bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Forest canopy cover affects microclimate buffering during an extreme heat event
Authors: John Aji , Pradhan Kavya , Case Michael J , Ettinger Ailene K , Hille Ris Lambers Janneke
Published: September 2024

Increasing temperatures and extreme heat episodes have become more common with climate change. While forests are known to buffer increasing temperatures (relative to non-forested areas), whether this buffering is maintained under extreme temperature events is relatively unknown. Here we assess whether forests continue to buffer microclimate (specifically temperatures) during an extreme heat event: the Pacific Northwest (PNW) heat dome in June 2021. We use a combination of ground-based and regional climate data and find that forest understories were 3 °C cooler than a clear-cut area and 4 °C cooler than regional temperatures during the PNW heat dome. By examining forests with different levels of canopy cover we also found that the buffering capacity of forests is greater under denser canopies even under extreme heat events. Additionally, we found vertical variation in thermal buffering, with the greatest amount of buffering at the surface of the forest floor. Overall, our findings suggest that temperate coastal forests, that are known to buffer average temperatures, can also act as microclimate buffers during extreme heat events like the heat dome that occurred in the PNW in 2021. This could be good news for forest dwelling organisms that are sensitive to such extreme heat events.
A comprehensive machine learning framework with particle swarm optimization for improved polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) diagnosis
Authors: Kumar Ankur , Singh Jaspreet , Khan Asim Ali
Published: September 2024

Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) is a hormonal disorder primarily affecting women of reproductive age, characterized by irregular menstrual cycles, elevated male hormones, and ovarian cysts. Early detection and treatment are crucial to prevent long-term complications. This research utilizes clinical data from Kaggle to develop a non-invasive PCOS diagnostic system. The authors conducted comprehensive data preprocessing, feature engineering, and exploratory data analysis (EDA). The refined dataset was incorporated into various default machine learning (ML) algorithms, including LR, LDA, GNB, SVM, XGB, DT, AB, RF, and KNN, for PCOS classification with varying train test ratios 70:30 to 80:20. To further enhance the model’s performance, the authors hybridized all the ML models with Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO). Remarkably, the proposed LR+PSO model achieved the highest accuracy at 96.30%, demonstrating exceptional proficiency with an 80:20 train-test ratio. It significantly improved sensitivity to 94.44%, indicating enhanced detection of positive cases, all while maintaining the highest specificity at 97.22% and precision at 94.44% compared to other models. These results highlight a substantial improvement in integrated models, emphasizing the potential of this novel approach to enhance PCOS diagnosis in terms of accuracy and efficiency, ultimately benefiting individuals with PCOS in their treatment journey.
Optimizing ZX-diagrams with deep reinforcement learning
Authors: Nägele Maximilian , Marquardt Florian
Published: September 2024

ZX-diagrams are a powerful graphical language for the description of quantum processes with applications in fundamental quantum mechanics, quantum circuit optimization, tensor network simulation, and many more. The utility of ZX-diagrams relies on a set of local transformation rules that can be applied to them without changing the underlying quantum process they describe. These rules can be exploited to optimize the structure of ZX-diagrams for a range of applications. However, finding an optimal sequence of transformation rules is generally an open problem. In this work, we bring together ZX-diagrams with reinforcement learning, a machine learning technique designed to discover an optimal sequence of actions in a decision-making problem and show that a trained reinforcement learning agent can significantly outperform other optimization techniques like a greedy strategy, simulated annealing, and state-of-the-art hand-crafted algorithms. The use of graph neural networks to encode the policy of the agent enables generalization to diagrams much bigger than seen during the training phase.
DiffLense: a conditional diffusion model for super-resolution of gravitational lensing data
Authors: Reddy Pranath , Toomey Michael W , Parul Hanna , Gleyzer Sergei
Published: September 2024

Gravitational lensing data is frequently collected at low resolution due to instrumental limitations and observing conditions. Machine learning-based super-resolution techniques offer a method to enhance the resolution of these images, enabling more precise measurements of lensing effects and a better understanding of the matter distribution in the lensing system. This enhancement can significantly improve our knowledge of the distribution of mass within the lensing galaxy and its environment, as well as the properties of the background source being lensed. Traditional super-resolution techniques typically learn a mapping function from lower-resolution to higher-resolution samples. However, these methods are often constrained by their dependence on optimizing a fixed distance function, which can result in the loss of intricate details crucial for astrophysical analysis. In this work, we introduce DiffLense, a novel super-resolution pipeline based on a conditional diffusion model specifically designed to enhance the resolution of gravitational lensing images obtained from the Hyper Suprime-Cam Subaru Strategic Program (HSC-SSP). Our approach adopts a generative model, leveraging the detailed structural information present in Hubble space telescope (HST) counterparts. The diffusion model, trained to generate HST data, is conditioned on HSC data pre-processed with denoising techniques and thresholding to significantly reduce noise and background interference. This process leads to a more distinct and less overlapping conditional distribution during the model’s training phase. We demonstrate that DiffLense outperforms existing state-of-the-art single-image super-resolution techniques, particularly in retaining the fine details necessary for astrophysical analyses.
Ore extensions of commutative rings and the Dixmier-Moeglin equivalence
Authors: Bell Jason , Burkhardt Léon , Priebe Nicholas
Published: September 2024

We consider Ore extensions of the form

T
≔
R
[
x
;
σ
,
δ
]

T≔R[x;\sigma ,\delta ]

with

R
R

a commutative integral domain that is finitely generated over a field

k
k

. We show that if

T
T

has Gelfand-Kirillov dimension less than four then a prime ideal

P
∈
Spec
⁡
(
T
)

P\in \operatorname {Spec}(T)

is primitive if and only if

{
P
}

\{P\}

is locally closed in

Spec
⁡
(
T
)

\operatorname {Spec}(T)

, if and only if the Goldie ring of quotients of

T

/

P

T/P

has centre that is an algebraic extension of

k
k

. We also show that there are examples for which these equivalences do not all hold for

T
T

of integer Gelfand-Kirillov dimension greater than or equal to

4
4

.
Visiting the Voice Doctor
Authors: Jahn Anthony F , Cho Youngnan Jenny
Published: September 2024

Visiting a voice doctor is stressful for most singers. An impaired voice can mean a loss of livelihood, and concerns about possible surgery or other treatment lead to anxiety. When a medical visit is necessary, it is important that the singer is prepared in order to gain maximum benefit from the consultation. This chapter stresses the importance of being well informed prior to the visit, taking an active part in getting a diagnosis and deciding on treatment, and seeking additional opinions if aggressive medical or surgical treatment is recommended.
Vitamins, Supplements, and Medications
Authors: Jahn Anthony F , Cho Youngnan Jenny
Published: September 2024

Many people take vitamins or supplements, regardless of whether they need them or not. This chapter reviews what vitamins do and when they are needed. It also discusses the dangers of excessive vitamins. The chapter gives a general discussion of nutritional supplements and cautions against taking these in excess. There is a general overview of classes of prescription medications, with an emphasis on their potential impact on the singing voice.
Voice Rest
Authors: Jahn Anthony F , Cho Youngnan Jenny
Published: September 2024

Voice rest is frequently recommended in managing vocal strain, some forms of laryngitis, and vocal fold edema. The authors consider vocal rest an important and powerful form of treatment but caution against excessive voice rest. Since trained singing involves adopting an unnatural laryngeal position and function, excessive vocal rest requires that this trained posture be regained before resuming normal performance. This chapter outlines a rational method of using periods of vocal rest to keep the vocal mechanism healthy.
Anatomic Intermezzo
Authors: Jahn Anthony F , Cho Youngnan Jenny
Published: September 2024

According to an ancient Chinese saying, the first step to wisdom is getting things by their right names. This chapter offers an entertaining look at the etymologic derivations of the names used to describe vocal anatomy. It is meant as a break from the more didactic parts of the book and adds some context to the terms the authors use in describing the vocal apparatus.
Introduction
Authors: Bauer Nicole M , Doole J Andrew
Published: September 2024

The characteristics of possession are numerous and vary between different sociocultural and historical contexts. Different ideas of possession can be observed within different cultural and social contexts both past and present. This makes defining possession all the more difficult. Various approaches to “ideas of possession” in different academic disciplines and in different cultural contexts allow the discourse(s) to benefit from insights that would otherwise remain confined to the society under discussion or the field that determines the method of study. The introduction presents an overview of recent interdisciplinary research on possession and scholarly attempts at a working definition, followed by a brief outline of the individual case studies in this volume.
“As If by Love Possessed”
Authors: Bazzana Giovanni B
Published: September 2024

In the Acts of Thomas the portrayal of the demons encountered by the apostle Thomas on his missionary travels through India is quite unusual among those preserved in apocryphal acts of the early centuries. The text seems to have a particular interest in the personality of these demons and in their ambiguous interactions with humanity. Special attention is given to the portrayal of demons in both the Greek and Syriac versions of the text, and to the significance of how the Acts of Thomas attests to a trajectory of transformation in early Christian demonology from Jewish concepts of the Second Temple period to Late Antique systematizations.
The Psychologization of Exorcism
Authors: Bauer Nicole M
Published: September 2024

Exorcists are once again in demand for their very specific set of skills in casting out demons. Even though it is a liturgical practice, current exorcism guidelines and discourses incorporate psychiatric and psychotherapeutic approaches and terminology. In this respect, Austria offers an ideal case study as it has an established and renowned system of psychiatry and psychotherapy with a variety of medical approaches on offer, yet remains culturally and socially a “conservative” Roman Catholic society. This chapter presents the results of an ethnographic study of Austrian Roman Catholic exorcists and illuminates the tension between religion and medicine as religious experts interact with medical experts and give their religious healing practices legitimacy through reference to medical and psychotherapeutic methods.
Possession and Exorcism in Roman Catholic Charismatic Groups
Authors: Béliveau Verónica Giménez
Published: September 2024

There is an increase in the demand for liberation and exorcism rituals in Western countries. Exorcist priests are interviewed in the mass media, and church services are set up to care for people with complaints of a supernatural origin. Satan is reappearing not only as a principle of evil, but also as an entity capable of intervening in people’s lives, harassing them and leading them down the path of evil. Representations of possession seem to have moved in certain social groups from the metaphorical—something encouraged for years by the highest authorities of the church—to the concreteness of physical facts: groups of believers are convinced that diabolical possession is possible in certain circumstances and that it can only be combatted with specific ritual performances. This chapter focuses on representations of possession among Catholic revivalist collectives (associated with the Catholic Charismatic Renewal and other emotional groups). I have studied these from a social scientific perspective using qualitative research methods (ethnography, in-depth interviews, document analysis) in France and Argentina. Among the results of my research is that the contemporary idea of possession is an articulation between theological principles, intercultural dialogues and images from the world of entertainment. The idea of demonic influence shapes the modern imagination, even though modern exorcists consider possession to be an extremely rare condition. Demonic possession is the extreme that frightens believers and keeps them in a constant state of vigilance. In this way, possession is a factor in shaping social relations.
“It Makes Me Complete”
Authors: Schmidt Bettina E
Published: September 2024

Drawing on fieldwork in different religious communities in Brazil, this chapter explores spirit possession as cultural practice, with a particular focus on candomblé, one of the most celebrated African-derived religions in Brazil. The chapter includes an interview with one member about his difficult journey into this religion and his experience with the divine. Drawing on comments from members of candomblé communities reflecting on their personal experiences of spirit possession, the chapter argues against a universalist approach to spirit possession, arguing rather for a deictic understanding that recognizes the importance of social and cultural contexts.
Exorcizing Devilsdorp
Authors: van den Heever Gerhard
Published: September 2024

The South African crime documentary series Devilsdorp (lit. “town of the Devil”) reports on eleven murders carried out between 2012 and 2016 in and around Krugersdorp on the West Rand by a group called Electus per Deus (Chosen by God). These murders were labeled the “satanic murders” because the leader of the gang claimed she was a reformed satanist. Various commentators claimed that the group operated as a satanic cult and that members were possessed by evil spirits. The discourse of interpreting crimes as “satanic” and criminals as “possessed” can by analyzed to illuminate a given society’s sense of self and its social and political institutions and traditions, in this case in post-apartheid South Africa. Possession discourses emerge in specific social, cultural, and ideological contexts that are also performed through such discourses and can reflect and translate other deeply submerged tensions and trajectories in society.
“All Evil Spirits Must Be Brushed Off”
Authors: Pokorny Lukas K , Zoehrer Dominic S
Published: September 2024

Emerging out of a messianic Protestant environment steeped in the Korean religious heritage, the Unification Church/Movement has become one of the best-known new religious movements in the world. However, little is known about the impact of mediumistic activities in Unificationism, particularly as articulated in the so-called Ch’ŏngp’yŏng (Cheongpyeong) Providence. At the heart of this novel soteriological program within wider Unificationist millenarianism are practices specifically aimed at the separation of evil spirits and the liberation of ancestral spirits. This chapter first outlines the doctrinal foundations of the Unificationist concept of evil spirits and introduces Unificationist cosmology. It then describes the theory and practice of the liberation of evil spirits and ancestral spirits in Unificationism.
The Case for a Universal, Symptom-Based Definition of Possession
Authors: Goldish Matt
Published: September 2024

Recent scholarship on spirit possession has tended to focus on the differences between cultural contexts alongside the claim that an event is only a possession if the subject and his or her society designate it as a possession. One of the results of this fracturing trend is that it becomes difficult to maintain a viable unified category of spirit possession across cultures and in different periods. This chapter argues that the category of spirit possession can be maintained if scholars define it according to a set of phenomena or “symptoms” rather than according to cultural interpretation. If a group of widely encountered symptoms occurs together, then scholars should place the event in the category of “possession” regardless of the interpretation provided by the subject or society. This method maintains a viable category of spirit possession while still allowing room for particular meanings in each society.
Concluding Remarks
Authors: Bauer Nicole M , Doole J Andrew
Published: September 2024

This concluding chapter briefly summarizes the main results and insights of the volume and highlights aspects of possession that the individual chapters reveal. As academics with inherently etic vocabulary, we can only come into dialogue on such issues by means of some form of categorization. While possession is constantly (re)negotiated in different contexts, the “phenomenon” itself—whether defined as social, cultural, performative, or psychological—is sufficiently widespread as to be found throughout history and around the world. This is why scholars of various academic disciplines can come into dialogue with one another and learn from each other concerning the study of a topic that may be “marginal” within each individual discipline. The transcultural and interdisciplinary discussion in Ideas of Possession highlights aspects often overlooked by a narrower focus on one particular culture or time frame and one particular methodological approach. Research on possession can only benefit from the wealth of cultural and academic insight on this important aspect of human existence that remains an integral part of life for many in helping to explain, order, and construct the world in which we live.
Floral resource availability declines and florivory increases along an elevation gradient in a highly biodiverse community
Authors: Gélvez-Zúñiga Irene , Beirão M , Novais Samuel , Santiago J C , Fernandes Geraldo Wilson
Published: September 2024

Background and Aims

Flower–visitor interactions comprise a continuum of behaviours, from mutualistic partners to antagonistic visitors. Despite being relatively frequent in natural communities, florivory remains unexplored, especially when comprising abiotic factors, spatio-temporal variations and global environmental changes. Here, we addressed the variation of florivory driven by changes in elevation and temporal flower availability. We expect decreased floral resources as elevation increases – due to environmental constraints – which may affect plant–florivore interactions. Yet if floral resources decrease but florivores remain constant, then we may expect an increase in florivory with increasing elevation in the community.

Methods

The flowering phenology of plant individuals was recorded in the Neotropical campo rupestre vegetation, in southeastern Brazil. Damage by florivores was recorded in plots at elevations ranging from 823 to 1411 m using two response variables as a proxy for florivory: the proportion of attacked flowers per plant and the proportion of petal removal on single flowers.

Key Results

Flower attack increased with elevation and damage was intensified in species with longer flowering periods. Conversely, longer flowering periods resulted in higher levels of petal removal with decreasing elevation. The temporal availability of flowers affected florivory, with the proportion of attacked flowers being more intense when there were fewer flowered individuals in the community. Petal removal on single flowers was intensified in plots with a larger number of individuals flowering, and with more species co-flowering.

Conclusions

This study provides one of the broadest records of a commonly neglected interaction of insects feeding on floral structures, quantifying the combined effect of floral display and availability along an elevation gradient in a highly biodiverse mountaintop community. These findings contribute to filling the gap in the understanding of florivory dynamics, focusing on a tropical mountaintop scenario facing imminent environmental changes and excessive natural resource exploitation.
Subcortical volume in middle-aged adults with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders
Authors: Bischoff-Grethe Amanda , Stoner Susan A , Riley Edward P , Moore Eileen M
Published: September 2024

Studies of youth and young adults with prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) have most consistently reported reduced volumes of the corpus callosum, cerebellum and subcortical structures. However, it is unknown whether this continues into middle adulthood or if individuals with PAE may experience premature volumetric decline with aging. Forty-eight individuals with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) and 28 healthy comparison participants aged 30 to 65 participated in a 3T MRI session that resulted in usable T1-weighted and T2-weighted structural images. Primary analyses included volumetric measurements of the caudate, putamen, pallidum, cerebellum and corpus callosum using FreeSurfer software. Analyses were conducted examining both raw volumetric measurements and subcortical volumes adjusted for overall intracranial volume (ICV). Models tested for main effects of age, sex and group, as well as interactions of group with age and group with sex. We found the main effects for group; all regions were significantly smaller in participants with FASD for models using raw volumes (P’s < 0.001) as well as for models using volumes adjusted for ICV (P’s < 0.046). Although there were no significant interactions of group with age, females with FASD had smaller corpus callosum volumes relative to both healthy comparison females and males with FASD (P’s < 0.001). As seen in children and adolescents, adults aged 30 to 65 with FASD showed reduced volumes of subcortical structures relative to healthy comparison adults, suggesting persistent impact of PAE. Moreover, the observed volumetric reduction of the corpus callosum in females with FASD could suggest more rapid degeneration, which may have implications for cognition as these individuals continue to age.
Neuron collinearity differentiates human hippocampal subregions: a validated deep learning approach
Authors: Oltmer Jan , Williams Emily M , Groha Stefan , Rosenblum Emma W , Roy Jessica , Llamas-Rodriguez Josue , Perosa Valentina , Champion Samantha N , Frosch Matthew P , Augustinack Jean C
Published: September 2024

The hippocampus is heterogeneous in its architecture. It contributes to cognitive processes such as memory and spatial navigation and is susceptible to neurodegenerative disease. Cytoarchitectural features such as neuron size and neuronal collinearity have been used to parcellate the hippocampal subregions. Moreover, pyramidal neuron orientation (orientation of one individual neuron) and collinearity (how neurons align) have been investigated as a measure of disease in schizophrenia. However, a comprehensive quantitative study of pyramidal neuron orientation and collinearity within the hippocampal subregions has not yet been conducted. In this study, we present a high-throughput deep learning approach for the automated extraction of pyramidal neuron orientation in the hippocampal subregions. Based on the pretrained Cellpose algorithm for cellular segmentation, we measured 479 873 pyramidal neurons in 168 hippocampal partitions. We corrected the neuron orientation estimates to account for the curvature of the hippocampus and generated collinearity measures suitable for inter- and intra-individual comparisons. Our deep learning results were validated with manual orientation assessment. This study presents a quantitative metric of pyramidal neuron collinearity within the hippocampus. It reveals significant differences among the individual hippocampal subregions (P  < 0.001), with cornu ammonis 3 being the most collinear, followed by cornu ammonis 2, cornu ammonis 1, the medial/uncal subregions and subiculum. Our data establishes pyramidal neuron collinearity as a quantitative parameter for hippocampal subregion segmentation, including the differentiation of cornu ammonis 2 and cornu ammonis 3. This novel deep learning approach could facilitate large-scale multicentric analyses in subregion parcellation and lays groundwork for the investigation of mental illnesses at the cellular level.
A comprehensive review of rectangular duct solar air heaters featuring artificial roughness
Authors: Shankar Ravi , Kumar Rajeev , Pandey Arun Kumar , Thakur Deep Singh
Published: September 2024

Solar air heaters (SAHs) are widely used solar thermal systems with applications in diverse sectors. However, its effectiveness is restrained by low convective heat transfer (HT) coefficients at the absorber plate, leading to inefficient HT, and the elevated temperature of the absorber plate causes significant heat losses, reducing thermal efficiency. This study addresses these challenges by introducing ribs or roughness on the absorber plate creating turbulence in the airflow, resulting in significant improvements. The research investigates various rib configurations, the influence of rib parameters, performance methods, and arrangements to evaluate their HT and friction characteristics. Among these rib configurations, a comparative analysis is done on various factors such as the Nusselt number ratio, thermal enhancement factor, friction factor ratio, and thermal efficiency to optimize distinct roughness parameters and rib arrangement patterns. This study also provides valuable recommendations from existing literature, offering insights into the effective design, prospects, and implementation of SAH systems.
The role of TRPA1 and TRPV1 in the perception of astringency
Authors: Kim Min Sung , Simons Christopher T
Published: September 2024

Astringency, commonly described as a drying, roughening, and/or puckering sensation associated with polyphenol-rich foods affects their palatability. While the compounds eliciting astringency are known, its mechanism of action is debated. This study investigated the role of transient receptor potential (TRP) channels A1 and V1 in astringency perception. If TRP A1 or V1 have a functional role in astringency perception, then desensitizing these receptors should decrease perceived astringency. Thirty-seven panelists underwent unilateral lingual desensitization of TRP A1 and V1 channels using mustard oil and capsaicin, respectively. Panelists then evaluated four astringent stimuli: epicatechin (EC), epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), tannic acid (TA), and potassium alum (Alum), via 2-AFC and intensity ratings. When TRPA1 receptors were desensitized on one half of the tongue via mustard oil, no significant differences were observed between the treated and untreated sides for both 2-AFC and intensity ratings. Similarly, when TRPV1 receptors were desensitized on one half of the tongue via capsaicin, no significant differences were observed between the treated and untreated sides for both 2-AFC and intensity ratings. These findings challenge the notion that TRP channels play a pivotal role in astringency perception.
Kidney re-transplantation in the ipsilateral iliac fossa: a surgeon's perspective on perioperative outcome
Authors: Tessmer Philipp , Weigle Clara A , Meyer Anna , Wiemann Bengt A , Gwinner Wilfried , Einecke Gunilla , Klempnauer Jürgen , Vondran Florian W R , Richter Nicolas , Oldhafer Felix , Beetz Oliver
Published: September 2024

Background

Compared with primary transplantation, ipsilateral renal re-transplantation is associated with an increased risk of surgical complications and inferior graft outcomes. This study investigates whether an ipsilateral re-transplantation approach per se is an independent risk factor for surgical complications and early graft loss.

Methods

In this retrospective, single-centre analysis, surgical complications and early graft outcomes of ipsilateral kidney re-transplantations from January 2007 to December 2017 were compared with primary transplantations and contralateral re-transplantations. Univariate and multivariate binary logistic regression analyses were performed to identify risk factors for surgical complications requiring surgical revision and graft loss within the first year after transplantation.

Results

Of the 1489 kidney transplantations, 51 were ipsilateral, 159 were contralateral re-transplantations and 1279 were primary transplantations. Baseline characteristics did not differ between the ipsilateral and contralateral re-transplant recipients except for current and highest panel reactive antibody levels. Major complications requiring surgical revision were significantly more frequent in ipsilateral re-transplantations (P = .010) than in primary transplantations but did not differ between ipsilateral and contralateral re-transplantations (P = .217). Graft loss within the first year after transplant was 15.7% in the ipsilateral versus 8.8% in the contralateral re-transplant group (P = .163) versus 6.4% in the primary transplantation group (P = .009). In a multivariate regression model, ipsilateral re-transplantation was not identified as an independent risk factor for complications requiring surgical revision or first-year graft loss.

Conclusions

Ipsilateral renal re-transplantation is not a risk factor for inferior outcomes. Graft implantation into a pre-transplanted iliac fossa is a feasible and valid therapeutic option.
Geohistorical insights into marine functional connectivity
Authors: Agiadi Konstantina , Caswell Bryony A , Almeida Rita , Becheker Ali , Blanco Andreu , Brito Cristina , León-Cobo Manuel Jesús , Cook Ellie-Mae E , Costantini Federica , Karakuş Merve , Leprieur Fabien , López Cataixa , López-López Lucía , O’Dea Aaron , Pallacks Sven , Rabanal Irene , Schultz Lotta , Tanner Susanne E , Theodoropoulou Tatiana , Thurstan Ruth H , Vieira Nina , Darnaude Audrey M
Published: September 2024

Marine functional connectivity (MFC) refers to the flows of organic matter, genes, and energy that are caused by the active and passive movements of marine organisms. Occurring at various temporal and spatial scales, MFC is a dynamic, constantly evolving global ecological process, part of overall ecological connectivity, but with its own distinct and specific patterns. Geological and historical archives of changes in the distributions, life histories, and migration of species can provide baselines for deciphering the long-term trends (decadal to millions of years) and variability of MFC. In this food-for-thought paper, we identify the different types of geohistorical data that can be used to study past MFC. We propose resources that are available for such work. Finally, we offer a roadmap outlining the most appropriate approaches for analysing and interpreting these data, the biases and limitations involved, and what we consider to be the primary themes for future research in this field. Overall, we demonstrate how, despite differences in norms and limitations between disciplines, valuable data on ecological and societal change can be extracted from geological and historical archives, and be used to understand changes of MFC through time.
A Positive Proportion of Monic Odd-Degree Hyperelliptic Curves of Genus g ≥ 4 Have no Unexpected Quadratic Points
Authors: Laga Jef , Swaminathan Ashvin A
Published: September 2024

Let $\mathcal{F}_{g}$ be the family of monic odd-degree hyperelliptic curves of genus $g$ over ${\mathbb{Q}}$. Poonen and Stoll have shown that for every $g \geq 3$, a positive proportion of curves in $\mathcal{F}_{g}$ have no rational points except the point at infinity. In this note, we prove the analogue for quadratic points: for each $g\geq 4$, a positive proportion of curves in $\mathcal{F}_{g}$ have no points defined over quadratic extensions except those that arise by pulling back rational points from $\mathbb{P}^{1}$.
ADLM Guidance Document on the Measurement and Reporting of Lipids and Lipoproteins
Authors: Cao Jing , Donato Leslie , El-Khoury Joe M , Goldberg Anne , Meeusen Jeffrey W , Remaley Alan T
Published: September 2024

Background

The accurate measurement of blood lipids and lipoproteins is crucial for the clinical management of atherosclerotic disease risk. Despite progress in standardization, there are still significant variations in pre-analytical requirements, methods, nomenclature, and reporting work flows.

Content

The guidance document aims to improve standardization of clinical lipid testing work flows. It provides recommendations for the components of the lipid panel, fasting requirements, reporting of results, and specific recommendations for non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (non-HDL-C), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)], apolipoprotein B (apo B), point-of-care lipid testing, and LDL subfraction testing.

Lipid panels should always report non-HDL-C and LDL-C calculations if possible. Fasting is not routinely required except in specific cases. Modern equations should be utilized for LDL-C calculation. These equations allow for LDL-C reporting at elevated concentrations of triglycerides and obviate the need for direct measured LDL-C in most cases.
Implementation and delivery of electronic health records training programs for nurses working in inpatient settings: a scoping review
Authors: Nguyen Oliver T , Vo Steven D , Lee Taeheon , Cato Kenrick D , Cho Hwayoung
Published: September 2024

Objectives

Well-designed electronic health records (EHRs) training programs for clinical practice are known to be valuable. Training programs should be role-specific and there is a need to identify key implementation factors of EHR training programs for nurses. This scoping review (1) characterizes the EHR training programs used and (2) identifies their implementation facilitators and barriers.

Materials and Methods

We searched MEDLINE, CINAHL, PsycINFO, and Web of Science on September 3, 2023, for peer-reviewed articles that described EHR training program implementation or delivery to nurses in inpatient settings without any date restrictions. We mapped implementation factors to the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research. Additional themes were inductively identified by reviewing these findings.

Results

This review included 30 articles. Healthcare systems’ approaches to implementing and delivering EHR training programs were highly varied. For implementation factors, we observed themes in innovation (eg, ability to practice EHR skills after training is over, personalizing training, training pace), inner setting (eg, availability of computers, clear documentation requirements and expectations), individual (eg, computer literacy, learning preferences), and implementation process (eg, trainers and support staff hold nursing backgrounds, establishing process for dissemination of EHR updates). No themes in the outer setting were observed.

Discussion

We found that multilevel factors can influence the implementation and delivery of EHR training programs for inpatient nurses. Several areas for future research were identified, such as evaluating nurse preceptorship models and developing training programs for ongoing EHR training (eg, in response to new EHR workflows or features).

Conclusions

This scoping review highlighted numerous factors pertaining to training interventions, healthcare systems, and implementation approaches. Meanwhile, it is unclear how external factors outside of a healthcare system influence EHR training programs. Additional studies are needed that focus on EHR retraining programs, comparing outcomes of different training models, and how to effectively disseminate updates with the EHR to nurses.
CACER: Clinical concept Annotations for Cancer Events and Relations
Authors: Fu Yujuan Velvin , Ramachandran Giridhar Kaushik , Halwani Ahmad , McInnes Bridget T , Xia Fei , Lybarger Kevin , Yetisgen Meliha , Uzuner Özlem
Published: September 2024

Objective

Clinical notes contain unstructured representations of patient histories, including the relationships between medical problems and prescription drugs. To investigate the relationship between cancer drugs and their associated symptom burden, we extract structured, semantic representations of medical problem and drug information from the clinical narratives of oncology notes.

Materials and Methods

We present Clinical concept Annotations for Cancer Events and Relations (CACER), a novel corpus with fine-grained annotations for over 48 000 medical problems and drug events and 10 000 drug-problem and problem-problem relations. Leveraging CACER, we develop and evaluate transformer-based information extraction models such as Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers (BERT), Fine-tuned Language Net Text-To-Text Transfer Transformer (Flan-T5), Large Language Model Meta AI (Llama3), and Generative Pre-trained Transformers-4 (GPT-4) using fine-tuning and in-context learning (ICL).

Results

In event extraction, the fine-tuned BERT and Llama3 models achieved the highest performance at 88.2-88.0 F1, which is comparable to the inter-annotator agreement (IAA) of 88.4 F1. In relation extraction, the fine-tuned BERT, Flan-T5, and Llama3 achieved the highest performance at 61.8-65.3 F1. GPT-4 with ICL achieved the worst performance across both tasks.

Discussion

The fine-tuned models significantly outperformed GPT-4 in ICL, highlighting the importance of annotated training data and model optimization. Furthermore, the BERT models performed similarly to Llama3. For our task, large language models offer no performance advantage over the smaller BERT models.

Conclusions

We introduce CACER, a novel corpus with fine-grained annotations for medical problems, drugs, and their relationships in clinical narratives of oncology notes. State-of-the-art transformer models achieved performance comparable to IAA for several extraction tasks.
Measuring the impact of new risk factors within survival models
Authors: Heller Glenn , Devlin Sean M
Published: September 2024

Survival is poor for patients with metastatic cancer, and it is vital to examine new biomarkers that can improve patient prognostication and identify those who would benefit from more aggressive therapy. In metastatic prostate cancer, 2 new assays have become available: one that quantifies the number of cancer cells circulating in the peripheral blood, and the other a marker of the aggressiveness of the disease. It is critical to determine the magnitude of the effect of these biomarkers on the discrimination of a model-based risk score. To do so, most analysts frequently consider the discrimination of 2 separate survival models: one that includes both the new and standard factors and a second that includes the standard factors alone. However, this analysis is ultimately incorrect for many of the scale-transformation models ubiquitous in survival, as the reduced model is misspecified if the full model is specified correctly. To circumvent this issue, we developed a projection-based approach to estimate the impact of the 2 prostate cancer biomarkers. The results indicate that the new biomarkers can influence model discrimination and justify their inclusion in the risk model; however, the hunt remains for an applicable model to risk-stratify patients with metastatic prostate cancer.
ASPECT: Answer Set rePresentation as vEctor graphiCs in laTex
Authors: Bertagnon Alessandro , Gavanelli Marco
Published: September 2024

Logic programming is a declarative programming paradigm that finds extensive use in the field of Artificial Intelligence (AI). As a result, it has become a valuable tool used in university courses for teaching students AI techniques. Besides Prolog language, the more recent Answer Set Programming (ASP) language turns out to be a powerful tool for developing advanced applications due to the expressiveness of the language and the availability of efficient solving systems. Unfortunately, the output of ASP solvers can be difficult to interpret, since it is a set of atoms, often long and verbose. This is most true in the case of students learning the language or in the case of experts developing applications for complex real-world problems. For these reasons, the ability to produce, when possible, a graphical representation of the solver output becomes useful to ensure easier interpretation of the results. In this paper we present ASPECT, a sub-language of ASP in which the user can directly define, in an intuitive and declarative way, a graphical representation of the answer set. The ASPECT atoms can be converted into the popular LaTeX markup language to produce vector graphics. The documents produced by ASPECT are easy to embed in documents such as scientific articles, course handouts and presentations. Also, the development of user-friendly interfaces is critical for wider use of similar technologies in the industrial sector as well. Moreover, ASPECT is also extended to deal with temporal information, and provide graphical animations of answer sets that enclose the temporal dimension, such as in planning problems. Finally, we advocate the use of ASPECT to create complex and animated presentations starting from a declarative specification.
Simulating the impact of a carbon tax on food in four European countries
Authors: Varacca Alessandro , Castellari Elena , Moro Daniele , Tiboldo Giulia , Dogbe Wisdom , Gil Jose Maria , Revoredo-Giha Cesar , Akaichi Faical , Irz Xavier , Surry Yves , Amuakwa-Mensah Franklin , Sckokai Paolo
Published: September 2024

Since agriculture is responsible for a considerable share of anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions (GHGE), this paper examines the impact of various carbon taxes designed to incentivize environmentally friendly food consumption patterns in four European countries: Finland, Italy, Sweden, and the UK. As the proposed fiscal policies are likely to affect food consumption patterns, the study also assesses the consequent changes in diet quality and welfare. The results from this analysis reveal considerable variations in the reduction of GHGE across countries and tax schemes. While most taxation schemes have only a modest impact on dietary quality, these effects differ among nations. Additionally, the welfare cost of the compensated scheme is relatively small but not insignificant. These findings raise questions about the efficacy of a common European fiscal policy for climate mitigation compared to a more flexible approach where each member state calibrates the tax according to its unique circumstances.
Phylogenomics of Characidae, a hyper-diverse Neotropical freshwater fish lineage, with a phylogenetic classification including four families (Teleostei: Characiformes)
Authors: Melo Bruno F , Ota Rafaela P , Benine Ricardo C , Carvalho Fernando R , Lima Flavio C T , Mattox George M T , Souza Camila S , Faria Tiago C , Reia Lais , Roxo Fabio F , Valdez-Moreno Martha , Near Thomas J , Oliveira Claudio
Published: September 2024

Neotropical tetras of the family Characidae form the largest and most taxonomically complex clade within the order Characiformes. Previous phylogenetic relationships concur on the recognition of four major subclades, whereas knowledge on intergeneric and interspecific relationships remains largely incomplete or nonexistent. We sampled 575 specimens of 494 species and 123 genera classified in Characidae, generated new molecular data of ultraconserved elements (UCEs), and used likelihood and Bayesian analyses. The phylogeny (1348 UCE loci: 538 472 bp) yielded clades with unprecedented resolution at species- and genus-levels, allowing us to propose a new classification of former Characidae into four families: Spintherobolidae, Stevardiidae, Characidae, and Acestrorhamphidae. The family Stevardiidae includes nine subfamilies: Landoninae, Xenurobryconinae, Glandulocaudinae, Argopleurinae, Hemibryconinae, Stevardiinae, Planaltininae, Creagrutinae, and Diapominae. The family Characidae includes five subfamilies: Aphyocharacinae, Cheirodontinae, Exodontinae, Tetragonopterinae, and Characinae. The family Acestrorhamphidae congregates 15 subfamilies: Oxybryconinae, Trochilocharacinae, Stygichthyinae, Megalamphodinae, Stichonodontinae, unnamed subfamily, Stethaprioninae, Pristellinae, Jupiabinae, Tyttobryconinae, Hyphessobryconinae, Thayeriinae, Rhoadsiinae, Grundulinae, and Acestrorhamphinae. The phylogeny resolves intergeneric relationships and supports revalidation of Myxiops, Megalamphodus, Ramirezella, Holopristis, and Astyanacinus, synonymy of Aphyodite, Genycharax, and Psellogrammus, and expansion of Cyanogaster, Makunaima, Deuterodon, Hasemania, Hemigrammus, Bario, Ctenobrycon, and Psalidodon. The phylogeny opens avenues for new systematic reviews and redefinitions of included genera.
Brief Communication on MAGE-A4 and Coexpression of Cancer Testis Antigens in Metastatic Synovial Sarcomas: Considerations for Development of Immunotherapeutics
Authors: Vanacker Hélène , Connacher Robert , Meurgey Alexandra , Bollard Julien , Attignon Valéry , Tirode Franck , Jean-Denis Myriam , Brahmi Mehdi , Blay Jean-Yves , Wang Ruoxi , Williams Dennis , Dufresne Armelle
Published: September 2024

Therapeutic options for synovial sarcoma (SyS) have not evolved for several decades and the efficacy of second-line treatments is very limited. The expression of a large family of proteins known as cancer testis antigens (CTAs) in SyS has spurred the development of targeted T-cell therapies currently in clinical trials, such as those aimed at melanoma-associated antigen (MAGE)-A4 and New York esophageal squamous cell carcinoma 1 (NY-ESO-1), which have shown promising clinical efficacy. Extensive knowledge of the prevalence of expression and coexpression of CTAs is critical to design T-cell therapies with optimal coverage of the patient population. We analyzed the expression of CTAs of the MAGE-A family as well as NY-ESO-1 and preferentially expressed antigen in melanoma (PRAME) by RNA sequencing in a large cohort of 133 SyS samples from patients registered in the French sarcoma database (NETSARC+). Among MAGE-As, MAGE-A4 had the highest prevalence (65%), followed by MAGE-A10 (15%) and MAGE-A9 (13%). Almost all samples (92%) expressing any of the MAGE-As also expressed MAGE-A4. NY-ESO-1 was expressed in 65% of samples, with a large but incomplete overlap with MAGE-A4, whereas PRAME was present in 121 (91%) samples. Complementary immunohistochemical analyses were used to establish the positive correlation between RNA and protein expression for MAGE-A4 and NY-ESO-1. These data inform the strategy for optimal coverage of the SyS patient population with T-cell therapies, offering patients with SyS new options for single or combined second lines of treatment.