bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Monte Carlo dose recalculation pipeline for durable datasets: an I-125 LDR prostate brachytherapy use case
Authors: Ouellet Samuel , Lemaréchal Yannick , Berumen-Murillo Francisco , Lavallée Marie-Claude , Vigneault Éric , Martin André-Guy , Foster William , Thomson Rowan M , Després Philippe , Beaulieu Luc
Published: October 2023

Monte Carlo (MC) dose datasets are valuable for large-scale dosimetric studies. This work aims to build and validate a DICOM-compliant automated MC dose recalculation pipeline with an application to the production of I-125 low dose-rate prostate brachytherapy MC datasets. Built as a self-contained application, the recalculation pipeline ingested clinical DICOM-RT studies, reproduced the treatment into the Monte Carlo simulation, and outputted a traceable and durable dose distribution in the DICOM dose format. MC simulations with TG43-equivalent conditions using both TOPAS and egs_brachy MC codes were compared to TG43 calculations to validate the pipeline. The consistency of the pipeline when generating TG186 simulations was measured by comparing simulations made with both MC codes. Finally, egs_brachy simulations were run on a 240-patient cohort to simulate a large-scale application of the pipeline. Compared to line source TG43 calculations, simulations with both MC codes had more than 90% of voxels with a global difference under ±1%. Differences of 2.1% and less were seen in dosimetric indices when comparing TG186 simulations from both MC codes. The large-scale comparison of egs_brachy simulations with treatment planning system dose calculation seen the same dose overestimation of TG43 calculations showed in previous studies. The MC dose recalculation pipeline built and validated against TG43 calculations in this work efficiently produced durable MC dose datasets. Since the dataset could reproduce previous dosimetric studies within 15 h at a rate of 20 cases per 25 min, the pipeline is a promising tool for future large-scale dosimetric studies.
Near-field coded-mask technique and its potential for proton therapy monitoring
Authors: Hetzel Ronja , Urbanevych Vitalii , Bolke Andreas , Kasper Jonas , Kercz Monika , Kołodziej Magdalena , Magiera Andrzej , Mueller Florian , Müller Sara , Rafecas Magdalena , Rusiecka Katarzyna , Schug David , Schulz Volkmar , Stahl Achim , Weissler Bjoern , Wong Ming-Liang , Wrońska Aleksandra
Published: October 2023

Objective. Prompt-gamma imaging encompasses several approaches to the online monitoring of the beam range or deposited dose distribution in proton therapy. We test one of the imaging techniques - a coded mask approach - both experimentally and via simulations. Approach. Two imaging setups have been investigated experimentally. Each of them comprised a structured tungsten collimator in the form of a modified uniformly redundant array mask and a LYSO:Ce scintillation detector of fine granularity. The setups differed in detector dimensions and operation mode (1D or 2D imaging). A series of measurements with radioactive sources have been conducted, testing the performance of the setups for near-field gamma imaging. Additionally, Monte Carlo simulations of a larger setup of the same type were conducted, investigating its performance with a realistic gamma source distribution occurring during proton therapy. Main results. The images of point-like sources reconstructed from two small-scale prototypes’ data using the maximum-likelihood expectation maximisation algorithm constitute the experimental proof of principle for the near-field coded-mask imaging modality, both in the 1D and the 2D mode. Their precision allowed us to calibrate out certain systematic offsets appearing due to the limited alignment accuracy of setup elements. The simulation of the full-scale setup yielded a mean distal falloff retrieval precision of 0.72 mm in the studies for beam energy range 89.5–107.9 MeV and with 1 × 108 protons (a typical number for distal spots). The implemented algorithm of image reconstruction is relatively fast—a typical procedure needs several seconds. Significance. Coded-mask imaging appears a valid option for proton therapy monitoring. The results of simulations let us conclude that the proposed full-scale setup is competitive with the knife-edge-shaped and the multi-parallel slit cameras investigated by other groups.
Insight into reactive oxygen plasma characteristics and reaction mechanism on SRF accelerator plasma cleaning
Authors: Zhu Tongtong , He Yuan , Tan Teng , Luo Didi , Chu Qingwei , Zhao Hongwei , Chen Sheng , Huang Shichun , Guo Hao , Yang Ziqin , Cao Hongwen , Liu Bo , Ye Zongbiao , Zhang Kun , Wang Yihan , Wu Andong
Published: October 2023

Reactive oxygen plasma treatment is an effective technique to eliminate hydrocarbon and improve the performance of superconducting radio frequency (SRF) cavities. This work investigated the reaction mechanism between reactive oxygen plasma and hydrocarbon, surface reaction kinetics, and cleaning process optimization through experiments, analytical models, and numerical simulations. The experimental results declare that the reaction between oxygen plasma and hydrocarbon is dominated by ion-assisted chemical sputtering, and the hydrocarbon attenuates exponentially, increasing the work function exponentially. To study the surface reaction kinetic process in-depth, we proposed a plasma cleaning rate model based on the Langmuir–Hinshelwood theory. This study found that the plasma cleaning rate primarily depends on the sheath potential, electron temperature, O atoms density, O+ ions, and Ar+ ions densities. Furthermore, we did a control-parameter simulation and found that increasing gas pressures or O2 ratios are conducive to enhancing the chemical reaction rate between O atoms and hydrocarbon. Also, the power increase can enhance the physical effect of ions. It shows that increasing the gas pressure and power and reducing the oxygen content can achieve a better cleaning effect while reducing the radio frequency power loss caused by the oxide. Those results provide valuable guidance for optimizing the cleaning process, deepening the understanding of the cleaning mechanism, and improving the performance of SRF cavities.
3D particle-in-cell simulations of negative and positive streamers in C4F7N–CO2 mixtures
Authors: Guo Baohong , Ebert Ute , Teunissen Jannis
Published: October 2023

We investigate negative and positive streamers in C4F7N–CO2 mixtures through simulations. These mixtures are considered to be more environmentally friendly than the insulating gas SF6 that is widely used in high voltage technology. Simulations are performed using a 3D particle-in-cell model. Negative streamers can propagate when the background field is close to the critical field. We relate this to their short conductive channels, due to rapid electron attachment, which limits their field enhancement. Positive streamers also require a background field close to the critical field, and in addition a source of free electrons ahead of them. In our simulations these electrons are provided through an artificial stochastic background ionization process as no efficient photoionization process is known for these gases. In 3D, we can only simulate the early inception stage of positive discharges, due to the extremely high electric fields and electron densities that occur. Qualitative 2D Cartesian simulations show that the growth of these discharges is highly irregular, resulting from incoming negative streamers that connect to existing channels. The inclusion of a stochastic background ionization process also has an interesting effect on negative discharges: new streamers can be generated behind previous ones, thereby forming a chain of negative streamers.
Ultra-slow spin waves propagation based on skyrmion breathing
Authors: Liu Zeng-Xing , Xiong Hao
Published: October 2023

Spin wave has attracted significant attention in various fields because of its rich physics and potential applications in the development of spintronics devices in the post-Moore era. However, the analog of a subluminal-like propagation in the field of spin waves has not been well discussed. Here, we theoretically demonstrate the ultra-slow spin waves propagation in a nanoscale two-dimensional ferromagnetic film in the presence of magnon-skyrmion interaction. The minimum spin waves propagation velocity was estimated to be as low as 1.8 m s−1 by adjusting the system parameters properly, and the spin waves group delay and advance are dynamically tunable via the intensity or detuning of the control field, which allows the possibility of observing superluminal- and subluminal-like spin waves propagation in a single experimental setup. These results deepen our understanding of the spin wave–skyrmion interactions, open a novel and efficient pathway to realize ultra-slow spin waves propagation, and are expected to be applied to magnetic information storage and quantum operations of magnons.
Stacking-dependent exchange bias in two-dimensional ferromagnetic/antiferromagnetic bilayers
Authors: Li 李 Huiping 慧平 , Pan 潘 Shuaiwei 帅唯 , Wang 王 Zhe 喆 , Xiang 向 Bin 斌 , Zhu 朱 Wenguang 文光
Published: October 2023

A clear microscopic understanding of exchange bias is crucial for its application in magnetic recording, and further progress in this area is desired. Based on the results of our first-principles calculations and Monte Carlo simulations, we present a theoretical proposal for a stacking-dependent exchange bias in two-dimensional compensated van der Waals ferromagnetic/antiferromagnetic bilayer heterostructures. The exchange bias effect emerges in stacking registries that accommodate inhomogeneous interlayer magnetic interactions between the ferromagnetic layer and different spin sublattices of the antiferromagnetic layer. Moreover, the on/off switching and polarity reversal of the exchange bias can be achieved by interlayer sliding, and the strength can be modulated using an external electric field. Our findings push the limits of exchange bias systems to extreme bilayer thickness in two-dimensional van der Waals heterostructures, potentially stimulating new experimental investigations and applications.
Simulation of Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Based on Chain Method
Authors: Liao Mingzhao , Liu Yu , Li Yafeng , Hu Liangliang , Niu Haihong , Xu Jinzhang
Published: October 2023

Magnetic resonance diffusion imaging is an important tool for pathology research, and the cost of instrument development is extremely high. The construction of simulation models can optimize the parameters of key components of the instrument on the numerical platform, which can greatly reduce the R&D cost and improve the success rate. In this paper, a chain magnetic resonance simulation calculation method is obtained based on equation Bloch-Torrey to simulate the signal change law caused by gradient coding and diffusion characteristics, and MATLAB is used to construct a numerical imitation model and write a simulation program. Based on this calculation method, the diffusion-weighted imaging, diffusion coefficient imaging and diffusion tensor imaging simulation experiments were carried out by using the spin-echo (SE) diffusion-weighted sequence, and the images and results were reconstructed by combining the anti-Fourier transform. Experiments show that the simulated images can accurately reflect the set simulation model, reconstruct the diffusion coefficient and tensor characteristics, and the chain magnetic resonance simulation calculation method deduced in this paper.
Carbon Brush Temperature Prediction under Bayesian-BP Neural Network
Authors: Yang Shiyuan , Peng Hailong , Jiang Dongrong , Yu Xiao , Hu Feng , Shi Keke , Liang Ke , Ye Donglin
Published: October 2023

Accurate prediction of carbon brush temperature is of vital importance for the safe, stable, and reliable operation of hydro turbines and hydropower plants. The carbon brush temperature prediction model based on the traditional BP neural network exhibits slow convergence and is prone to local minima. Therefore, this study proposes a Bayesian-based optimization model for the BP neural network, combining the principles of Bayesian inference and the BP neural network model. This model constructs the likelihood function of the weights and thresholds of the BP neural network to obtain the prior probability distribution and posterior probability distribution using Bayesian theorem. The optimal hyperparameters for the weights and thresholds are iteratively updated using the maximum likelihood method, and the learning efficiency is iteratively updated based on the number of training iterations. When the model’s convergence conditions and the maximum number of iterations are met, the optimal values for the weights, thresholds, and learning efficiency are obtained, effectively avoiding local optimization problems. Experimental results demonstrate that compared to the traditional BP neural network and LSTM neural network, the Bayesian-BP neural network achieves higher fidelity in fitting historical data and exhibits superior convergence accuracy and speed in temperature prediction. Therefore, it better fulfills the requirements for predicting carbon brush temperature in hydro turbines.
Nonlinear Dynamic Analysis of Seafloor Pressure Time Series with and without Internal Waves
Authors: Zhang Sai , He Huizi
Published: October 2023

Ocean internal wave as a nonlinear process oscillates within ocean interior rather than the surface. Internal waves have significant influences on the transport of material, energy and even global climate. The generation, transmission and attenuation of internal wave play a significant role in the ocean dynamics owing to the exchange of the energy within each process. In this paper, reduced complexity of seafloor pressure time series induced by internal wave in the southern Taiwan bank has been investigated using nonlinear dynamic analysis. Cao method has been used to distinguish between the pressure signal with internal wave and the random signal without internal wave. The reconstructed phase spaces and correlation dimensions of the time series with and without internal wave are compared. Internal wave leads the seafloor pressure time series to produce a more regular phase space reconstruction and more low dimensional dynamics. Our study suggests that nonlinear dynamic analysis could be a valuable and promising method in real-time ocean internal wave detection.
Sub-Classification and Type Identification of Weathering Silicate Glasses Based on Spectral Clustering
Authors: Xie Kunshuo , Tang Ge , Lu Boyu , Liu Hao , Wang Linlin
Published: October 2023

Ancient glass products are often weathered to varying degrees after excavation. Detection and analysis of their chemical composition will help to study the ancient glass making process. In this paper, we take a group of ancient glass products as samples, and study the sub-classification and type identification of weathered silicate glasses. Firstly, we identify the main factor of glass weathering through chi-squared test and Fisher’s exact test, then conduct a significance test on the basis of preprocessing various data of glass cultural relics. Secondly, the glass samples are classified into high potassium glass and lead barium glass by spectral clustering method, and further sub-classified into eight classes. The sub-classes are named based on feature extraction, and the clustering quality is tested by contour coefficient. Finally, we analyze the chemical composition affecting the glass types by combining the non-parametric tests to identify the types of glass cultural relics by multiple linear regression with significance testing. In addition, correlation test, spectral clustering and multiple linear regression are used to study the sub-classification and type identification of weathered silicate glasses, which provides a reference for further study of ancient glass making process and weathering process.
Solving three-dimensional contact problems for foundation design in green building
Authors: Shyshkanova G , Zaytseva T , Zhushman V , Levchenko N , Korotunova O
Published: October 2023

Design of foundations on an elastic base is carried out using the solution of three-dimensional problems of contact interaction. Improving the accuracy of engineering calculations is necessary to ensure economic efficiency and increase energy savings in green building. The problems of indentation of punches with a flat base bounded by doubly connected close to polygonal contact areas are researched in the present work. Small parameter method is used to obtain explicit analytical expressions for the contact pressure distribution and the punch displacement dependence in a simplified form, which is convenient for engineering practice. The found load-displacement dependence satisfies the known inequalities that are valid for an arbitrary contact domain. Also a numerical-analytical method is in consideration. It uses the simple layer potential expansion and successive approximations for the problems accounting roughness of the elastic half-space. Roughness coefficient is considered as a parameter of regularization of the integral equation for the smooth contact problem. The results of both methods coincide with sufficient accuracy.
Discover Life: Self-Fabricated Smart Mirror using Microprocessor and OpenCV
Authors: Yong Ching Yee , Phun Kang Cheng
Published: October 2023

Nowadays, people are trying hard to live more efficiently and productively by saving more time for daily activities. Mirrors and smartphones are the equipment that we usually use for our daily life. People usually prepare themselves in front of the mirror and at the same time check their phones for updated news, weather forecasts, and schedules, to plan their daily routine, but doing both activities at the same time might cause huge distractions, resulting in more time consumption. The main objective of this project is to develop a Smart Mirror that can provide information and also able to unlock the profile with a face recognition system through a camera. Raspberry Pi is the processor of the Smart Mirror, Python was used to create the connection platform in OpenCV. IR Frame was added to develop the touch function of the mirror. The role of a two-way mirror is to provide transparency for the LCD panel allowing light to pass through the mirror and at the same time as a normal mirror from the other side. The result has proven that time can be saved up from 100-300 % with the help of Smart Mirror. The detection range of the face recognition is within 3 meters with 92 % of accuracy.
A Novel Denoising Autoencoder Method for Surface Defect Detection of Screw Products
Authors: Chen JW , Lin WJ , Hung CL
Published: October 2023

Defect detection is an important aspect of assessing the surface quality of screw products. A defective screw greatly affects the mechanism of screw product. Recently, unsupervised learning has been widely used for defect detection in industrial applications. In most cases, anomaly networks are unable to reconstruct abnormal images into satisfactory normal images, which results in poor defect detection performance. In this paper, a denoising autoencoder is used to enhance the capability of reconstructing defect screw images. By using this technique, the model can efficiently extract more features during reconstruction. Compared to the results without noise, the IoU can be increased by over 11%. The paper also develops an intelligent screw detection system for realistic industrial applications. Consequently, the proposed scheme is well suited to industrial defect detection scenarios since the models require only normal samples for training.
Study on the static characteristics of high-speed water-lubricated journal bearings considering thermal and cavitation effects
Authors: Zhang Hao , Jiang Shuyun
Published: October 2023

The influence of thermal and cavitation effects on the static characteristics of high-speed water-lubricated journal bearings are investigated in this study. Considering the transfer of momentum and energy on the gas-liquid interface, the generalized Reynolds equation and energy equation are established. Based on the theoretical model, the bearing static characteristics are calculated and analyzed. According to the calculation results, the cavitation effect reduces bearing maximum temperature and increases bearing load-carrying capacity. The simulation results of friction power loss are overestimated under isothermal conditions. The leakage flow rate was decreased as a result of the cavitation effect.
Time-symmetry and topology of the Aharonov–Bohm effect
Authors: Aharonov Yakir , Paiva Ismael L , Schwartzman-Nowik Zohar , Elitzur Avshalom C , Cohen Eliahu
Published: October 2023

The Aharonov–Bohm (AB) effect has been highly influential in fundamental and applied physics. Its topological nature commonly implies that an electron encircling a magnetic flux source in a field-free region must close the loop in order to generate an observable effect. In this paper, we study a variant of the AB effect that apparently challenges this concept. The significance of weak values and nonlocal equations of motion is discussed as part of the analysis, shedding light on and connecting all these fundamental concepts.
FFMAVP: a new classifier based on feature fusion and multitask learning for identifying antiviral peptides and their subclasses
Authors: Cao Ruifen , Hu Weiling , Wei Pijing , Ding Yun , Bin Yannan , Zheng Chunhou
Published: October 2023

Antiviral peptides (AVPs) are widely found in animals and plants, with high specificity and strong sensitivity to drug-resistant viruses. However, due to the great heterogeneity of different viruses, most of the AVPs have specific antiviral activities. Therefore, it is necessary to identify the specific activities of AVPs on virus types. Most existing studies only identify AVPs, with only a few studies identifying subclasses by training multiple binary classifiers. We develop a two-stage prediction tool named FFMAVP that can simultaneously predict AVPs and their subclasses. In the first stage, we identify whether a peptide is AVP or not. In the second stage, we predict the six virus families and eight species specifically targeted by AVPs based on two multiclass tasks. Specifically, the feature extraction module in the two-stage task of FFMAVP adopts the same neural network structure, in which one branch extracts features based on amino acid feature descriptors and the other branch extracts sequence features. Then, the two types of features are fused for the following task. Considering the correlation between the two tasks of the second stage, a multitask learning model is constructed to improve the effectiveness of the two multiclass tasks. In addition, to improve the effectiveness of the second stage, the network parameters trained through the first-stage data are used to initialize the network parameters in the second stage. As a demonstration, the cross-validation results, independent test results and visualization results show that FFMAVP achieves great advantages in both stages.
The impact of habitat and migration on plumage colour in Cardinalidae
Authors: Scott Benjamin F , Shultz Allison J , Burns Kevin J
Published: October 2023

Plumage coloration arises from a complex concert of selection pressures incorporating regional ecology, the light environment and genomic architecture. Here, we analyse the evolution of coloration in cardinals and grosbeaks (Cardinalidae) from the avian visual perspective and test the relative roles of life-history traits in shaping plumage evolution. We incorporate life-history data from three separate sources to analyse the correlated evolution of plumage coloration and ecological and habitat classifications for males and females. Our results show that males and females evolve under different axes of selection and that correlations with life-history traits differ between the sexes. We find that preferences for semi-open, fragmented habitat are correlated with male, but not female, plumage complexity. We also find that migration, long heralded as a driver of sexual dichromatism, is correlated with reduced plumage complexity in females, but not significantly correlated with male plumage coloration. Finally, our results showcase that user-defined categorical metrics can influence or, potentially, even mislead the interpretation of results, highlighting the need to measure habitat quantitatively rather than with subjective, categorical metrics.
Cuba: biodiversity, conservation and evolution
Authors: Reyes-Tur Bernardo , Alonso Bosch Roberto , Bécquer Eldis R , García-Beltrán José Ángel
Published: October 2023

The West Indies can be considered as a laboratory of biogeography and evolution, and the Caribbean Islands constitute one of the planet’s biodiversity hotspots. Within the region, Cuba is the largest island and is crucial to gaining an understanding of the origin and evolutionary history of Caribbean flora and fauna. This paper provides an introduction to a Special Issue of the Biological Journal of the Linnean Society on current Cuban plant and animal biodiversity, with an emphasis on evolutionary biology and biogeography. The present issue includes 10 contributions and addresses a wide diversity of species and taxonomic groups, study levels, and research tools. This collection of articles not only provides an integrative vision of Cuba’s biodiversity and the potential patterns and processes involved in its evolutionary history, but could also provide food for future research on its biodiversity from an evolutionary perspective.
Cultured lymphocytes’ mitochondrial genome integrity is not altered by cladribine
Authors: Järvinen Elina , Suomi Fumi , Stewart James B , Guala Dimitri , Valori Miko , Jansson Lilja , Nieminen Janne , McWilliams Thomas G , Tienari Pentti J
Published: October 2023

Cladribine tablets are a treatment for multiple sclerosis with effects on lymphocytes, yet its mode of action has not been fully established. Here, we analyzed the effects of cladribine on mitochondrial DNA integrity in lymphocytes. We treated cultured human T-cell lines (CCRF-CEM and Jurkat) with varying concentrations of cladribine to mimic the slow cell depletion observed in treated patients. The CCRF-CEM was more susceptible to cladribine than Jurkat cells. In both cells, mitochondrial protein synthesis, mitochondrial DNA copy number, and mitochondrial cytochrome-c oxidase-I mRNA mutagenesis was not affected by cladribine, while caspase-3 cleavage was detected in Jurkat cells at 100 nM concentration. Cladribine treatment at concentrations up to 10 nM in CCRF-CEM and 100 nM in Jurkat cells did not induce significant increase in mitochondrial DNA mutations. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells from eight multiple sclerosis patients and four controls were cultured with or without an effective dose of cladribine (5 nM). However, we did not find any differences in mitochondrial DNA somatic mutations in lymphocyte subpopulations (CD4+, CD8+, and CD19+) between treated versus nontreated cells. The overall mutation rate was similar in patients and controls. When different lymphocyte subpopulations were compared, greater mitochondrial DNA mutation levels were detected in CD8+ (P = 0.014) and CD4+ (P = 0.038) as compared to CD19+ cells, these differences were independent of cladribine treatment. We conclude that T cells have more detectable mitochondrial DNA mutations than B cells, and cladribine has no detectable mutagenic effect on lymphocyte mitochondrial genome nor does it impair mitochondrial function in human T-cell lines.
Combined intra-cavitary course of left anterior descending artery and myocardial bridge of right coronary artery in right ventricle hypertrophy: a case report
Authors: Hussein Hossameldin , Elshall Ahmed , Youssef Ahmed , Hekal Soha , Shaaban Mahmoud
Published: October 2023

Background

Intra-cavitary (IC) coronary course is a rare anatomical variant that has become more commonly reported in the last decade. While the condition is generally benign and often discovered incidentally during coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA), these arteries are vulnerable to injury during cardiac interventions. It is unclear whether right ventricle (RV) pathology, such as dilatation or hypertrophy, plays a role in this condition.

Case summary

A patient in their fifties with a medical history of rheumatic heart disease and atrial fibrillation presented with dyspnoea and orthopnea but denied any previous chest pain. Upon examination, the patient exhibited slow atrial fibrillation and generalized anasarca. Echocardiography revealed severe mitral stenosis, tricuspid regurgitation, pulmonary hypertension, and a significantly dilated and impaired RV. Before surgery, a CCTA was performed and revealed an abnormal mid-left anterior descending (LAD) course through the RV cavity with complete systolic attenuation. This finding was later confirmed through invasive angiography. Additionally, the right coronary artery (RCA) showed a mid-segment myocardial bridge (MB). The patient was scheduled for mitral and tricuspid valves’ surgery with no planned intervention to the LAD or RCA.

Discussion

Coronary IC course is a rare finding that poses a risk of arterial injury during invasive cardiac procedures. It is important for all cardiac interventionists to be familiar with this diagnosis and the potential hazards during cardiac interventions. Further research is needed to determine whether RV dilatation or hypertrophy can exacerbate coronary IC course or MB.
Preschool children from lower household incomes experience inequality in asthma treatment: findings from a Danish nationwide cohort study
Authors: Renneberg Camilla Klinge , Brund René Børge Korsgaard , Heuckendorff Signe , Gunaseelan Artika , Kruse Lisbeth Venø , Fonager Kirsten
Published: October 2023

Background

The obligation to pay for asthma medication in a country with universal healthcare might lead to increased asthma exacerbations and inequitable healthcare access for children from low-income households. Thus, the aim of this study was to examine the association between household income and childhood/preschool asthma regarding hospitalization and medication receipt.

Methods

In this nationwide register-based cohort study, we encompassed all 3-year-old children residing in Denmark, born between 2000 and 2014, along with their linked parents and followed them until their sixth birthday. Household income was divided into quartiles. Asthma was categorized in two mutually exclusive groups as either the redemption of two prescriptions for asthma medication or receiving a hospital diagnosis. We utilized Poisson regression to estimate the risk ratio (RR).

Results

The analysis included 834 422 preschool children. The prevalence of asthma dependent on medication alone was 7.3%, while 1.8% of children necessitated asthma-related hospitalization. Income inequality was evident across all income quartiles. Notably, children from the lowest income quartile had a RR of 0.95 (95% CI: 0.92–0.98) of redeeming asthma medication and conversely a RR of 1.18 (95% CI: 1.14–1.23) of asthma-related hospitalization.

Conclusions

Despite universal healthcare, income inequality has a dual impact on children from low-income households. They face a diminished risk of redeeming asthma medication and a higher susceptibility to asthma-related hospitalizations indicating an unequal access to healthcare. Prioritizing efforts to reduce childhood health inequalities is crucial. However, further research, particularly qualitative studies, is needed to better comprehend the underlying mechanisms to address the complexities of income inequality.
Heritable variation in thermal profiles is associated with reproductive success in the world’s largest bird
Authors: Svensson Erik I , Schou Mads F , Melgar Julian , Waller John , Engelbrecht Anel , Brand Zanell , Cloete Schalk , Cornwallis Charlie K
Published: October 2023

Organisms inhabiting extreme thermal environments, such as desert birds, have evolved spectacular adaptations to thermoregulate during hot and cold conditions. However, our knowledge of selection for thermoregulation and the potential for evolutionary responses is limited, particularly for large organisms experiencing extreme temperature fluctuations. Here we use thermal imaging to quantify selection and genetic variation in thermoregulation in ostriches (Struthio camelus), the world’s largest bird species that is experiencing increasingly volatile temperatures. We found that females who are better at regulating their head temperatures (“thermoregulatory capacity”) had higher egg-laying rates under hotter conditions. Thermoregulatory capacity was both heritable and showed signatures of local adaptation: females originating from more unpredictable climates were better at regulating their head temperatures in response to temperature fluctuations. Together these results reveal that past and present evolutionary processes have shaped genetic variation in thermoregulatory capacity, which appears to protect critical organs, such as the brain, from extreme temperatures during reproduction.
Implications of headwater contact zones for the riverine barrier hypothesis: a case study of the Blue-capped Manakin (Lepidothrix coronata)
Authors: Moncrieff Andre E , Faircloth Brant C , Remsen Rosalind C , Hiller Anna E , Felix Cristhian , Capparella Angelo P , Aleixo Alexandre , Valqui Thomas , Brumfield Robb T
Published: October 2023

Rivers frequently delimit the geographic ranges of species in the Amazon Basin. These rivers also define the boundaries between genetic clusters within many species, yet river boundaries have been documented to break down in headwater regions where rivers are narrower. To explore the evolutionary implications of headwater contact zones in Amazonia, we examined genetic variation in the Blue-capped Manakin (Lepidothrix coronata), a species previously shown to contain several genetically and phenotypically distinct populations across the western Amazon Basin. We collected restriction site-associated DNA sequence data (RADcap) for 706 individuals and found that spatial patterns of genetic structure indicate several rivers, particularly the Amazon and Ucayali, are dispersal barriers for L. coronata. We also found evidence that genetic connectivity is elevated across several headwater regions, highlighting the importance of headwater gene flow for models of Amazonian diversification. The headwater region of the Ucayali River provided a notable exception to findings of headwater gene flow by harboring non-admixed populations of L. coronata on opposite sides of a < 1-km-wide river channel with a known dynamic history, suggesting that additional prezygotic barriers may be limiting gene flow in this region.
Riverine flow rate drives widespread convergence in the shell morphology of imperiled freshwater mussels
Authors: Keogh Sean M , Pfeiffer John M , Simons Andrew M , Edie Stewart M
Published: October 2023

Frequent and strong morphological convergence suggests that determinism tends to supersede historical contingencies in evolutionary radiations. For many lineages living within the water column of rivers and streams, hydrodynamic forces drive widespread morphological convergence. Living below the sediment-water interface may release organisms from these hydrodynamic pressures, permitting a broad array of morphologies, and thus less convergence. However, we show here that the semi-infaunal freshwater mussels have environmentally determined convergence in shell morphology. Using 3D morphometric data from 715 individuals among 164 Nearctic species, we find that species occurring in rivers with high flow rates have evolved traits that resist dislodgement from their burrowed position in the streambed: thicker shells for their body size, with the thickest sector of the shell being the most deeply buried. Species occurring in low flow environments have evolved thinner and more uniformly thickened shells, corresponding to an alternative adaptation to dislodgement: increased burrowing efficiency. Within species, individuals also show increased shell thickness for their body size at higher flow rates, suggesting that ecophenotypy may, in part, be an important mechanism for establishing populations in new environments and thus evolutionary divergence in this highly imperiledinvertebrate group.
Habitat-associated Genomic Variation in a Wall Lizard from an Oceanic Island
Authors: Brown Richard P , Sun Hui , Jin Yuanting , Meloro Carlo
Published: October 2023

The lizard Teira dugesii exhibits morphological divergence between beach and inland habitats in the face of gene flow, within the volcanic island of Madeira, Portugal. Here, we analyzed genomic data obtained by genotyping-by-sequencing, which provided 16,378 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) from 94 individuals sampled from 15 sites across Madeira. Ancient within-island divergence in allopatry appears to have mediated divergence in similar species within other Atlantic islands, but this hypothesis was not supported for T. dugesii. Across all samples, a total of 168 SNPs were classified as statistical outliers using pcadapt and OutFLANK. Redundancy analysis (RDA) revealed that 17 of these outliers were associated with beach/inland habitats. The SNPs were located within 16 sequence tags and 15 of these were homologous with sequences in a 31 Mb region on chromosome 3 of a reference wall lizard genome (the remaining tag could not be associated with any chromosome). We further investigated outliers through contingency analyses of allele frequencies at each of four pairs of adjacent beach–inland sites. The majority of the outliers detected by the RDA were confirmed at two pairs of these matched sites. These analyses also suggested some parallel divergence at different localities. Six other outliers were associated with site elevation, four of which were located on chromosome 5 of the reference genome. Our study lends support to a previous hypothesis that divergent selection between gray shingle beaches and inland regions overcomes gene flow and leads to the observed morphological divergence between populations in these adjacent habitats.
Is Geropsychology “Forever Young” on the Mother Continent? Addressing the Limited Research on Psychology of Aging in Africa
Authors: Chukwuorji JohnBosco Chika , Thuku Pauline , Cassimjee Nafisa , Mbuthia Kezia , Olawa Babatola D
Published: October 2023

Objectives

Our paper highlights areas of interest to psychologists studying aging in Africa and what has already been learned about aspects of psychological aging from studies done in the African context. We also considered whether there are issues that are unique about aging in the African context that might challenge how aging is typically considered in psychology research.

Methods

We reviewed articles recently published in major gerontology journals focusing on African older adults, with the goal of identifying key themes of current geropsychology in Africa.

Results

We identified a number of dominant themes including: subjective aging, psychosocial impact of widowhood at old age, aging in place, stress and caregiving, cognitive aging, interrelations between HIV and aging, and successful aging.

Discussion

The themes of psychological aging research identified as especially relevant in Africa provide a starting point for psychological aging researchers in general to engage with the African context. Many African countries may be facing common challenges, but the existing studies are not fully representative of the aging population in the continent. Creating a framework for organizing and coordinating funding will help to address the limited research on geropsychology in Africa. Collaborative research projects/programs, joint classrooms, and fellowships that support African geropsychology scholars will be helpful. Geropsychology will benefit from more engagement with the African context by applying innovative approaches such as the adoption of longitudinal designs, mixed-method research, Experience Sampling Methods, translation of measures into indigenous languages, involvement of rural samples, and implementation science and community-engaged research.
Housing Environmental Factors Driving Falls Among Middle-Aged and Older Adults: A National Cohort Study
Authors: Li Shaojie , Cui Guanghui , Er Yuliang , Ye Pengpeng , Xue Tao , Zhang Junfeng (Jim) , Liu Xiaoyun , Duan Leilei , Lv Faqin , Yao Yao
Published: October 2023

Background and Objectives

Housing is one of the main places where falls occur; however, few studies have examined housing environmental factors driving fall risk. This study aimed to explore the associations between housing environmental factors and falls in China.

Research Design and Methods

The study included data of middle-aged and older adults aged ≥45 years from 4 waves of the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study. We assessed 7 housing environmental factors: building materials, toilet types, household tidiness, household cooking fuels, and access to electricity, running water, and bathing facilities. Based on these, we divided housing environments into 3 types: good (0–2 poor factors), moderate (3–5 poor factors), and poor (6–7 poor factors). Falls incidence (yes or no) was self-reported during the survey period. We applied the Cox proportional hazard model to estimate the associations, adjusting for a set of covariates such as sociodemographic characteristics, lifestyles, and disease status.

Results

A total of 12,382 participants were analyzed, and the incidence of falls was 31.7%. According to the fully adjusted model, having a squatting toilet (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.14, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.03–1.26), household untidiness (HR = 1.09, 95% CI = 1.01–1.18), and solid fuel use for cooking (HR = 1.10, 95% CI = 1.02–1.18) were associated with a higher risk of falls (ps < .05), compared to their counterparts. We found a linear relationship between housing environments and falls (p for trend = .001). Specifically, moderate (HR = 1.16, 95% CI = 1.06–1.27) and poor housing environments (HR = 1.21, 95% CI = 1.08–1.34) were associated with a higher risk of falls compared to a good housing environment.

Discussion and Implications

Among middle-aged and older Chinese adults, a better household environment, including sitting toilets, tidy living conditions, and clean fuel use for cooking, may reduce the risk of falls. The evidence from our study suggests the need to implement age-friendly housing environments to prevent falls and disability in an aging society.
Crustal and uppermost mantle structure near the Gloria Fault, North Atlantic, from ocean bottom seismometer surface wave observations
Authors: Pinzón Juan I , Custódio Susana , Silveira Graça , Krüger Frank , Mata João , Matias Luis
Published: October 2023

In this work, we present both 1-D and 3-D shear wave velocity (Vs) models of the oceanic crust and uppermost mantle below the Deep OCean Test ARray area, located ∼ 70 km north of the central section of the Gloria Fault, in the eastern North-Atlantic Ocean. The velocity models are inferred from the dispersion of surface waves recorded on ocean bottom seismometers. Dispersion measurements are obtained from the analysis of ambient seismic noise at short periods (< 14 s) and teleseismic surface waves at long periods (> 14 s) using the two-station method. The 1-D Vs model is inferred from the joint inversion of Rayleigh wave phase velocities and Love wave group and phase velocities. The 3-D tomographic model is obtained by inversion of 2-D Love wave group velocity maps as a function of depth, further constrained by the average of Love wave phase velocities obtained from ambient noise (4–9 s) and the average Rayleigh and Love wave phase velocities calculated from teleseismic data (14–44 s).

The 1-D Vs model shows a sediment layer with a low velocity of 1.05 km s−1, similar to previous studies in the region. Below the sediments, we find an oceanic crust with velocities ranging from 3.3 to 4.5 km s−1. The model reaches an unusually high velocity of 4.9 km s−1 in a 20 km thick layer at depths between 16 and 36 km. We interpret this fast velocity layer as indicative of the presence of harzburgite, a residue of enhanced melting that might have been formed by the proximity between the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and the Azores mantle plume. At greater depths the velocity decreases, forming a low-velocity zone that reaches a minimum at ∼ 70 km depth, which we interpret as the maximum depth for the lithosphere–asthenosphere boundary. The 3-D model shows a structure that is mostly horizontally layered, with Vs isocontours at 3.5–4.5 km s−1 highlighting oscillations of the crustal structure with wavelengths of ∼25–30 km. These oscillations may be due to changes in the rate of mantle upwelling and magma supply rate.
The Integrative Study of Behavior
Authors: Rubenstein Dustin R.
Published: October 2023

The Development of Song Learning

Intraspecific Variation and Dialects

Social Experience and Song Development

Mechanisms of Song Learning

The Genetics of Song Learning

The Avian Song Control System

The Evolution of Song Learning

An Evolutionary History of Bird Song

Song Learning: A...
Parental Care
Authors: Rubenstein Dustin R.
Published: October 2023

Offspring Value and Parental Investment

Parental Care Decisions

Parental Favoritism in Offspring Care and Production

Family Conflict

To Care or Not to Care

Current versus Future Reproduction

Sexual Conflict and Parental Care

Maternal versus Paternal Care

(Non-)Discriminating Parental Care

Offspring Recognition and...
Principles of Social Evolution
Authors: Rubenstein Dustin R.
Published: October 2023

Altruism and Levels of Selection

Individual versus Group Selection

Kin Selection

Kin Selection and Inclusive Fitness Theory

Haplodiploidy and the Evolution of Eusociality

Inclusive Fitness and Monogamy

Sterility and Caste Differentiation

Social Conflict in Animal Societies

Reproductive Conflict

Consequences of Social Conflict...
When History Empowers: Recovering the Life Stories of the Begums of Bhopal for Women’s Learning and Gender Equality
Authors: Lambert-Hurley Siobhan , Iyengar Radhika , Ali Nafhesa
Published: October 2023

Bhopal in central India has a unique history as a city ruled by a dynasty of four successive Muslim women rulers (1819–1926). Yet, in Bhopal city today, they are rarely commemorated or even remembered. This article documents an initial study undertaken by an interdisciplinary academic team (including a historian, a sociologist and an applied education researcher) in collaboration with local women’s organization Mahashakti Seva Kendra. The project explores how the inspirational life stories of the Begums of Bhopal can be recovered to empower contemporary women, revealing the immediate impact and future potential of local history for women’s learning and gender empowerment.
Archival Trials: Unpublished Records from the Allahabad High Court
Authors: McClure Alastair
Published: October 2023

In recent years legal historians of South Asia have demonstrated the value of moving beyond traditional state archives and published law reports by retrieving records left in working courts. Building on this scholarship, this essay presents reflections from time spent with the unpublished historic records of the Allahabad High Court. The essay begins by examining two unpublished cases retrieved from these records. I then consider how more careful attention to the historical development of the legal record might encourage new ways of thinking through the politics of the colonial archive.