bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Highlights from the NA61/SHINE strong-interactions programme
Authors: Kuich Magdalena ,   for the NA61/SHINE Collaboration
Published: February 2022

NA61/SHINE is a multipurpose fixed-target facility at the CERN SPS. The main goals of the NA61/SHINE strong-interactions programme are to discover the critical point of strongly interacting matter as well as to study the properties of the onset of deconfinement. In order to reach these goals, a study of hadron production properties is performed in nucleus-nucleus, proton-proton and proton-nucleus interactions as a function of collision energy and size of the colliding nuclei. In this contribution, the NA61/SHINE results from a strong interaction measurement programme are presented. In particular, the latest results from different reactions p+p, Be+Be, Ar+Sc, and Pb+Pb on hadron spectra, as well as intermittency, higher-order moments of multiplicity fluctuations and spectator induced electromagnetic effects are discussed.
Overview of open heavy-flavour and quarkonia measurements with ALICE
Authors: Dubla Andrea ,   for the ALICE Collaboration
Published: February 2022

Heavy-flavour hadrons, i.e. hadrons containing charm or beauty quarks, are effective probes to test perturbative-QCD (pQCD) calculations, to investigate the different hadronisation mechanisms, and to study the quark–gluon plasma (QGP) produced in relativistic heavy-ion collisions at the LHC. Measurements performed in pp and p–Pb collisions have recently revealed unexpected features not in line with the expectations based on previous measurements from e+e− and ep collisions, showing that charm fragmentation fractions are not universal. The investigation of initial-state effects such as shadowing in the collision of a proton with a heavy nucleus is also performed. Measurements of open heavy-flavour and quarkonia production in Pb–Pb collisions allow for testing the mechanisms of heavy-quark transport, energy loss, and coalescence effects during the hadronisation in the presence of a QCD medium. In this contribution, the most recent results on open heavy-flavour and quarkonia production in pp, p–Pb, and Pb–Pb collisions obtained by the ALICE Collaboration are discussed.
Recent milestones from STAR: new developments and open questions
Authors: Ma Rongrong ,   (For the STAR Collaboration)
Published: February 2022

In these proceedings, an overview of recent STAR results on selected topics is presented. These results utilize Au+Au collisions at various energies, and are aimed at understanding the properties of QED and QCD, characterizing the quark-gluon plasma, as well as searching for the possible critical point in the QCD phase diagram. Specifically, following measurements are discussed: global hyperon polarization, net-proton fluctuations, low transverse momentum dimuon pair production, hyperon-baryon correlations, and f0(980) elliptic flow.
Light and strange hadron production and anisotropic flow measurement in Au+Au collisions at √SNN = 3 GeV from STAR
Authors: Xie Guannan ,   for the STAR Collaboration
Published: February 2022

In this proceeding, we present on our first measurements of identified particle (π, K, p, Ks0, Λ, ϕ, Ξ−) production and anisotropic flow (υ1, υ2) in Au+Au collisions at √SNN = 3 GeV. Various models including thermal and transport model calculations are compared to data, these results imply that the matter produced in the 3 GeV Au+Au collisions is considerably different from that at higher energies.
Global and local polarization of Λ (Λ) hyperons in Pb–Pb collisions in ALICE at the LHC
Authors: Sarkar Debojit ,   (for the ALICE Collaboration)
Published: February 2022

The global polarization of the Λ and Λ¯ hyperons (PH) has been measured in Pb–Pb collisions at √SNN = 2.76 TeV and 5.02 TeV in ALICE at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). The hyperon global polarization is found to be consistent with zero at both collision energies. The local polarization of the Λ and Λ¯ hyperons along the beam (z) direction, Pz, has also been measured in Pb–Pb collisions at √SNN = 5.02 TeV. The Pz, measured as a function of the hyperon emission angle relative to the second harmonic symmetry plane, exhibits a second harmonic sine modulation, as expected due to elliptic flow. The measurements of global and local hyperon polarization are reported for different collision centralities and as a function of transverse momentum in semicentral collisions. These results show the first experimental evidence of a non-zero hyperon Pz in Pb–Pb collisions at the LHC.
Azimuthal anisotropy measurement of multi-strange hadrons in Au+Au collision at √SNN = 27 and 54.4 GeV at STAR
Authors: Dixit Prabhupada ,   (for the STAR collaboration)
Published: February 2022

In these proceedings, we present the second order (ν2) and the third order (ν3) azimuthal anisotropy measurements of strange and multi-strange hadrons such as KS0, Λ, Λ¯, ϕ, Ξ−, Ξ¯+, Ω−, Ω¯+ in Au+Au collisions at √SNN = 27 and 54.4 GeV at STAR. The centrality dependence of ν2 and ν3 as well as the number of constituent quark scaling (NCQ scaling) for all the particles mentioned above are discussed. The ratio of ν2 of ϕ mesons to that of p¯ is presented at √SNN = 54.4 GeV which gives a hint of mass ordering violation at low pT.
NCQ scaling of f0(980) elliptic flow in 200 GeV Au+Au collisions by STAR and its constituent quark content
Authors: Zhao Jie ,   (for the STAR collaboration)
Published: February 2022

Searching for exotic state particles and studying their properties have furthered our understanding of quantum chromodynamics (QCD). The f0(980) resonance is an exotic state with relatively high production rate in relativistic heavy-ion collisions, decaying primarily into ππ. Currently the structure and quark content of the f0(980) are unknown with several predictions from theory being a qq¯ state, a qqq¯q¯ state, a KK¯ molecule state, or a gluonium state. We report the first f0(980) elliptic flow (v2) measurement from 200 GeV Au+Au collisions at STAR. The transverse momentum dependence of v2 is examined and compared to those of other hadrons (baryons and mesons). The empirical number of constituent quark (NCQ) scaling is used to investigate the constituent quark content of f0(980), which may potentially address an important question in QCD.
System size and energy dependence of resonance production at ALICE
Authors: Sumberia Vikash ,   (for the ALICE collaboration)
Published: February 2022

Hadronic resonances, thanks to their relatively short lifetimes, can be used to probe the properties of the hadronic phase in ultrarelativistic heavyion collisions. In particular their lifetimes are exploited to investigate the interplay between particle rescattering and regeneration after hadronization. In this contribution we present recent results on ρ(770)0, K*(892), ϕ(1020), Σ(1385)±, Ξ (1530)0 and Λ(1520) production in pp, p–Pb, Pb–Pb and Xe–Xe collisions at LHC energies.
Investigating the origin of strangeness enhancement in small systems through multi-differential analyses
Authors: Ercolessi Francesca ,   (for the ALICE Collaboration)
Published: February 2022

The main goal of the ALICE experiment is to study the physics of strongly interacting matter, including the properties of the quark-gluon plasma (QGP). The relative production of strange hadrons with respect to non-strange hadrons in heavy-ion collisions was historically considered as one of the signatures of QGP formation. However, measurements at the LHC in pp and p-Pb collisions have shown similar features to those observed in Pb-Pb, measuring an increase in the production of strange hadrons relative to pions with the charged-particle multiplicity in the event. In order to better understand the role of the event multiplicity to the observed enhancement in pp, two new complementary analyses have been performed. The first exploits the angular correlation between strange and high-pT hadrons in the event to classify in-jet and out-of-jet strangeness production. The second uses the concept of the effective energy available in the event for particle production which is estimated by an anti-correlation with the energy deposited in ALICE’s Zero Degree Calorimeters. The results suggest that strangeness enhancement emerges from the growth of the underlying event and is not connected to initial state properties.
Charm-baryon enhancement and charm fragmentation fractions in small systems measured with ALICE
Authors: Zhu Jianhui ,   for the ALICE Collaboration
Published: February 2022

Recent measurements of charm-baryon production at midrapidity by the ALICE collaboration show baryon-to-meson yield ratios significantly higher than those measured in e+e− collisions, suggesting that the charm fragmentations are not universal across different collisions systems. Thus, measurements of charm-baryon production are crucial to study the charm quark hadronisation in proton–proton (pp) collisions. In proton–lead (p–Pb) collisions, the measurements of charm baryons provide important information about cold nuclear matter effects and help to understand how the possible presence of collective effects could modify the production of heavy-flavour hadrons. In this contribution, the most recent results on open charm-hadron production in pp and p–Pb collisions measured by ALICE are discussed.
First measurement of the Bc+ meson nuclear modification factor in PbPb collisions with CMS
Authors: Falmagne Guillaume ,   on behalf of the CMS Collaboration
Published: February 2022

The Bc+ meson is observed in lead-lead and proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy per nucleon pair of √SNN = 5.02 TeV, via the Bc+ → (J/ψ → μ+μ−)μ+vμ decay and using 2017 and 2018 data from the CMS detector. The resulting Bc+ nuclear modification factor is measured in two bins of the trimuon transverse momentum and of the collision centrality. Less suppression is observed than for other quarkonia and most open heavy flavour mesons. This first observation of the Bc+ meson in heavy ion collisions will shed light on the interplay of suppression and enhancement mechanisms in the production of heavy-flavor mesons in the quark-gluon plasma.
Fixed-target program upgrade and prospects at LHCb
Authors: Franzoso Edoardo ,   for the LHCb Collaboration
Published: February 2022

LHCb has the unique capability to operate in fixed-target mode to study collisions of the LHC beams on fixed targets. In Run3, the internal gas target is going to be upgraded to allow for a wider selection of target gas species and a significant increase of the rates of fixed-target collisions by up to two orders of magnitude. Along with significant data acquisition and tracking upgrades, the SMOG2 system greatly enhances the reach of LHCb’s heavy ion program.
Studying strangeness and baryon production in small systems through Ξ—hadron correlations using the ALICE detector
Authors: Adolfsson Jonatan ,   (for the ALICE Collaboration)
Published: February 2022

These proceedings summarise recent measurements of angular correlations between the Ξ baryon and identified hadrons in pp collisions at √S = 13 TeV using the ALICE detector. The results are compared with both string-based (PYTHIA8 with extensions) and core-corona (EPOS-LHC) models, to improve our understanding of strangeness and baryon production in small systems. The results favour baryon production through string junctions over diquark breaking, but the PYTHIA models fail at describing the relatively wide Ξ—strangeness jet peak, indicating stronger diffusion of strange quarks in data. On the other hand, EPOS-LHC is missing local conservation of quantum numbers, making it difficult to draw any conclusion about the core-corona model.
Quelque chose en nous de Paul Balvet
Authors: Jovelet Georges
Published: February 2022

L’auteur propose de faire retour à l’œuvre de Paul Balvet, voix trop méconnue de la psychiatrie publique. Ce psychiatre humaniste, progressiste, désaliéniste, dont la carrière (1936-1973) se déroule à un moment charnière de l’histoire de notre discipline nous invite à une psychiatrie réflexive, à agir toujours au service des patients. Ses différentes contributions, en particulier ses écrits ouvrent, au-delà là de considérations cliniques et d’une analyse critique des institutions, à une dimension épistémologique, anthropologique et politique de la psychiatrie. Par ses apports à une psychiatrie relationnelle « inter-personnelle », spéculative et clinique, inscrite dans la tradition médico-philosophique, il continue à faire enseignement et demeure un homme de notre temps.
Hyperactivité chez l’enfant
Authors: Benhamou Hervé
Published: February 2022

Depuis plusieurs décennies, l’hyperactivité de l’enfant avec troubles attentionnels fait l’objet de polémiques regrettables. Quels que soient les éventuelles prédispositions génétiques et autres facteurs neuronaux, biologiques, cognitifs… à prendre en compte dans la genèse du TDAH, on ne peut faire l’impasse sur la quête du sens des symptômes par rapport au fonctionnement mental du jeune patient et son environnement familial et social. Cette quête replace aussi les troubles dans l’histoire du sujet, telle qu’il l’a vécue subjectivement. Mais l’abord de tels patients et les choix thérapeutiques dépendent de la formation du praticien qu’il rencontre, de ses préjugés conscients et inconscients, et de ses éventuels conflits d’intérêt. Une réelle démarche scientifique impose des indications thérapeutiques sans dogmatismes, qui ne rejettent ni la prescription médicamenteuse ni les soins psychothérapiques individuels, familiaux, voire institutionnels, dans une perspective de complémentarité adaptée à chaque cas.
Wie der Sonntags-Tatort zum Tode führte …
Authors: Hoffmann Knut , Juckel Georg
Published: February 2022

Wir berichten hier über einen besonderen Fall eines Suizids, der sich im zeitlich sehr nahen Anschluss an die Ausstrahlung einer Tatortfolge ereignete und die dort gezeigte Tötungsmethode direkt kopierte. Es wird kritisch das Problem von derartigen Darstellungen auch unabhängig von den üblichen Regeln des Pressekodex diskutiert.
Using cacti to spread Wi-Fi
Authors: Piccone Ashley
Published: February 2022

Antenna design exploits the water content in cacti for biofriendly communication technology
Optimization and experimental analysis of a solar powered adsorption refrigeration system using selective adsorbent/adsorbate pairs
Authors: Saravanan N. , Edwin M.
Published: February 2022

Adsorption-based cooling system is a cost-effective method of heat conversion. It has the potential to dramatically enhance energy efficiency while also lowering pollutant levels. For this purpose, a solar-powered vapor adsorption refrigeration system (VAdRS) using activated carbon–methanol and zeolite–water as the working pair has been designed and experimentally evaluated. The aim of this experiment was to evaluate the coefficient of performance (COP) and specific cooling power (SCP) of a solar cooling unit by utilizing the optimum minimum and maximum mass concentration ratios. The novel solar-assisted adsorption refrigeration system optimization technique is used in this research to evaluate the optimal performance of the solar-powered VAdRS under various operating scenarios. The experiment was conducted at the optimum minimum and maximum mass concentration ratios of 0.1 and 0.2, respectively. The experimental results show that the activated carbon–methanol adsorption system produces a higher COP value than the zeolite–water adsorption system of 0.49–0.64 and 0.64–0.67 at constant evaporator and condenser temperature, respectively. It also showed that the higher SCP value was revealed in the zeolite–water-based adsorption cooling system as 207.5–217.4 kJ/kg. It was revealed that AC–methanol could be used to operate better in low-generating-temperature conditions. On the other hand, the zeolite–water adsorption system can be used at higher generating temperatures.
Effects of beam divergence and polychromaticity on small angle x-ray scattering measurements with laser plasma sources
Authors: Deng Y. J. , Zhang Y. Y. , Cao Zhurong , Chen S. , Luo S. N.
Published: February 2022

We explore the feasibility of small angle x-ray scattering (SAXS) measurements with intense laser-induced plasma sources. Such x-ray sources are inherently polychromatic and divergent. We simulate SAXS patterns using monochromatic and polychromatic x-ray sources with different divergences of polydisperse particle systems with different size distributions. The beam divergence is adjusted via varying x-ray source size, pinhole size, and the source-to-pinhole distance. Three typical laser plasma He-α sources (Fe, Cu, and Ge) are considered. The scattering curves are analyzed using the modified Guinier approach and the total non-negative least squares method. We demonstrate certain feasibility of SAXS measurements using laser plasma sources with a finite size, without a monochromator and additional software desmearing.
Stacked materials build up massive electrons
Authors: Hill Heather M.
Published: February 2022

A heterostructure exhibits unusual electronic behavior previously seen only in materials with rare-earth or actinide elements.
Spectroscopy shines light on an electrode–water interface
Authors: Lopatka Alex
Published: February 2022

With increasingly negative electric potentials, sodium spectator ions help split water to form molecular hydrogen.
Extreme sensitivity charge detection
Authors: Woodbury Daniel , Schwartz Robert , Milchberg Howard
Published: February 2022

To detect individual electrons in air, researchers are revisiting experiments from the dawn of the laser age with new technology.
Effects of
Authors: Qin Linlin , Su Guoqi , Wu Cheng , Zhou Qiang , Peng Xie , Hu Liang , Liu Yang , Wang Ru , Xu Qin , Fang Zhengfeng , Lin Yan , Xu Shengyu , Feng Bin , Li Jian , Wu De , Che Lianqiang
Published: February 2022

Context In-feed antibiotics are commonly used to improve growth and gut health of weaning pigs. Due to anti-microbial resistance by extensively using antibiotics, however, in-feed antibiotics have been banned in Europe and China. Tremella fuciformis is a traditional edible fungus in China. Recent studies have found that Tremella fuciformis extract (TFE) has anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer and immune-modulatory functions. Therefore, there is the potential to develop Tremella fuciformis as an alternative to antibiotics. Aims The study was performed to explore the effects of TFE on growth performance, and biochemical and immunological parameters of weaned piglets under lipopolysaccharide (LPS) challenge. Methods Forty-eight weaned piglets were assigned into two groups with six pens (four piglets per-pen), receiving a control diet or a control diet with 400 mg/kg TFE (TFE), respectively. After 28 days of the trial, two piglets per pen were selected to be injected with LPS (50 μg/kg of BW) or an equivalent amount of sterile saline. Blood samples were collected at 0 and 3 h after LPS challenge. Key results The results showed that TFE supplementation significantly increased the average daily gain (P < 0.05) and decreased the faecal score (P < 0.05) during the first week, improved the feed conversion ratio (P < 0.05) and BWt gain (P < 0.05) during the whole period. Piglets fed the TFE diet had higher plasma levels of white blood cells (P < 0.05) than that of piglets fed the control diet diet before the LPS challenge. Regardless of the dietary treatment, the LPS challenge significantly decreased the level of white blood cells, and increased the levels of red blood cells, haemoglobin, haematocrit, total protein, interleukin-1β and tumour necrosis factor-α (all P < 0.05). Regardless of the LPS challenge, however, the concentrations of total protein, interleukin-1β and tumour necrosis factor-α were decreased (all P < 0.05) in the plasma of piglets fed the TFE diet compared with the control diet diet. Conclusions In summary, the supplementation of TFE in the weaning diet could improve the growth performance and immunity of piglets. Implication TFE could be used as a bioactive substance for improving growth and immune response in pig production.
Marker-assisted selection and validation of DNA markers associated with cadmium content in durum wheat germplasm
Authors: Alsaleh Ahmad , Baloch Faheem Shehzad , Sesiz Uğur , Nadeem Muhammad Azhar , Hatipoğlu Rüştü , Erbakan Mustafa , Özkan Hakan
Published: February 2022

Cadmium (Cd) is a non-essential heavy metal having toxic effects on all living organisms. Durum wheat (Triticum durum Desf.) is widely used in human diets but has the potential to accumulate Cd. It also has a high level of genetic diversity, which may be exploited to develop cultivars with low Cd content. We aimed to perform marker-assisted selection and validate previously identified Cd markers in durum wheat germplasm for use in the investigation of accessions that accumulate low grain Cd content. We assessed 130 durum wheat accessions phenotypically and using three different molecular markers. Grain Cd contents of the studied germplasm varied 4.91-fold (26.2–128.7 μg/kg) with an average of 58.2 μg/kg. Landraces showed lower average values of grain Cd content than cultivars. Three molecular markers (usw47, Cad-5B and KASP marker Cad-5B) were used to differentiate high and low Cd accumulating lines. Results showed high correlation and successfully classified the accessions to the expected high or low Cd level; 87 accessions showed the low Cd alleles, and 43 accessions the high Cd alleles, except for five accessions with the usw47 marker that showed heterozygous status. A significant correlation coefficient (r = 0.944*) was observed among the three molecular markers. Based on molecular markers, 96.2% of the accessions were classified accurately. The KASP assay was highly effective in successfully separating low from high Cd content accessions and could be used as a molecular tool in durum wheat breeding programs, with less cost and time, targeting reduced grain Cd levels. The results of this study will allow durum wheat breeders to accelerate their progress to select suitable genotypes with the desired alleles.
Conservation entrepreneurship for offshore island enterprises: a perspective
Authors: Ball Derek
Published: February 2022

Conservation entrepreneurship is based on the notion that it is possible to build a business system around a conservation challenge, and in doing so, create a targeted and adequate resourcing mechanism to support interventions, over adequate time frames. Constructing business models is not something that is usually at the forefront of a conservation practitioner’s agenda, nor often within their capacity. This paper takes the reader through the process of building such models, within the context of offshore islands in the Australian region, and using structures and terminologies that are commonplace in the business world, but perhaps not so much so in the conservation sector. In addition, this business model approach is presented in context of the ‘collective impact’ framework, which involves centralised infrastructure, dedicated management, and a structure ensuring development of a common agenda, shared measurement systems (i.e. of what success looks like), continuous communication, and mutually reinforcing activities amongst all those involved.
Availability of drinking water in rural and remote communities in New South Wales, Australia
Authors: Perry Christina , Dimitropoulos Yvonne , Skinner John , Bourke Chris , Miranda Kate , Cain Elyse , Beaufils Damien , Christie Vita , Rambaldini Boe , Gwynne Kylie
Published: February 2022

Many rural communities in New South Wales (NSW), Australia, have poor-quality water supplies. The lack of a palatable alternative increases the risk of the high consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages, a significant contributor to adverse health outcomes. This disproportionately effects Aboriginal people living in these towns, who are also profoundly affected by the social determinants of health. Therefore, examining health inequalities linked to water access is important. This study investigated the availability of drinking water fountains in rural and remote communities in NSW. Telephone interviewer-assisted surveys were conducted with 32 representatives from local government councils or Local Aboriginal Land Councils in NSW from communities with a population of <5000 and an Aboriginal population of at least 3%. The results were analysed descriptively. Towns and communities with a higher population of Aboriginal people and lower median weekly income were less likely to have access to free refrigerated and filtered water within the community or at local schools compared with towns and communities with a lower Aboriginal population and higher median weekly income. The availability of free, clean and refrigerated water in rural and remote communities is critical to reducing the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages and the promotion of water as the preferred drink.
Executioner caspases 3 and 7 are dispensable for intestinal epithelium turnover and homeostasis at steady state
Authors: Ghazavi Farzaneh , Huysentruyt Jelle , De Coninck Jordy , Kourula Stephanie , Martens Sofie , Hassannia Behrouz , Wartewig Tim , Divert Tatyana , Roelandt Ria , Popper Bastian , Hiergeist Andreas , Tougaard Peter , Vanden Berghe Tom , Joossens Marie , Berx Geert , Takahashi Nozomi , Wahida Adam , Vandenabeele Peter
Published: February 2022

Significance

Historically, programmed cell death by apoptosis is considered crucial for proper intestinal organogenesis and gut homeostasis. To challenge this concept, we generated caspase-3 and -7 double knockout mice specifically in intestinal epithelial cells (IECs). However, absence of apoptosis in IECs elicits neither morphological and inflammatory changes nor intestinal dysbiosis during gut homeostasis at steady state. This demonstrates the robustness of intestinal homeostasis at steady state for the absence of caspase-3/7 and shows that in contrast to caspase-8, which keeps necroptosis and associated inflammation in check, caspase-3/7–dependent apoptosis of IECs in homeostatic conditions is dispensable for normal intestinal development, immune cell composition, and microbiome control.
Integration of remote sensing and GIS in the identification of the vegetation covers degradation of the korifla basin (NW of Central Morocco) between 1990 and 2018
Authors: Lahcen D , Hafida N , Souad M , Rachid E H , Bejjaji Z , Mohamed S
Published: February 2022

To characterize the evolution of the vegetation cover in the Korifla basin between 1990 and 2018, and subsequently to reconstitute, understand and explain the climatic and anthropogenic phenomena causing these changes, we adopted a methodological approach combining remote sensing techniques, geographic information systems (GIS) and statistical processing. This work consists of multitemporal satellite images at high and low spatial resolution. After the preprocessing and processing operations of these images and the calculation of the spectral indices NDWI (Normalies difference water index), NDVI (Normalies difference vegetation Index) and BI (Brilliance Index), we have developed multi-temporal maps of the vegetation, water and soil. The establishment and processing of land cover maps (LCM) through the use of the “change detection” application has allowed us to quantify the changes in vegetation cover during the last 28 years in the Korifla basin. As a result, the NDVI maps show that the vegetation cover of the Korifla basin suffered a degradation between the 1990s and 2010 against a regeneration between 2010 and 2018. This last increase is not detectable by the SVM method. As for the “change detection” technique, it confirms the regression of the areas of plant cover between 1990 and 2010 followed by an increase between 2010 and 2015 and relayed by a new regression of these areas between 2015 and 2018.
Slopes of seasonal variations of time series and forecasts: Practical case on weather
Authors: Elamrani H
Published: February 2022

This article introduces a model to develop seasonal time series forecasts based on the stability of the seasonal slopes ofvariation of the successive values of the series in matter at the two successive times. The proposed method is based on the average of the slopes of two successive instants of the same seasons during the periods of this series. The power of this method is derived from the concept of deriving the graph of the time series as an indicator of the direction of its variation. Thus, this model relies on stabilized slopes as steps of variation from an instant to the next. This method developed here is implemented to predict the temperature of the city Basel-Switzerland to show the effectiveness of this model that adopts the derivative of order 1 the series between two successive instants. Taking into account that we have not taken into account all the factors influencing the weather, including the temperature. So, the results obtained will not be accurate enough as possible. in fact, the average difference between the calculated and observed values of temperature was 4.37°C.
Studies of soil degradation, synthetic evaluation of the direct consequences on the landslides of bridges in Southern-Guinea
Authors: Diallo I D , Darraz C , Sidibe D , Tilioua A
Published: February 2022

The lifespans of bridges have become very short in Guinea. They partially collapse, until they fall completely. To understand this scourge and provide some answers, we have conducted more than fifty surveys among neighboring populations and certain professional services (those in charge of studies: climatic; hydrological; agricultural and public works). One problem emerges in common: soil degradation. Lola (border town with the Ivory Coast) is said to have cut itself off from the rest of Guinea after heavy rain. Because? The bridge that linked it to the rest of the country would have collapsed after a complete degradation of its support: the ground. In Kérouané (another city in Guinea), landslides are permanent and cause certain bridges to collapse. The results of our surveys show that with the alternation of the seasons, these soils (lacking scientific and professional studies) undergo degradation and lose their initial states of stability. Our research work and their results support the need for a basic geotechnical study before the start of any project. This could prevent any probable socio-economic impact caused by soil degradation in the regions.
The consumer price index and it effect in the new ecosystems and energy consumption during the sanitary confinement: the case of an emerging country
Authors: Imrani O E , Hamich M , Boulaksili A
Published: February 2022

The country’s economies are undergoing major structural changes as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. It is mainly due to various businesses managing to limit the distribution of the plague at the levels of industry exchanges and particularly among small-business tradesmen, craft manufacturers, and other sectors of activity. Since the time many countries around the world have lifted their isolation policies, or are about to do so, we wanted to have an up-to-date overview of the current epidemic situation in Morocco in relation to other countries. In addition, we discovered that Morocco’s current epidemic situation has a significant impact on the global level of consumption. The purpose of this piece of writing is to try to find out the effect of government policies on the consumer price index in order to handle the upcoming change in the energy and ecosystem ecosystems.
Landslide Disaster Mapping in Silo District, Jember Regency
Authors: Susetyo J A , Kurnianto F A , Nurdin E A , Pangastuti E I
Published: February 2022

Silo District has land with mountainous contours that are relatively unstable and prone to landslides. The factors that cause landslides are complex factors, not only one factor that affects landslides but there are several factors that contribute to the occurrence of a landslide. landslide. The use of five landslide parameters, including rainfall, soil type, slope, land cover and geology. The use of this parameter is adjusted to the physical condition of the silo sub-district. The purpose of this study was to analyze the level of landslide vulnerability in Silo District. The method used is the overlay method with scoring. The scoring of each parameter is based on previous research and the researcher’s modifications are adjusted to the physical conditions of the research location. The data resulting from the overlay process is then classified into three classes, namely areas of landslide vulnerability: low, medium and high. The low classification has a total area of 4266 hectares, the medium classification has an area of 5324 hectares, and the high classification has an area of 659 hectares. Areas with low classification are scattered in the central and northern part of Silo District, namely Silo Village, Sempolan Village and Sumberjati Village. Areas with Medium Classification are spread in the central to southern region which is an area with an old mountainous topography. Meanwhile, areas with a high classification are scattered in the eastern, southern and western regions right around the border with the Banyuwangi Regency border in the east and the old mountainous area in the south and west.
Life cycle assessment of stainless-steel reusable speculums versus disposable acrylic speculums in a university clinic setting: a case study
Authors: Rodriguez Morris Monica I , Hicks Andrea
Published: February 2022

The reusable versus disposable debate is frequently discussed with regards to health care sustainability. Vaginal speculums used in pelvic exams are available in both disposable and reusable material designs. A comparative cradle to grave life cycle assessment (LCA) was conducted to determine and analyze the environmental impacts of using disposable acrylic speculums versus using reusable stainless-steel speculums in a women’s university health clinic where around 5,000 pelvic exams are conducted on a yearly basis. Environmental impacts for the Tool for the Reduction and Assessment of Chemical and other environmental Impacts (TRACI) 2.1 categories were determined using process based LCA. The scope considered for the analysis includes the stages of raw materials, manufacturing, use, and end of life. The functional unit for all analyses is selected as 5,000 pelvic exams, which is equivalent to one year of clinic operation. The reusable stainless steel speculum system outperformed the acrylic speculum system in five impact categories: global warming, acidification, respiratory effects, smog, and fossil fuel depletion. There is one category, ozone depletion, where the acrylic speculum system performs better. When accounting for uncertainty, in the carcinogenics, non-carcinogenics, ecotoxicity, and eutrophication impact categories, there is no speculum system that outperforms the other. Overall, there is no speculum system that outperforms the other consistently across all TRACI impact categories, however, depending on the overall environmental objectives one may be preferable to the other.
CICLOP: a robust and accurate computational framework for protein inner cavity detection
Authors: Garg Parth , Sacher Sukriti ,   Mrinal ,   Atul , Gautam Prutyay , Ray Arjun
Published: February 2022

Motivation

Internal cavities in proteins are of critical functional importance. They can serve as substrate/ligand-binding sites, pave path for movement of biomolecules and even mediate structural conformations occurring between domain interfaces during structural transitions. Yet, there is a paucity of computational tools that can accurately and reliably characterize the inner cavities of the proteins, a prerequisite for elucidating their functions.

Results

We have developed a novel method, CICLOP, that can accurately identify these regions at an atomistic resolution. The method is able to accurately detect residues lining the inner cavity, the diameter and volume occupied by the cavity, as well as physico-chemical properties of residues lining the cavity, such as their hydrophobicity and secondary structure distribution in detail. Additionally, our method also provides an option for computing conservation scores for the residues detected on the inside, allowing for a thorough functional characterization of the cavity.

Availability and implementation

CICLOP is available at http://ciclop.raylab.iiitd.edu.in/. A compiled Linux executable can be downloaded from https://ciclop.raylab.iiitd.edu.in/standalone/.

Supplementary information

Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Federated Random Forests can improve local performance of predictive models for various healthcare applications
Authors: Hauschild Anne-Christin , Lemanczyk Marta , Matschinske Julian , Frisch Tobias , Zolotareva Olga , Holzinger Andreas , Baumbach Jan , Heider Dominik
Published: February 2022

Motivation

Limited data access has hindered the field of precision medicine from exploring its full potential, e.g. concerning machine learning and privacy and data protection rules.

Our study evaluates the efficacy of federated Random Forests (FRF) models, focusing particularly on the heterogeneity within and between datasets. We addressed three common challenges: (i) number of parties, (ii) sizes of datasets and (iii) imbalanced phenotypes, evaluated on five biomedical datasets.

Results

The FRF outperformed the average local models and performed comparably to the data-centralized models trained on the entire data. With an increasing number of models and decreasing dataset size, the performance of local models decreases drastically. The FRF, however, do not decrease significantly. When combining datasets of different sizes, the FRF vastly improve compared to the average local models. We demonstrate that the FRF remain more robust and outperform the local models by analyzing different class-imbalances.

Our results support that FRF overcome boundaries of clinical research and enables collaborations across institutes without violating privacy or legal regulations. Clinicians benefit from a vast collection of unbiased data aggregated from different geographic locations, demographics and other varying factors. They can build more generalizable models to make better clinical decisions, which will have relevance, especially for patients in rural areas and rare or geographically uncommon diseases, enabling personalized treatment. In combination with secure multi-party computation, federated learning has the power to revolutionize clinical practice by increasing the accuracy and robustness of healthcare AI and thus paving the way for precision medicine.

Availability and implementation

The implementation of the federated random forests can be found at https://featurecloud.ai/.

Supplementary information

Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
AMPK-mediated potentiation of GABAergic signalling drives hypoglycaemia-provoked spike-wave seizures
Authors: Salvati Kathryn A , Ritger Matthew L , Davoudian Pasha A , O’Dell Finnegan , Wyskiel Daniel R , Souza George M P R , Lu Adam C , Perez-Reyes Edward , Drake Joshua C , Yan Zhen , Beenhakker Mark P
Published: February 2022

Metabolism regulates neuronal activity and modulates the occurrence of epileptic seizures. Here, using two rodent models of absence epilepsy, we show that hypoglycaemia increases the occurrence of spike-wave seizures. We then show that selectively disrupting glycolysis in the thalamus, a structure implicated in absence epilepsy, is sufficient to increase spike-wave seizures. We propose that activation of thalamic AMP-activated protein kinase, a sensor of cellular energetic stress and potentiator of metabotropic GABAB-receptor function, is a significant driver of hypoglycaemia-induced spike-wave seizures. We show that AMP-activated protein kinase augments postsynaptic GABAB-receptor-mediated currents in thalamocortical neurons and strengthens epileptiform network activity evoked in thalamic brain slices. Selective thalamic AMP-activated protein kinase activation also increases spike-wave seizures. Finally, systemic administration of metformin, an AMP-activated protein kinase agonist and common diabetes treatment, profoundly increased spike-wave seizures. These results advance the decades-old observation that glucose metabolism regulates thalamocortical circuit excitability by demonstrating that AMP-activated protein kinase and GABAB-receptor cooperativity is sufficient to provoke spike-wave seizures.
SARS-CoV-2 S Protein Subunit 1 Elicits Ca2+ Influx – Dependent Ca2+ Signals in Pancreatic Stellate Cells and Macrophages In Situ
Authors: Gerasimenko Julia V , Petersen Ole H , Gerasimenko Oleg V
Published: February 2022

The S protein subunit 1 (S1) of SARS-CoV-2 is known to be responsible for the binding of the virus to host cell receptors, but the initial intracellular signalling steps following receptor activation of cells in the exocrine pancreas are unknown. Using an intact live mouse pancreatic lobule preparation, we observed that S1 elicited Ca2+ signals in stellate cells and macrophages, but not in the dominant acinar cells. The Ca2+ signals occurred mostly in the form of repetitive Ca2+ spikes. The probability of observing Ca2+ signals depended on the S1 concentration. The threshold was close to 70 nM, whereas at 600 nM, all cells responded. The SARS-Cov-2 nucleocapsid protein did not elicit any Ca2+ signals in any of the three cell types tested. The S1-induced Ca2+ signals in stellate cells started much faster (122 ± 37s) than those in macrophages (468 ± 68s). Furthermore, the interleukin-18 binding protein (IL-18BP) abolished the responses in macrophages without affecting the Ca2+ signals in stellate cells. The S1-elicited Ca2+ signals were completely dependent on the presence of external Ca2+ and were abolished by a selective inhibitor (CM4620) of Orai1 Ca2+ Release Activated Ca2+ channels. SARS-CoV-2 may contribute to acute pancreatitis, an often fatal inflammatory human disease. The S1-elicited Ca2+ signals we have observed in the pancreatic stellate cells and endogenous macrophages may play an important part in the development of the inflammatory process.
Genome Sequencing of a Gray Wolf from Peninsular India Provides New Insights into the Evolution and Hybridization of Gray Wolves
Authors: Wang Ming-Shan , Thakur Mukesh , Jhala Yadvendradev , Wang Sheng , Srinivas Yellapu , Dai Shan-Shan , Liu Zheng-Xi , Chen Hong-Man , Green Richard E , Koepfli Klaus-Peter , Shapiro Beth
Published: February 2022

The gray wolf (Canis lupus) is among the few large carnivores that survived the Late Pleistocene megafaunal extinctions. Thanks to their complex history of admixture and extensive geographic range, the number of gray wolf subspecies and their phylogenetic relationships remain poorly understood. Here, we perform whole-genome sequencing of a gray wolf collected from peninsular India that was phenotypically distinct from gray wolves outside India. Genomic analyses reveal that the Indian gray wolf is an evolutionarily distinct lineage that diverged from other extant gray wolf lineages ∼110 thousand years ago. Demographic analyses suggest that the Indian wolf population declined continuously decline since separating from other gray wolves and, today, has exceptionally low genetic diversity. We also find evidence for pervasive and mosaic gene flow between the Indian wolf and African canids including African wolf, Ethiopian wolf, and African wild dog despite their current geographical separation. Our results support the hypothesis that the Indian subcontinent was a Pleistocene refugium and center of diversification and further highlight the complex history of gene flow that characterized the evolution of gray wolves.
Platform Regulation in Europe—Per Se Rules to the Rescue?
Authors: Witt Anne C
Published: February 2022

Mainstream competition law has failed to protect competition in core digital platform markets. This is partially due to enforcement agencies’ current commitment to proving the investigated conduct’s actual effects on competition and consumer welfare on the basis of in-depth assessments of each case’s individual circumstances before intervening in the market. While reducing the likelihood of erroneously prohibiting conduct that is not actually harmful, this approach is too time- and resource-consuming to protect competition in digital markets prone to tipping. This contribution argues that well-designed per se rules offer a promising alternative. Against this background, it critically assesses how three emerging European models of platform regulation (the draft EU Digital Markets Act, the draft UK Pro-Competition Regime, and the German Digitalisation Act) balance the objectives of ensuring time- and cost-effective enforcement, avoiding enforcement errors, and maximizing legal certainty for platforms. It concludes that the UK model currently promises to strike the best balance between these competing aims.
Building the Ancestral Public: Cemeteries and the Necropolitics of Property in Colonial Ghana
Authors: Balakrishnan Sarah
Published: February 2022

This essay studies changes to mortuary practices in colonial Gold Coast (southern Ghana) beginning with the British state’s creation of town cemeteries in the late nineteenth century. It argues that the colonial state enforced cemetery burial because they realized Gold Coast people would never sell their land if it contained the remains of their elders; cemeteries were therefore a crucial tool in the transformation of land into private property for state dispossession. However, the invention of cemeteries had a significant impact on how communities worshipped, and conceived of, ancestral spirits. By gathering ancestors from the various households into a single site, the graveyard created an “ancestral public,” a community of ancestors who protected the community collectively. Their invention changed Gold Coast communities’ relationship to spirits, the afterlife, and property. What ensued were political contestations over rightful burial places, mortuary authority, and what will be called “the necropolitics of property”—the decision of who could, or who could not, enter the afterlife, and what consequences this had for estates.
Nurse’s Stories
Authors: Dickens Charles
Published: February 2022

There are not many places that I find it more agreeable to revisit when I am in an idle mood, than some places to which I have never been. For, my acquaintance with those spots is of such long standing, and has ripened into an intimacy of so affectionate a nature, that I take a particular interest in assuring myself that they are unchanged.