spawning with >50% of mature females in the spawning capable phase during all months of the year. Based on our overall findings related to life history, queen parrotfish and stoplight parrotfish in the U.S. Caribbean did not appear to exhibit signs of overexploitation which may in part relate to U.S. Caribbean management efforts currently in place that limit the minimum mesh size for traps (which ensures that smaller fish can escape from the traps), a ban on using gillnets to target parrotfish species, and the market driven targeting of “plate-size” fish by commercial spearfishers. The life history information documented in the current study will provide essential information for stock assessments and informed management in the U.S. Caribbean for these two important parrotfish species.
Nitrite electrochemical sensing using Cu centred porphyrin functionalized TiO2 nanoparticles modified glassy carbon electrode
Authors: Samuel Zipho , Jokazi Mbulelo , Nwahara Nnamdi , Nyokong Tebello
Published: December 2024

Free base and Cu(II)5-(4-carboxyphenyl)-10,15,20-tris(4-bromophenyl)porphyrin were synthesized and used to functionalize TiO2 nanoparticles. The porphyrins and conjugates were used to modify glassy carbon electrode for use as electrocatalysts for the electrochemical sensing of nitrite. The nanoparticles were synthesized via sol–gel procedure. The free base porphyrin was synthesized via a modified Adler-Longo method followed by metallation with Cu(II). The functionalization was done by directly linking the metallated porphyrin and nanoparticles via an ester bond. The synthesized porphyrins were characterized with ultraviolet–visible spectrophotometry which showed the expected bands; metallated (B band at 418 nm and Q band at 538 nm) and unmetallated (B band at 417 nm and Q bands at 511, 549, 587 and 645 nm). The limit of detection and catalytic rate constant of the electrocatalyst for nitrite sensing when using Cu-porphyrin linked to TiO2 nanoparticles were 1.41×10-3 μM and 7.46 ×102 M−1 s-1, respectively and comparably better than some of the previously reported nitrite electrocatalysts.

Graphical abstract
Investment portfolio management to meet or beat earnings expectations
Authors: Fan Zhongwen , Guo Jia , Ng Jeffrey , Zhang Xiao
Published: December 2024

Insurers can boost their earnings by accruing interest income from their corporate bond investments. We document that insurers have higher corporate bond investments as well as less equity and cash holdings, when their parents meet or just beat analysts’ quarterly earnings forecasts, compared to when their parents miss or comfortably beat the forecasts. The investment in corporate bonds to boost earnings is more pronounced when bond offerings provide more opportunities for accruing interest income, when the parent’s corporate governance is weaker, when the parent’s managers have more equity incentives, when insurers face more competition, when other earnings management techniques are used, or when the insurance segment is more important to the parent. Finally, insurers suspected of helping their parents meet or beat earnings benchmarks experience worse investment performance in subsequent years, presumably because, by investing more in corporate bonds, the insurers forgo investment opportunities with higher longer-term returns.
Comparison of DWI techniques in patients with epidermoid cyst: TGSE-BLADE DWI vs. SS-EPI DWI
Authors: Otani Sayo , Fushimi Yasutaka , Okuchi Sachi , Sakata Akihiko , Yamamoto Takayuki , Nakajima Satoshi , Wang Yang , Ikeda Satoshi , Ito Shuichi , Yasumura Sumika , Takada Shigeki , Sano Noritaka , Ueno Kentaro , Urushibata Yuta , Zhou Kun , Arakawa Yoshiki , Nakamoto Yuji
Published: December 2024

Purpose

To compare quantitative values and image quality between single-shot echo-planar imaging (SS-EPI) diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) and two-dimensional turbo gradient- and spin-echo DWI with non-Cartesian BLADE trajectory (TGSE-BLADE DWI) in patients with epidermoid cyst.

Methods

Patients with epidermoid cyst who underwent both SS-EPI DWI and TGSE-BLADE DWI were included in this study. Two raters placed ROIs encircling the entire epidermoid cyst on SS-EPI DWI, and then on TGSE-BLADE DWI. Apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) of the epidermoid cyst was measured within each ROI, then the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) between raters was obtained for each DWI. The areas of ROIs placed by the two raters were measured and compared using the Dice coefficient. In the selected slice analysis, one rater selected the most appropriate slice and carefully placed the ROIs slightly smaller than the epidermoid outline to avoid artifacts. Image quality analysis was assessed qualitatively for geometric distortion, susceptibility artifacts, lesion conspicuity, and diagnostic confidence. ADCs for both DWI techniques were compared with theoretical values derived from the diffusion phantom.

Results

Twenty patients with epidermoid cyst were included in this study. The ICC of ADC measured by the two raters for TGSE-BLADE (0.80) was higher than that for SS-EPI (0.59). Dice coefficient of ROI areas was significantly higher with TGSE-BLADE (0.78) than with SS-EPI (0.71, P = 0.007). Selected slice analysis showed that the ADC of epidermoid cyst was significantly higher with TGSE-BLADE DWI than with SS-EPI DWI (P < 0.001). ADCs measured from carefully selected ROIs avoiding artifacts with the two techniques correlated positively (r = 0.87, P < 0.001; ICC 0.75). TGSE-BLADE DWI rated better for image quality than SS-EPI DWI according to all raters. ICCs of measured ADC and theoretical ADCs exceeded 0.99 for both techniques.

Conclusions

TGSE-BLADE DWI appears more suitable than SS-EPI DWI for evaluating epidermoid cyst.
Weighted inverse gamma innovation for the structure learning of DAGs
Authors: Nazari S. , Arashi M. , Sadeghkhani N.
Published: December 2024

In cancer causal analysis, graphical models can help to identify genomic changes using the relations between proteins and phosphoproteins. In particular, directed acyclic graphs (DAGs) are effective methods to analyze intricate structures of dependence and causal connections among variables. From a Bayesian standpoint, DAG structural learning is a crucial goal in genomics studies since it enables the discovery of dependent relationships that contribute to the comprehension of variable behavior. However, we benefit from Bayesian DAG learning when dealing with small sample cases such as genomics and large networks because it promotes sparsity in the graphs, integrates prior knowledge, and crucially considers the uncertainty in the graph structure. On the other hand, modeling a proper prior distribution plays a vital role in correct posterior learning. Our work recommends using a weighted prior distribution for Gaussian DAG structure learning to improve graphical metrics. Simulation studies show that our proposal is superior to the existing one. We give the network configuration using the weighted prior distribution in a cancer data analysis.
Exploring the most suitable probability distribution for analyzing annual rainfall data: a case study of Makkah and Jeddah cities
Authors: Alzahrani Abdulaziz S. , Abdelbaki Ahmed M. , Mobarak Babikir A.
Published: December 2024

This study aims to determine the most suitable probability distribution that can effectively capture the statistical characteristics of rainfall in Makkah and Jeddah cities. The analysis focused on fitting probability distributions to the annual rainfall data between 1971 and 2013, which were provided by the Presidency of Meteorology and Environment. Three probability distributions, namely Normal, Gamma, and Weibull, were tested using a statistical goodness-of-fit test based on p-value and Anderson–Darling (AD) test with significance level of 0.05. For Makkah station, there is no significant evidence to conclude that the observed annual rainfall data significantly deviates from any of the tested distributions. Based on the AD test results, the observed annual rainfall data appears to be consistent with the three distributions. For Jeddah station, the rainfall data does not significantly deviate from a normal distribution while, it significantly deviates from both the Gamma and Weibull distributions at the same significance level. The ability to accurately model annual rainfall patterns using probability distributions has important practical applications, such as in water resource planning, drought forecasting, and climate change impact assessments. The insights from this case study can help inform such applications for the Makkah and Jeddah regions of Saudi Arabia.
From urban design to service design in urban informatics: spectators' attitudes, expectations and privacy concerns in mass urban events
Authors: Vainio Teija , Karppi Ilari , Sankala Iina
Published: December 2024

So far, the primary urban informatics connections between service design and urban design have been researched within healthcare and transportation systems. However, as mass events are becoming essential to urban life and new event venues are built in densifying downtowns, a particular design challenge linking the venue and its urban surroundings comes from the people flow. This study investigates mobility and privacy issues related to the information shared in the context of event attendance, with a survey of 880 ice-hockey fans as the respondents. The study addresses the factors that impact the experiences of sharing urban informatics among event attendees.
The biography of microplastics (MPs): occurrences, sources, weathering/degradation, characterization, ecological/human risks, removal methods, policy development, and current trends and future perspectives
Authors: Ratnayake Amila Sandaruwan , Gunawardhana G. M. S. S. , Perera U. L. H. P.
Published: December 2024

The environment provides endless assistance for the wellbeing of all living organisms. However, the environment can be stressed due to anthropogenic and non-anthropogenic pollutants. Plastics have been identified as a persistent pollutant that has been stressing the environment for over a few decades. Among these hazardous plastics, the accumulation of microplastics (MPs) has been identified as a growing global issue. MPs are generally defined as small pieces of plastic less than 5 mm in diameter. Considering the source, two categories are identified, primary and secondary MPs, and it has been recognized that MPs are released into the environment during plastic production, transportation, product usage, and product maintenance. Different processes including physical, chemical, photodegradation, and biological degradations tend to break plastics into MP fragments, which include MPs as well as nanoplastics. Among these degradation processes, physical degradation is prominent in the coastal regions, and chemical degradation can occur due to corrosive chemicals, acids, gases, and atmospheric pollutants, which was the case during the recent MV X-Press Pearl disaster in the Indian Ocean. Different methodologies can be applied for the pretreatment, separation, detection, identification, and quantification of MPs. Digestion of complex substances and ultracentrifugation or ultrafiltration are utilized as pretreatment methods, whereas density, magnetic and electrostatic separations, filtration, and size-exclusion chromatography are practiced as separation methods for MPs. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Raman spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy (AFM), and mass spectrometry can be identified as the main analytical methods for MP detection. The ecological risk of MPs affects the marine environment, freshwater environment, and soil environment, ultimately influencing human health. To remediate the issue, removal methods for MPs are being developed, with currently progressing methods being physical sorption and filtration, biological removal and ingestion, chemical treatments, membrane processes, and magnetic separation. Considering the prospects, the need to conduct meta-analyses, and compare data from different studies done in various geographic regions is important, which, among other related topics such as policy development, are discussed thoroughly through this review article.
Refinement of the co-content function, through an integration of a polynomial fit of $$I-{I}_{sc}$$. Part 1 theoretical analysis and proposal
Authors: Rangel-Kuoppa Victor-Tapio
Published: December 2024

In this Part 1 article of this series of articles, a new methodology to refine the Co-Content function $$\left(CC\left(V,I\right)\right)$$

C
C

V
,
I

is proposed, consisting on fitting the current minus the short-circuit current $$(I-{I}_{sc})$$

(
I
-

I

sc

)

, to an $$N-1$$

N
-
1

order polynomial, where $${N}_{points}=N$$

N

points

=
N

, is the number of measured current–voltage $$\left(IV\right)$$

I
V

points, and integrating it to calculate $$CC\left(V,I\right)$$

C
C

V
,
I

. The shunt resistance $$\left({R}_{sh}\right)$$

R

sh

, the series resistance $$\left({R}_{s}\right)$$

R
s

, the ideality factor $$\left(n\right)$$

n

, the light current $$\left({I}_{lig}\right)$$

I

lig

, and the saturation current $$\left({I}_{sat}\right)$$

I

sat

, are then deduced, in the case of a constant percentage noise or a percentage noise of the maximum current $$\left({I}_{max}\right)$$

I

max

. In the former case, $${R}_{s}$$

R
s

, $${R}_{sh}, n, \text{and } {I}_{lig},$$

R

sh

,
n
,
and

I

lig

,

can be deduced with less than 10% error, using only $${P}_{V}=$$

P
V

=

51 $$\frac{number\, of \,points}{V}$$

n
u
m
b
e
r

o
f

p
o
i
n
t
s

V

, even if the noise is as large as $${p}_{n}=0.1\text{\%}$$

p
n

=
0.1
\%

, with a computation time around 80 ms. $${I}_{sat}$$

I

sat

needs $${p}_{n}=0.05\text{\%}$$

p
n

=
0.05
\%

or less, and $${P}_{V}$$

P
V

equal or larger than 501 $$\frac{number\, of\, points}{V}$$

n
u
m
b
e
r

o
f

p
o
i
n
t
s

V

. For the latter case, $${R}_{s}$$

R
s

, $$\text{and } {I}_{lig},$$

and

I

lig

,

can be obtained with less than 10% error, using only $${P}_{V}=$$

P
V

=

251 $$\frac{number\, of\, points}{V}$$

n
u
m
b
e
r

o
f

p
o
i
n
t
s

V

, and $${p}_{n}=0.1\text{\%}$$

p
n

=
0.1
\%

, or smaller, with total computation time around 49 s. $${R}_{sh}, {I}_{sat}, \text{and } n$$

R

sh

,

I

sat

,
and

n

needs that $${p}_{n}\le 0.05\text{\%}$$

p
n

≤
0.05
\%

, and $${P}_{V}=$$

P
V

=

751 $$\frac{number\, of \,points}{V}$$

n
u
m
b
e
r

o
f

p
o
i
n
t
s

V

or larger. A computation time expression of the form $$time=E{{N}_{points}}^{m}$$

t
i
m
e
=
E

N

points

m

, is deduced. The methodology proposed in this article is appliable to unevenly/randomly distributed IV data points, and it is implemented in Part 2 in solar cells’ and photovoltaic modules’ experimental $$IV$$

IV

reported in the literature, to deduce their five solar cell parameters.
Talmudo-Mīmāṃsā: Towards a Science of Sacrifice
Authors: Meshel Naphtali S. , Mishra Anand , Mali Hillel
Published: December 2024

A distinctive kind of theoretical and analytical discourse on ritual sacrifice evolved within the Indian and Jewish traditions, in Mīmāṃsā and in Talmudic literatures, respectively, introducing special modes of analyzing ritual sacrifice, and elaborate methods of conceptualizing the relations between text and practice. Despite the significant role that comparative studies of Vedic/Brahmanical and biblical/Jewish sacrifice played in the development of the modern study of religion, a detailed comparative study of these emic “sciences of sacrifice” has not yet been carried out.

This study examines two pericopes addressing a similar dilemma—the treatment of ritual byproducts—from the Jaimini-Mīmāṃsā-Sūtra and from the Babylonian Talmud, each discussed within its commentarial tradition. The texts reveal a significant degree of convergence (major differences notwithstanding) in terms of dialectic discourse, terminology, thought-structures, hermeneutic assumptions, and more. Factors that may have contributed to this convergence are discussed, as are the broader implications of this comparative experiment.
Tolstoi's Orphans
Authors: Herman David
Published: December 2024

Orphanhood in Tolstoy has largely escaped critical examination, in part because though the writer himself was an orphan, his texts say little about the topic explicitly. But in fact thinking about orphans' trauma is everywhere in the pre-crisis fiction. Tolstoy draws orphans and non-orphans as fundamentally morally different. All his major protagonists are orphans and want to marry non-orphans. Further, many of his novelistic tics, and many critical insights into Tolstoy generally, actually apply only to characters who are motherless. War and Peace and Anna Karenina can be read as the author's running debate with himself: is an escape available for the traumatized from their pain later in life? If so, it would mean life is good and God is kind. Both books answer yes and demand orphans renounce their permanent sense of grievance against life for their losses. But in their final scenes Tolstoy confesses his optimism was false; life is not fair, and psyches damaged by orphanhood can never fully recover.
Constraints on the Origin of the Martian Dichotomy From Southern Highlands Marsquakes
Authors: Sun Weijia , Tkalčić Hrvoje
Published: December 2024

The Martian hemispheric dichotomy is delineated by significant differences in elevation and crustal thickness between the Northern Lowlands and Southern Highlands. Yet, its origin remains controversial. Here, we improve the signal‐to‐noise ratios and determine the locations of the low‐frequency marsquakes recorded during the InSight mission. We find a new cluster of marsquakes in Terra Cimmeria, Southern Highlands, in addition to those previously located in Cerberus Fossae, Northern Lowlands. Using the spectral ratio method, we estimate the quality factor Q in the range 481–543 for Terra Cimmeria versus 800–2,000 determined for Cerberus Fossae. The attenuation difference might be linked to the temperature differences between the two hemispheres, along with more vigorous convection beneath the Southern Highlands. These seismological observations, together with geochronological constraints of giant impacts, reinforce the “endogenic” hypothesis that mantle convection causes the crustal dichotomy.
Quantifying the Turbulent Entrainment‐Mixing Processes Based on Z‐LWC Relationships of Cloud Droplets
Authors: Luo Shi , Lu Chunsong , Liu Yangang , Li Haoran , Zhang Fengwei , Lv Jingjing , Zhu Lei , Xu Xiaoqi , Li Junjun , He Xin , He Ying , Gao Sinan , Yang Xinlin , Gu Juan , Chen Xuemin , Sun Haining
Published: December 2024

Turbulent entrainment‐mixing processes profoundly influence the relationship between radar reflectivity factor and liquid water content (Z‐LWC) of cloud droplets. However, quantification of the entrainment‐mixing mechanisms based on the Z‐LWC relationship is still lacking. To address this gap, 12,218 entrainment‐mixing cases are simulated using the Explicit Mixing Parcel Model. We examine the variations of the parameters in the power‐law relationship Z = aLWCb, and the relationship between parameter b and homogeneous mixing degree (ψ), a measure quantifying entrainment‐mixing processes. The results indicate that parameter b distributes within the range of 1–2, with a positive correlation between parameter b and ψ. The b‐ψ relationship is fitted, which connects the Z‐LWC relationship for various entrainment‐mixing types. The results suggest the potential for employing a remote sensing approach to investigate the entrainment‐mixing mechanisms of non‐precipitating small cumulus/stratocumulus clouds, thereby overcoming the limitations of traditional observational studies that rely solely on aircraft observations.
Flux Convergence and Divergence Linked to Asymmetric Transport by Large Turbulent Eddies in the Unstable Atmospheric Surface Layer
Authors: Gao Zhongming , Li Lei , Liu Heping , Yang Bai
Published: December 2024

It is well‐established that large eddies significantly influence the turbulent transport of heat and scalars in the atmospheric surface layer. However, the mechanistic understanding of how large eddies originating from both the ground (updrafts) and aloft (downdrafts) regulate flux convergence (FC) and divergence (FD) remains relatively unexplored. Based on turbulence data measured at 12 levels, spanning from 1.2 to 60.5 m above the ground, we observe a notable increase in the variability of sensible heat flux magnitudes with height. Our results show that FC and FD of sensible heat are primarily linked to variations in the respective transport efficiencies () at different heights. Using the cross‐wavelet transform, we find that in FC cases, the regions with high wavelet coherence expand with height, resulting in higher at higher levels compared to low ones. Conversely, in FD cases, the regions with high wavelet coherence decrease with height, leading to lower at higher levels. Large eddies with length scales of approximately 120–500 m have a significant impact on amplifying or attenuating at higher levels compared to lower levels. Using conditional sampling to extract the updrafts and downdrafts of large eddies, distinct patterns are observed in the characteristics of updrafts and downdrafts between FC and FD groups especially in their flux contribution and transport efficiencies. This work emphasizes the significant contribution of asymmetric turbulent transport by updrafts and downdrafts to the discrepancy between the observed turbulent fluxes and those predicted by the Monin‐Obukhov similarity theory.
Improved Models of Ganymede's Permanent and Induced Magnetic Fields Based on Galileo and Juno Data
Authors: Jia Xianzhe , Kivelson Margaret G. , Khurana Krishan K. , Walker Raymond J.
Published: December 2024

Near Ganymede, the magnetic field is a superposition of Jupiter's magnetospheric magnetic field, the field arising from sources within the moon, the field generated by plasma currents driven by the interaction of flowing magnetospheric plasma with the conducting moon, and the field arising from ionospheric currents. Previous fits to Ganymede's internal field have not identified the contributions of plasma and ionospheric currents, although their contributions can obscure the signature of sources internal to the moon. Fortunately, using magnetohydrodynamic simulations whose output agrees well with the measurements acquired on close passes by Galileo and Juno, we can estimate the moon‐scale contributions of plasma sources. By subtracting the magnetic signatures of plasma and ionospheric currents from the measured field, we approximate measurements made in a current‐free region. We fit the corrected data from different sets of flybys either as a sum of low order spherical harmonics or as a permanent dipole moment plus an induced dipole with approximately the same root‐mean‐square errors. For the induced dipole model, data from multiple flybys occurring at different phases of Jupiter's rotation are used to represent the time‐variation of the external field at Ganymede. Compared with earlier estimates, the magnitude of the permanent dipole moment did not significantly change in either analysis. However, for the permanent plus induced dipole model, the induction efficiency decreases from 0.84 to ∼0.72. The reduced efficiency places new constraints on the thickness of the ice shell above the ocean and the ocean's depth and conductivity.
Complementary Relationship Among Heat Flux Ratios and Maximum Entropy Production Principle in Humid Forests
Authors: Choi Kwanghun , Paik Kyungrock
Published: December 2024

Understanding how the net Solar radiation is partitioned into heat fluxes on land surface is fundamental to understand water, energy, and carbon cycles. Here we claim that, in forests under energy‐limited environment, the proportion in the net radiation occupied by the sum of the sensible and latent heat fluxes rarely varies over time; the variability in the latent heat fraction is mostly compensated by that of the sensible heat flux. This mutual compensation is rooted in the energy conservation principle and also in accordance with the principle of Maximum Entropy Production (MEP). The ratio of inertia parameters corresponding to latent and sensible heat fluxes in the MEP‐based model, is found approximately the reciprocal Bowen ratio. With this seesaw relationship, the formulation of the MEP‐based model for the surface energy partitioning problem is simplified. The new formulation is tested for a wide range of flux tower sites with different biome, demonstrating promising results.
Cigarette smoking is associated with reduced neuroinflammation and better cognitive control in people living with HIV
Authors: Brody Arthur L. , Mischel Anna K. , Sanavi Andre Y. , Wong Alvin , Bahn Ji Hye , Minassian Arpi , Morgan Erin E. , Rana Brinda , Hoh Carl K. , Vera David R. , Kotta Kishore K. , Miranda Alannah H. , Pocuca Nina , Walter Thomas J. , Guggino Natalie , Beverly-Aylwin Renee , Meyer Jeffrey H. , Vasdev Neil , Young Jared W.
Published: December 2024

People living with HIV (HIV+) are roughly twice as likely to smoke cigarettes (Smok+) as the general population. With the advent of effective antiretroviral therapies, it is increasingly important to understand the effects of chronic HIV infection and cigarette smoking on brain function and cognition since HIV+ individuals have heightened neuroinflammation and cognitive deficits even with such therapies. Based on prior studies demonstrating that smoking reduces a marker for neuroinflammation in HIV- individuals, we hypothesized that HIV+/Smok+ individuals would have less neuroinflammation and better cognitive control than HIV+/Smok- individuals. Fifty-nine participants (HIV-/Smok- [n = 16], HIV-/Smok+ [n=14], HIV+/Smok- [n = 18], and HIV+/Smok+ [n = 11]) underwent baseline eligibility tests, positron emission tomography (PET) scanning to determine levels of a marker for neuroinflammation, and assessment of cognitive control with the reverse-translated 5-choice continuous performance test (5C-CPT), with smokers having smoked to satiety prior to testing. For the PET data, a significant effect of smoking status on whole brain (WB) standardized uptake value (SUV) was found between HIV+/Smok+ and HIV+/Smok- participants (due to 18.8% lower WB SUV in the HIV+/Smok+ group). HIV+/Smok- participants exhibited a mean 13.5% higher WB SUV than HIV-/Smok- participants. For the 5C-CPT, HIV+/Smok+ participants performed significantly better than HIV+/Smok- participants (d prime), and HIV+/Smok- participants performed worse than HIV-/Smok- participants. Thus, HIV+/Smok+ individuals demonstrated lower levels of the neuroinflammation marker and better cognitive control than HIV+/Smok- individuals. Given that HIV+ individuals whose HIV is well-controlled can still have chronic neurocognitive complications, study results suggest possible paths for future research into nicotine-related treatments to prevent such complications.
BMT: A Cross-Validated ThinPrep Pap Cervical Cytology Dataset for Machine Learning Model Training and Validation
Authors: Welch E. Celeste , Lu Chenhao , Sung C. James , Zhang Cunxian , Tripathi Anubhav , Ou Joyce
Published: December 2024

In the past several years, a few cervical Pap smear datasets have been published for use in clinical training. However, most publicly available datasets consist of pre-segmented single cell images, contain on-image annotations that must be manually edited out, or are prepared using the conventional Pap smear method. Multicellular liquid Pap image datasets are a more accurate reflection of current cervical screening techniques. While a multicellular liquid SurePath™ dataset has been created, machine learning models struggle to classify a test image set when it is prepared differently from the training set due to visual differences. Therefore, this dataset of multicellular Pap smear images prepared with the more common ThinPrep® protocol is presented as a helpful resource for training and testing artificial intelligence models, particularly for future application in cervical dysplasia diagnosis. The “Brown Multicellular ThinPrep” (BMT) dataset is the first publicly available multicellular ThinPrep® dataset, consisting of 600 clinically vetted images collected from 180 Pap smear slides from 180 patients, classified into three key diagnostic categories.
Gastrointestinal carriage of carbapenemase-producing enterobacterales among inpatient and outpatient children in Kenya
Authors: Githii Susan , Maingi John M. , Nyaga Teresia , Ndungu Cecilia , Nyongesa Kelvin Wangira , Musyoki Abednego Moki
Published: December 2024

Gastrointestinal carriage of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria, especially carbapenemase-producing Enterobacterales (CPE), presents a critical public health threat globally. However, in many resource-constrained countries, epidemiological data on CPE is limited. Here, we assessed gastrointestinal carriage and associated factors of CPE among inpatient and outpatient children (≤ 5 years). This hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted at Thika Level 5 Hospital in Kenya from February to June 2023. In total, 540 participants were recruited from outpatient (270) and inpatient (270) children, excluding those admitted for < 48 h and outpatients with ≤ 3 months hospitalization history. Demographic data were collected using a questionnaire, and stool or swab samples were cultured following standard microbiology methods. Automated platforms were used for isolates identification and antimicrobial susceptibility testing. Gastrointestinal carriage rate of CPE was 9.6%, 95% confidence interval (CI): 6.39–13.79% (26/270) among the inpatients and 5.9%, 95% CI: 3.42–9.45% (16/270) among the outpatients. The carbapenemase-producing Enterobacterales were predominated by multidrug-resistant Escherichia coli from inpatients (22/22, 100%) and outpatients (8/10, 80%). The colonization rate was higher among inpatients who were presenting with chills (aOR = 10.57, p = 0.008). We report a high gastrointestinal carriage of CPE among children (≤ 5 years). Strict adherence to colonization screening, and antimicrobial stewardship policies are critical to control CPE dissemination in the current study area and beyond.
Customer churn prediction model based on hybrid neural networks
Authors: Liu Xinyu , Xia Guoen , Zhang Xianquan , Ma Wenbin , Yu Chunqiang
Published: December 2024

In today’s competitive market environment, accurately identifying potential churn customers and taking effective retention measures are crucial for improving customer retention and ensuring the sustainable development of an organization. However, traditional machine learning algorithms and single deep learning models have limitations in extracting complex nonlinear and time-series features, resulting in unsatisfactory prediction results. To address this problem, this study proposes a hybrid neural network-based customer churn prediction model, CCP-Net. In the data preprocessing stage, the ADASYN sampling algorithm balances the sample sizes of churned and non-churned customers to eliminate the negative impact of sample imbalance on the model performance. In the feature extraction stage, CCP-Net uses Multi-Head Self-Attention to learn the global dependencies of the input sequences, combines with BiLSTM to capture the long-term dependencies in the sequential data, and uses CNN to extract the local features, and ultimately generates the prediction results. Experimental results of cross-validation on Telecom, Bank, Insurance, and News datasets show that CCP-Net outperforms the comparison algorithms in all performance metrics. For example, CCP-Net achieves a Precision of 92.19% on the Telecom dataset, 91.96% on the Bank dataset, 95.87% on the Insurance dataset, and 95.12% on the News dataset, which compares to other hybrid neural network models, the performance improvement of CCP-Net ranges from 1% to 3%. These results indicate that the design of the CCP-Net model effectively improves the accuracy and robustness of churn prediction, enabling it to be widely applied to different industries, especially in the financial, telecommunication, and media fields, to provide more comprehensive and effective churn management strategies for enterprises.
Isolation and characterization of Saprolegnia parasitica from cage-reared Pangasianodon hypophthalmus and its sensitivity to different antifungal compounds
Authors: Rathod Sanjaykumar Karsanbhai , Das Basanta Kumar , Tandel Ritesh Shantilal , Chatterjee Sohini , Das Nilemesh , Tripathi Gayatri , Kumar Saurav , Panda Satyen Kumar , Patil Prasanna Kumar , Manna Sanjib Kumar
Published: December 2024

Saprolegniasis is one of the most dangerous fungal diseases of fish, causing significant mortality in fish hatcheries and young ones. The present study aimed to isolate and characterize the causative fungus from fingerlings of Pangasianodon hypophthalmus cultured intensively in freshwater cages in Indian reservoirs and to determine minimum inhibitory concentrations of different antifungal compounds against the fungal hyphae and zoospores. The fungal isolates grown on potato dextrose agar showed an abundance of gemmae, elongated mycelia, non-septate hyphae, primary zoospores, mature zoosporangia with numerous zoospores, cysts with bundles of long hairs and were further identified as Saprolegnia parasitica following PCR amplification and sequencing of internal transcribed spacer region. S. parasitica showed temperature-sensitive optimum growth in a narrow window of 12–24 ℃, which might drive its experimental pathogenesis as well as natural infections in the winter months. In vitro sensitivity testing established negligible inhibitory activity of fluconazole, boric acid, sodium thiosulfate, and potassium permanganate while clotrimazole arrested the spore and hyphal growths at 2 mgL-1 concentration suggesting potential of the imidazole antifungal in treating S. parasitica infection in fish. The present study will serve as the baseline information for developing therapeutic and management strategies for controlling saprolegniasis in the economically significant iridescent catfish.
A machine learning tool for early identification of celiac disease autoimmunity
Authors: Dreyfuss Michael , Getz Benjamin , Lebwohl Benjamin , Ramni Or , Underberger Daniel , Ber Tahel Ilan , Steinberg-Koch Shlomit , Jenudi Yonatan , Gazit Sivan , Patalon Tal , Chodick Gabriel , Shoenfeld Yehuda , Ben-Tov Amir
Published: December 2024

Identifying which patients should undergo serologic screening for celiac disease (CD) may help diagnose patients who otherwise often experience diagnostic delays or remain undiagnosed. Using anonymized outpatient data from the electronic medical records of Maccabi Healthcare Services, we developed and evaluated five machine learning models to classify patients as at-risk for CD autoimmunity prior to first documented diagnosis or positive serum tissue transglutaminase (tTG-IgA). A train set of highly seropositive (tTG-IgA > 10X ULN) cases (n = 677) with likely CD and controls (n = 176,293) with no evidence of CD autoimmunity was used for model development. Input features included demographic information and commonly available laboratory results. The models were then evaluated for discriminative ability as measured by AUC on a distinct set of highly seropositive cases (n = 153) and controls (n = 41,087). The highest performing model was XGBoost (AUC = 0.86), followed by logistic regression (AUC = 0.85), random forest (AUC = 0.83), multilayer perceptron (AUC = 0.80) and decision tree (AUC = 0.77). Contributing features for the XGBoost model for classifying a patient as at-risk for undiagnosed CD autoimmunity included signs of anemia, transaminitis and decreased high-density lipoprotein. This model’s ability to distinguish cases of incident CD autoimmunity from controls shows promise as a potential clinical tool to identify patients with increased risk of having undiagnosed celiac disease in the community, for serologic screening.
Predicting fine-scale downstream migratory movement of Atlantic salmon smolt (Salmo salar) in front of a hydropower plant
Authors: Bærum Kim M. , Silva Ana T. , Baktoft Henrik , Gjelland Karl Ø. , Økland Finn , Forseth Torbjørn
Published: December 2024

The Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) is an iconic species of significant ecological and economic importance. Their downstream migration as smolts represents a critical life-history stage that exposes them to numerous challenges, including passage through hydropower plants. Understanding and predicting fine-scale movement patterns of smolts near hydropower plants is therefore essential for adaptive and effective management and conservation of this species. We present a spatially explicit individual-based model for predicting the movement of Atlantic salmon smolts in regulated rivers in Norway, parameterised for smolt movements in the River Mandal and the River Orkla. The model is rooted in statistically derived relationships between observed smolt swimming behaviour and the hydraulic variables they encounter. The aim of the model was to provide fast yet representative swimming patterns past hydropower plants, based on the hydraulic conditions experienced by the smolts. The model outperformed a ‘drift-only’ model in portraying observed swim tracks when comparing simulated and observed tracks. It was found to represent smolt swimming behaviour well. Our results show that by constructing swim models using relatively simple and general statistical relationships between smolt swimming behaviour and the hydraulic environment, we can produce fast and relevant outputs for an adaptive management process, aimed at exploring how physical implementations or changes in flow regulations might affect smolt populations.
Remote disruption of intestinal homeostasis by Mycobacterium abscessus is detrimental to Drosophila survival
Authors: Touré Hamadoun , Durand Nicolas , Rincheval Vincent , Girard-Misguich Fabienne , Guénal Isabelle , Herrmann Jean-Louis , Szuplewski Sébastien
Published: December 2024

Mycobacterium abscessus (Mabs), an intracellular and opportunistic pathogen, is considered the most pathogenic fast-growing mycobacterium, and causes severe pulmonary infections in patients with cystic fibrosis. While bacterial factors contributing to its pathogenicity are well studied, the host factors and responses that worsen Mabs infection are not fully understood. Here, we report that Mabs systemic infection alters Drosophila melanogaster intestinal homeostasis. Mechanistically, Mabs remotely induces a self-damaging oxidative burst, leading to excessive differentiation of intestinal stem cells into enterocytes. We demonstrated that the subsequent increased intestinal renewal is mediated by both the Notch and JAK/STAT pathways and is deleterious to Drosophila survival. In conclusion, this work highlights that the ability of Mabs to induce an exacerbated and self-damaging response in the host contributes to its pathogenesis.
Prenatal exposure to diethylstilbestrol has multigenerational effects on folliculogenesis
Authors: Rogers Rachael E. , Fowler Kate A. , Pask Andrew J. , Mattiske Deidre M.
Published: December 2024

Diethylstilbestrol (DES) is an estrogenic endocrine disrupting chemical (EDC) that was prescribed to millions of pregnant women worldwide, leading to increased rates of infertility in the exposed offspring. We have previously demonstrated that this reduced fertility persists for multiple generations in the mouse. However, how altered ovarian function contributes to this infertility is unknown. Therefore, this study sought to determine if DES exposure promotes two common ovarian disorders, primary ovarian insufficiency (POI) and polycystic ovary syndrome, contributing to the reduced fertility in DES offspring. Moreover, we investigated if these impacts are transgenerational. Gestating mice were exposed to 100 µg/kg DES, and ovarian morphology was observed in F1-F3 female descendants. F1 females trended towards fewer primordial and more secondary follicles and similarly, F2 females had fewer primordial and significantly more secondary follicles compared to controls. No differences in follicle proportions were observed in the F3. Moreover, DES exposure did not increase follicular cysts. These results show that DES accelerates folliculogenesis, indicative of a POI phenotype and that this is likely contributing to the reduced fertility observed in DES descendants. Moreover, this study highlights the ability of estrogenic EDCs to disrupt folliculogenesis, which may exacerbate the onset of POI in women already at risk.
Prediction of peak particle velocity using hybrid random forest approach
Authors: Yan Yu , Guo Jiwei , Bao Shijie , Fei Honglu
Published: December 2024

Blasting excavation is widely used in mining, tunneling and construction industries, but it leads to produce ground vibration which can seriously damage the urban communities. The peak particle velocity (PPV) is one of main indicators for determining the extent of ground vibration. Owing to the complexity of blasting process, there is controversy over which parameters will be considered as the inputs for empirical equations and machine learning (ML) algorithms. According to current researches, the burden has controversial impact on the blast-induced ground vibration. To judge whether the burden affects blast-induced ground vibration, the data of ground vibration considering burden have been recorded at the Wujiata coal mine. Correlation coefficient is used to analyze the relationship between variables, the correlation between the distance from blasting center to monitored point (R) and peak particle velocity (PPV) is greatest and the value of correlation coefficient is − 0.67. This study firstly summarizes the most common empirical equations, and a new empirical equation is established by dimension analysis. The new equation shows better performance of predicting PPV than most other empirical equations by regression analysis. Secondly, the machine learning is confirmed the applicability of predicting PPV. Based on the performance assessments, regression error characteristic curve and Uncertainty analysis in the first round of predicting PPV, the random forest (RF) and K-Nearest Neighbors (KNN) show better performance than other four machine learning algorithms. Then, in the second round, based on the artithmetic optimization algorithm (AOA), the optimized random forest (AOA-RF) model as the most accurate model compared with the optimized K-Nearest Neighbors (AOA-KNN) presented in the literature. Finally, the points of predicted PPV which have been informed of danger are marked based on Chinese safety regulations for blasting.
Heterostructure growth, electrical transport and electronic structure of crystalline Dirac nodal arc semimetal PtSn4
Authors: Beynon Edward L. , Barker Oliver J. , Veal Tim D. , O’Brien Liam , O’Sullivan Marita
Published: December 2024

Topological semimetals have recently garnered widespread interest in the quantum materials research community due to their symmetry-protected surface states with dissipationless transport which have potential applications in next-generation low-power electronic devices. One such material, $$\hbox {PtSn}_{4}$$, exhibits Dirac nodal arcs and although the topological properties of single crystals have been investigated, there have been no reports in crystalline thin film geometry. We examined the growth of $$\hbox {PtSn}_{4}$$ heterostructures on a range of single crystals by optimizing the electron beam evaporation of Pt and Sn and studied the effect of vacuum thermal annealing on phase and crystallinity. The electrical resistivity was fitted to a modified Bloch–Grüneisen model with a residual resistivity of 79.43(1) $$\mu \Omega$$cm at 2K and a Debye temperature of 200K. Nonlinear Hall resistance indicated the presence of more than one carrier type with an effective carrier mobility of 33.6 $$\hbox {cm}^2\, \hbox {V}^{-1}\, \hbox {s}^{-1}$$ and concentration of 1.41 $$\times 10^{21}\, \hbox {cm}^{-3}$$ at 300 K. X-ray photoemission spectra were in close agreement with convolved density of states and a work function of 4.7(2) eV was determined for the $$\hbox {PtSn}_{4}$$ (010) surface. This study will facilitate measurements that require heterostructure geometry, such as spin and topological Hall effect, and will facilitate potential device incorporation in future quantum technologies.