bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
#SnailMailRevolution: The Networked Aesthetics of Pandemic Letter-Writing Campaigns
Authors: Butkowski Chelsea
Published: January 2024

During the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, people in the US reported sending more personal mail to stay in touch with friends and family. They also began posting more images of their mail on the very same social media platforms that handwritten letters circumvent. Drawing from research on digital disengagement, platform aesthetics and media nostalgia, I conducted a textual analysis of hash-tagged Instagram posts from three popular letter-writing campaigns that sprung up during the pandemic: Letters Against Isolation, The Big Send and Penpalooza. In this chapter, I investigate how campaign participants represent, aestheticize and potentially idealize letter writing as a disengaged media practice on Instagram. Ultimately, I argue that pandemic letter writing and sharing constitute a form of additive disengagement, building and intermingling online and offline networks across the globe. However, I also maintain that this does not exempt them from the power hierarchies and political pitfalls of publicly performing non-participation.
Epilogue: Digital Disengagement – Questions of Pandemic and Post-Pandemic Digitalities
Authors: Kuntsman Adi , Martin Sam , Miyake Esperanza
Published: January 2024

This book began with a critical question – ‘What is the place of digital refusal in the fabric of pandemic and post-pandemic life?’ – which emerged as part of our collective reflection on the rise in digitization during the first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic, and beyond. The process of answering this question was often accompanied by the rapidly diminishing possibility of stepping away from compulsory digitalities. Bringing the paradigm of digital disengagement that challenges the normalization of the digital (and of digital solutionism in particular) and foregrounds opting out and refusal as a starting point, the book thus explores a number of aspects of digital disengagement in pandemic and post-pandemic times.
Real-time binocular visual localization system based on the improved BGNet stereo matching framework
Authors: Qu Zanxi , Li Li , Jin Weiqi , Yang Ye
Published: January 2024

Binocular vision technology is widely used to acquire three-dimensional information of images because of its low cost. In recent years, the use of deep learning for stereo matching has shown promising results in improving the measurement stability of binocular vision systems, but the real-time performance in high-precision networks is typically poor. Therefore, this study constructed a deep-learning-based stereo matching binocular vision system based on the BGLGA-Net, which combines the advantages of past networks. Experiments showed that the ability to detect the edges of foreground objects was enhanced. The network was used to build a system on the Xavier NX. The measurement accuracy and stability were better than those of traditional algorithms.
Binary image encryption with a QR code-encoded optical beam having an array of vortices
Authors: Shikder Allarakha , Rao Sonu Kumar , Kumar Praveen , Nishchal Naveen K.
Published: January 2024

In recent years, optical information processing has become increasingly important due to its ability to handle large amounts of data efficiently. Amplitude, phase, spatial frequency, wavelength, and polarization are the physical dimensions used for information encoding into the light beam. Information encoding using orbital angular momentum (OAM) carried by a vortex beam is gaining interest in this regard. Such beams provide high-dimensional orthogonal states for encoding and have shown more stability in turbulent media than Gaussian beams, especially in the case of free space propagation. This study demonstrates an image encryption method utilizing an array of OAM light modes. The approach uses a non-interferometric intensity recording-based encoding scheme, which offers ease of implementation. Quick response codes have been utilized for encoding to avoid information loss from non-uniform distribution of light and aberrations. The encryption scheme is highly secure because the encrypted light beam contains only partial information about the object, preventing complete information retrieval without proper key information.
Dish spliced concentrator with both uniform and focused performance through a variable focal length
Authors: Wang Peiyuan , Fu Shuaikang , Jiang Ping , Qin Yan , Liu Jianing , Wang Chaoxiang , Bai Chenxi , Yang Huajun
Published: January 2024

We present a dish spliced concentrator (DSC) featuring hexagonal spherical sub-mirrors of uniform size. The DSC offers advantages over traditional parabolic dish concentrators, including a compact layout, cost-effectiveness, higher concentration ratio, and improved light uniformity. Its versatility allows for both uniform and focused light concentration by adjusting parameters like the focal length of the DSC, making it suitable for concentrating photovoltaic (CPV) and concentrating solar thermal (CST) applications. We design the DSC using three-dimensional (3D) vector rotation theory, implementing ray tracing and transmission characteristic analysis based on three-dimensional vector reflection theory. We establish a simulation model to evaluate the impact of geometric parameters on the DSC’s optical performance.
Visions of invisibility in optics: retrospective
Authors: Gbur Greg
Published: January 2024

Invisibility was long thought to be exclusively the domain of science fiction and fantasy authors, but in recent years it has been the subject of extensive theoretical and experimental research. In this retrospective we look back on the evolution of invisibility in science, from the earliest hints of invisible objects in the late 19th century up to the modern concepts of cloaking, and some of the connections between them.
Obtaining the impulse response from nonlinear spectroscopy measurements by laser normalization
Authors: Halaoui Adam , Diederich Geoffrey M. , Siemens Mark E.
Published: January 2024

In nonlinear spectroscopies, the detected spectrum is determined by the response of the system to the particular excitation pulses, which can vary as excitation energy and pulse duration are tuned. Here, we analytically show that, under reasonable assumptions, the nested integrals that describe the light-matter interaction of the system can be simplified by application of the Fourier convolution and shift theorems, resulting in an expression for the nonlinear spectrum that is a product of the impulsive system response and the interaction laser spectra. The impulsive response can then be obtained by linearly dividing the laser spectrum from the detected signal. We demonstrate our normalization scheme by recovering the impulsive response from two different material systems, highlighting removal of distinct spectral artifacts.
Construction and interpretation of high-order image information based on NV optical magnetic vector detection
Authors: Hao Wenyuan , Gao Ziheng , Wen Huanfei , Liu Yanjie , Wang Ding , Li Xin , Li Zhonghao , Guo Hao , Ma Zongmin , Tang Jun , Liu Jun
Published: January 2024

Tensor imaging can provide more comprehensive information about spatial physical properties, but it is a high-dimensional physical quantity that is difficult to observe directly. This paper proposes a fast-transform magnetic tensor imaging method based on the NV magnetic detection technique. The Euler deconvolution interprets the magnetic tensor data to obtain the target three-dimensional (3D) boundary information. Fast magnetic vector imaging was performed using optical detection of magnetic resonance (ODMR) to verify the method's feasibility. The complete tensor data was obtained based on the transformation of the vector magnetic imaging data, which was subsequently solved, and the contour information of the objective was restored. In addition, a fast magnetic moment judgment model and an angular transformation model of the observation space are developed in this paper to reduce the influence of the magnetic moment direction on the results and to help interpret the magnetic tensor data. Finally, the experiment realizes the localization, judgment of magnetic moment direction, and 3D boundary identification of a micron-sized tiny magnet with a spatial resolution of 10 µm, a model accuracy of 90.1%, and a magnetic moment direction error of 4.2°.
Coherent field sensing of nitrogen dioxide
Authors: Eber Alexander , Fürst Lukas , Siegrist Florian , Kirchner Adrian , Tschofenig Benedikt , di Vora Robert , Speletz Armin , Bernhardt Birgitta
Published: January 2024

We introduce a portable dual-comb spectrometer operating in the visible spectral region for atmospheric monitoring of NO2, a pollution gas of major importance. Dual-comb spectroscopy, combining key advantages of fast, broadband and accurate measurements, has been established in the infrared as a method for the investigation of atmospheric gases with kilometer-scale absorption path lengths. With the presented dual-comb spectrometer centered at 517 nm, we make use of the strong absorption cross section of NO2 in this spectral region. In combination with a multi-pass approach through the atmosphere, we achieve an interaction path length of almost a kilometer while achieving both advanced spatial resolution (90 m) and a detection sensitivity of 5 ppb. The demonstrated temporal resolution of one minute outperforms the standard chemiluminescence-based NO2 detector that is commercially available and used in this experiment, by a factor of three.
Dual layer chessboard metasurface sandwiched by a spin-on-carbon for spectral modulation
Authors: Tian Shuoqiu , Yuan Wentao , Guo Jinyu , Chen Qiucheng , Chen Yifang
Published: January 2024

Metasurfaces, composed by metals and dielectrics in periodical order with subwavelength pitches, are of great importance for their unique ability to abruptly manipulate optical fields. So far, all the reported metasurfaces are constructed by thermally deposited metals and dielectric films, based on semiconductor processes which are expensive and time-consuming. Inspired by the outstanding dry etch property of spin-on-carbon (SOC) as the interlayer material in CMOS technology, this paper proposes to utilize the SOC as the dielectric layer in a chessboard metasurface with dual layer of gold to form an array of local surface plasmonic resonators (localized surface plasmon resonance). Finite difference and time domain (FDTD) method is used to investigate the spectral characteristics in reflectance of the metasurface in both visible and short wavelengths of infrared light. Electron beam lithography is applied to generate the nanoscale chessboard pattern on ZEP520A, followed by a conventional oxygen-based plasma etch to form high aspect ratio nanopillar arrays in SOC with the feature width under 50 nm, and ended by a thermal deposition of gold to form self-aligned dual layer local surface plasmonic resonators (LSPRs). The measured reflectance spectra agree with the simulated. A wealth of optical properties, such as coupling induced modulations of spectra by LSPRs, are revealed and analyzed. These special modes result in tunable structural colors and wavelength-selective antireflection ability. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time that SOC is applied in the construction of metasurfaces, which has great potential for next generation nanophotonic devices.
Polarization dependent gain in Raman fiber amplifiers with multiple pumps
Authors: Zhou Junhe , Yuheng Wang , Liu Tengyuan
Published: January 2024

In this paper, the polarization dependent gain (PDG) in Raman fiber amplifiers (RFAs) with multiple pumps is studied thoroughly. A comprehensive model, which takes the random polarization mode dispersion, the nonlinear coupling between the pumps, and the degree of polarization (DOP) of the pumps into account, is proposed. The complex nonlinear and random coupling inside the optical fiber is described by a set of nonlinear stochastic differential equations (SDEs), which enable co-simulation of the polarized part and the depolarized part of the multiple pumps. It is revealed that the average PDG and the PDG standard deviation are linearly proportional to the DOP of the pumps, which agrees with the single mode case. More importantly, when the pump wavelength is far away from the signal amplification range (pump-signal wavelength difference larger than 100 nm), its DOP still affects the PDG of the signal. Such a phenomenon is caused by the fact that the pumps interact with each other and the pump DOP could transfer among the pumps, which could enhance the PDG of the RFA. The findings in the work will have important implications for the design of the optical transmission systems with the multi-pump RFAs.
1D speckle-learned structured light recognition
Authors: Badavath Purnesh Singh , Raskatla Venugopal , Kumar Vijay
Published: January 2024

In this Letter, we introduce a novel, to the best of our knowledge, structured light recognition technique based on the 1D speckle information to reduce the computational cost. Compared to the 2D speckle-based recognition [J. Opt. Soc. Am. A 39, 759 (2022)10.1364/JOSAA.446352], the proposed 1D speckle-based method utilizes only a 1D array (1×
n
pixels) of the structured light speckle pattern image (
n
 × 
n
pixels). This drastically reduces the computational cost, since the required data is reduced by a factor of 1/
n
. A custom-designed 1D convolutional neural network (1D-CNN) with only 2.4 k learnable parameters is trained and tested on 1D structured light speckle arrays for fast and accurate recognition. A comparative study is carried out between 2D speckle-based and 1D speckle-based array recognition techniques comparing the data size, training time, and accuracy. For a proof-of-concept for the 1D speckle-based structured light recognition, we have established a 3-bit free-space communication channel by employing structured light-shift keying. The trained 1D CNN has successfully decoded the encoded 3-bit gray image with an accuracy of 94%. Additionally, our technique demonstrates robust performance under noise variation showcasing its deployment in practical cost-effective real-world applications.
High-power Raman lasing and efficient anti-Stokes generation in mm-sized glass disk resonators
Authors: Bhadkamkar Atul , Yavuz Deniz , Carpenter Steven , Gold David , Goldsmith Randall , Beede Matthew , van der Weide Daniel
Published: January 2024

We have previously experimentally observed high
power Stokes and second-order Stokes output from a
mm-sized CaF2 disk using stimulated Raman scattering.
A pump laser at a wavelength of 1.06 μm was coupled
via a tapered fiber to the whispering gallery modes of
the disk. In this paper, we extend this work and demon-
strate the production of the first anti-Stokes sideband at
power levels as high as 60 μW in near continuous-wave
(CW) operation. The result is a four-component Raman
comb at the output, with a wavelength range covering
from 1.023 μm to 1.14 μm. We discuss the threshold de-
pendence of the observed Raman lines on the crystal
orientation and provide experimental validation. These
advances enable the use of such mm-sized resonators as
compact, efficient sources for terahertz level frequency
modulation.
Characterization of the intracellular neurexin interactome by in vivo proximity ligation suggests its involvement in presynaptic actin assembly
Authors: Schaan Profes Marcos , Tiroumalechetty Araven , Patel Neel , Lauar Stephanie S. , Sidoli Simone , Kurshan Peri T.
Published: January 2024

Neurexins are highly spliced transmembrane cell adhesion molecules that bind an array of partners via their extracellular domains. However, much less is known about the signaling pathways downstream of neurexin’s largely invariant intracellular domain (ICD). Caenorhabditis elegans contains a single neurexin gene that we have previously shown is required for presynaptic assembly and stabilization. To gain insight into the signaling pathways mediating neurexin’s presynaptic functions, we employed a proximity ligation method, endogenously tagging neurexin’s intracellular domain with the promiscuous biotin ligase TurboID, allowing us to isolate adjacent biotinylated proteins by streptavidin pull-down and mass spectrometry. We compared our experimental strain to a control strain in which neurexin, endogenously tagged with TurboID, was dispersed from presynaptic active zones by the deletion of its C-terminal PDZ-binding motif. Selection of this control strain, which differs from the experimental strain only in its synaptic localization, was critical to identifying interactions specifically occurring at synapses. Using this approach, we identified both known and novel intracellular interactors of neurexin, including active zone scaffolds, actin-binding proteins (including almost every member of the Arp2/3 complex), signaling molecules, and mediators of RNA trafficking, protein synthesis and degradation, among others. Characterization of mutants for candidate neurexin interactors revealed that they recapitulate aspects of the nrx-1(-) mutant phenotype, suggesting they may be involved in neurexin signaling. Finally, to investigate a possible role for neurexin in local actin assembly, we endogenously tagged its intracellular domain with actin depolymerizing and sequestering peptides (DeActs) and found that this led to defects in active zone assembly. Together, these results suggest neurexin’s intracellular domain may be involved in presynaptic actin-assembly, and furthermore highlight a novel approach to achieving high specificity for in vivo proteomics experiments.
Integrated meta-analysis of colorectal cancer public proteomic datasets for biomarker discovery and validation
Authors: Robles Javier , Prakash Ananth , Vizcaíno Juan Antonio , Casal J. Ignacio
Published: January 2024

The cancer biomarker field has been an object of thorough investigation in the last decades. Despite this, colorectal cancer (CRC) heterogeneity makes it challenging to identify and validate effective prognostic biomarkers for patient classification according to outcome and treatment response. Although a massive amount of proteomics data has been deposited in public data repositories, this rich source of information is vastly underused. Here, we attempted to reuse public proteomics datasets with two main objectives: i) to generate hypotheses (detection of biomarkers) for their posterior/downstream validation, and (ii) to validate, using an orthogonal approach, a previously described biomarker panel. Twelve CRC public proteomics datasets (mostly from the PRIDE database) were re-analysed and integrated to create a landscape of protein expression. Samples from both solid and liquid biopsies were included in the reanalysis. Integrating this data with survival annotation data, we have validated in silico a six-gene signature for CRC classification at the protein level, and identified five new blood-detectable biomarkers (CD14, PPIA, MRC2, PRDX1, and TXNDC5) associated with CRC prognosis. The prognostic value of these blood-derived proteins was confirmed using additional public datasets, supporting their potential clinical value. As a conclusion, this proof-of-the-concept study demonstrates the value of re-using public proteomics datasets as the basis to create a useful resource for biomarker discovery and validation. The protein expression data has been made available in the public resource Expression Atlas.
Vaccination coverage and adverse events following a reactive vaccination campaign against hepatitis E in Bentiu displaced persons camp, South Sudan
Authors: Nesbitt Robin C. , Asilaza Vincent Kinya , Gignoux Etienne , Koyuncu Aybüke , Gitahi Priscillah , Nkemenang Patrick , Duncker Jetske , Antier Zelie , Haile Melat , Gakima Primitive , Wamala Joseph F. , Loro Fredrick Beden , Biem Duol , Rull Monica , Azman Andrew S. , Rumunu John , Ciglenecki Iza
Published: January 2024

Introduction

Hepatitis E (HEV) genotypes 1 and 2 are the common cause of jaundice and acute viral hepatitis that can cause large-scale outbreaks. HEV infection is associated with adverse fetal outcomes and case fatality risks up to 31% among pregnant women. An efficacious three-dose recombinant vaccine (Hecolin) has been licensed in China since 2011 but until 2022, had not been used for outbreak response despite a 2015 WHO recommendation. The first ever mass vaccination campaign against hepatitis E in response to an outbreak was implemented in 2022 in Bentiu internally displaced persons camp in South Sudan targeting 27,000 residents 16–40 years old, including pregnant women.

Methods

We conducted a vaccination coverage survey using simple random sampling from a sampling frame of all camp shelters following the third round of vaccination. For survey participants vaccinated in the third round in October, we asked about the onset of symptoms experienced within 72 hours of vaccination. During each of the three vaccination rounds, passive surveillance of adverse events following immunisation (AEFI) was put in place at vaccination sites and health facilities in Bentiu IDP camp.

Results

We surveyed 1,599 individuals and found that self-reported coverage with one or more dose was 86% (95% CI 84–88%), 73% (95% CI 70–75%) with two or more doses and 58% (95% CI 55–61%) with three doses. Vaccination coverage did not differ significantly by sex or age group. We found no significant difference in coverage of at least one dose between pregnant and non-pregnant women, although coverage of at least two and three doses was 8 and 14 percentage points lower in pregnant women. The most common reasons for non-vaccination were temporary absence or unavailability, reported by 60% of unvaccinated people. Passive AEFI surveillance captured few mild AEFI, and through the survey we found that 91 (7.6%) of the 1,195 individuals reporting to have been vaccinated in October 2022 reported new symptoms starting within 72 hours after vaccination, most commonly fever, headache or fatigue.

Conclusions

We found a high coverage of at least one dose of the Hecolin vaccine following three rounds of vaccination, and no severe AEFI. The vaccine was well accepted and well tolerated in the Bentiu IDP camp community and should be considered for use in future outbreak response.
Efficacy of short-course treatment for prevention of congenital transmission of Chagas disease: A retrospective cohort study
Authors: Moscatelli Guillermo , Moroni Samanta , Ramírez Juan Carlos , Warszatska Belén , Fernanda Lascano , González Nicolás , Rabinovich Andrés , Altcheh Jaime
Published: January 2024

Background

In regions with controlled vector transmission of T. cruzi, congenital transmission is the most frequent route of infection. Treatment with benznidazole (BZ) or nifurtimox (NF) for 60 days in girls and women of childbearing age showed to be effective in preventing mother to child transmission of this disease. Reports on short-course treatment (≤30 days) are scarce.

Methods

Retrospective cohort study. Offspring of women with Chagas disease who received short-course treatment (≤30 days) with BZ or NF, attended between 2003 and 2022, were evaluated. Parasitemia (microhaematocrit and/or PCR) was performed at <8 months of age, and serology (ELISA and IHA) at ≥8 months to rule out congenital infection.

Results

A total of 27 women receiving ≤30 days of treatment and their children were included in this study. NF was prescribed in 17/27 (63%) women, and BZ in 10/27 (37%). The mean duration of treatment was 29.2 days. None of the women experienced serious adverse events during treatment, and no laboratory abnormalities were observed. Forty infants born to these 27 treated women were included. All newborns were full term, with appropriate weight for their gestational age. No perinatal infectious diseases or complications were observed.

Discussion

Several studies have shown that treatment of infected girls and women of childbearing age for 60 days is an effective practice to prevent transplacental transmission of T. cruzi. Our study demonstrated that short-duration treatment (≤30 days) is effective and beneficial in preventing transplacental transmission of Chagas disease.
The promotive role of lncRNA MIR205HG in proliferation, invasion, and migration of melanoma cells via the JMJD2C/ALKBH5 axis
Authors: Liu Yujing , Wang Suihai , Wei Shanshan , Qiu Xianwen , Mei Yijie , Yan Lu
Published: January 2024

Melanoma is a highly malignant skin cancer. This study aimed to investigate the role of long non-coding RNA MIR205 host gene (lncRNA MIR205HG) in proliferation, invasion, and migration of melanoma cells via jumonji domain containing 2C (JMJD2C) and ALKB homolog 5 (ALKBH5). Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction or Western blot assay showed that MIR205HG, JMJD2C, and ALKBH5 were increased in melanoma cell lines. Cell counting kit-8, colony formation, and Transwell assays showed that silencing MIR205HG inhibited proliferation, invasion, and migration of melanoma cells. RNA immunoprecipitation, actinomycin D treatment, and chromatin immunoprecipitation showed that MIR205HG may bind to human antigen R (HuR, ELAVL1) and stabilized JMJD2C expression, and JMJD2C may increase the enrichment of H3K9me3 in the ALKBH5 promotor region to promote ALKBH5 transcription. The tumor xenograft assay based on subcutaneous injection of sh-MIR205HG-treated melanoma cells showed that silencing MIR205HG suppressed tumor growth and reduced Ki67 positive rate by inactivating the JMJD2C/ALKBH5 axis. Generally, MIR205HG facilitated proliferation, invasion, and migration of melanoma cells through HuR-mediated stabilization of JMJD2C and increasing ALKBH5 transcription by erasing H3K9me3.
The relationship between perceived institutional conditions and firm-level innovations in emerging markets: Moderating effects of firm ownerships
Authors: Odei Samuel Amponsah
Published: January 2024

Country-level institutional conditions are known to play key roles in firms’ innovation and operations. While it is acknowledged that an unfavourable institutional context negatively influences innovation, less is known about which firms are most affected by these institutional conditions. This research aims to examine which institutional conditions affect firms’ product innovation and which firms can innovate their products despite the unfavourable institutional environment. The empirical results based on 21,056 firms from 42 African countries show that legal institutions and informal competition positively influence product innovation while perceived policy instability has a negative influence. The results proved that the interactions between perceived policy instability and favourable legal institutions negatively influence product innovation. However, the joint effects of these institutional conditions positively impact product innovation. Private domestic ownership positively moderates the relationship between a favourable legal environment and product innovations, while foreign ownership negatively moderates the relationship between a favourable legal environment and product innovations. Finally, the results showed that both domestic and foreign ownerships negatively moderate the relationship between perceived policy instability and product innovation. The main practical implication from our result is that policy practitioners in African countries should endeavour to reduce the potential negative impact of the policy instability and unfavourable legal environment for foreign-owned firms as it reduces their incentives to innovate.
Socioeconomic shocks, social protection and household food security amidst COVID-19 pandemic in Africa’s largest economy
Authors: Osabohien Romanus A. , Jaaffar Amar Hisham , Ibrahim Joshua , Usman Ojonugwa , Igharo Amechi E. , Oyekanmi Adeleke Abdulrahman
Published: January 2024

Africa has been known to experience series of problems among which are poverty, food insecurity, lack of access to energy, lack of infrastructure among others. These problems were exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, which has had a severe impact on the socioeconomic status of households in Africa. This paper examines the relationship between socioeconomic shocks, social protection, and household food security during the pandemic in Nigeria, the Africa’s largest economy. Using the World Bank’s COVID-19 national longitudinal baseline phone survey (2020) for the analysis and applied the multinomial logit regression, the study finds that socioeconomic shocks resulting from the pandemic have led to an increased level of food insecurity. Social protection programmes have played a crucial role in mitigating the impact of these shocks on households. However, the study also highlights the need for more targeted and effective social protection policies to ensure that vulnerable households are adequately protected from the adverse effects of the pandemic. The findings of this study have important implications for policymakers and stakeholders in Africa’s largest economy, as they seek to address the challenges posed by the pandemic and promote household food security for the actualisation the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) of food and nutrition security (SDG2). The study, therefore, recommends that efforts be made to preserve food supply chains by mitigating the pandemic’s effect on food systems, increasing food production, and looking forward beyond the pandemic by building resilient food systems with the use of social protection interventions.
Ontology-based taxonomical analysis of experimentally verified natural and laboratory human coronavirus hosts and its implication for COVID-19 virus origination and transmission
Authors: Wang Yang , Ye Muhui , Zhang Fengwei , Freeman Zachary Thomas , Yu Hong , Ye Xianwei , He Yongqun
Published: January 2024

To fully understand COVID-19, it is critical to study all possible hosts of SARS-CoV-2 (the pathogen of COVID-19). In this work, we collected, annotated, and performed ontology-based taxonomical analysis of all the reported and verified hosts for all human coronaviruses including SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV, SARS-CoV-2, HCoV-229E, HCoV-NL63, HCoV-OC43, and HCoV-HKU1. A total of 37 natural hosts and 19 laboratory animal hosts of human coronaviruses were identified based on experimental evidence. Our analysis found that all the verified susceptible natural and laboratory animals belong to therian mammals. Specifically, these 37 natural therian hosts include one wildlife marsupial mammal (i.e., Virginia opossum) and 36 Eutheria mammals (a.k.a. placental mammals). The 19 laboratory animal hosts are also classified as therian mammals. The mouse models with genetically modified human ACE2 or DPP4 were more susceptible to virulent human coronaviruses with clear symptoms, suggesting the critical role of ACE2 and DPP4 to coronavirus virulence. Coronaviruses became more virulent and adaptive in the mouse hosts after a series of viral passages in the mice, providing clue to the possible coronavirus origination. The Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market animals identified early in the COVID-19 outbreak were also systematically analyzed as possible COVID-19 hosts. To support knowledge standardization and query, the annotated host knowledge was modeled and represented in the Coronavirus Infectious Disease Ontology (CIDO). Based on our and others’ findings, we further propose a MOVIE model (i.e., Multiple-Organism viral Variations and Immune Evasion) to address how viral variations in therian animal hosts and the host immune evasion might have led to dynamic COVID-19 pandemic outcomes.
Effect of drought stress on natural rubber biosynthesis and quality in Taraxacum kok-saghyz roots
Authors: Mofidi Seyed Shahab Hedayat , Naghavi Mohammad Reza , Sabokdast Manijeh , Jariani Parisa , Zargar Meisam , Cornish Katrina
Published: January 2024

Taraxacum kok-saghyz (TKS) is a potential source of natural rubber (NR) that can be grown in temperate regions with limited water availability. However, the effect of drought stress on NR production and properties in TKS isn’t well studied. This study examined how different levels of drought stress (30, 60 and 90%) influenced the NR content, molecular weight (Mw), glass transition temperature (Tg), gene expression, and biochemical parameters in TKS roots. The results showed that drought stress didn’t significantly change the NR content, but increased the Mw and the expression of CPT and SRPP genes, which are involved in NR biosynthesis. The NR from TKS roots (TNR) had a high Mw of 994,000 g/mol and a low Tg of below -60°C under normal irrigation, indicating its suitability for industrial applications. Drought stress also triggered the accumulation of proline, H2O2, MDA, and antioxidant enzymes (CAT, APX, GPX) in TKS roots significantly, indicating a drought tolerance mechanism. These findings suggest that TKS can produce high-quality NR under drought stress conditions and provide a sustainable alternative to conventional NR sources.
Risky behaviors and road safety: An exploration of age and gender influences on road accident rates
Authors: McCarty Dakota , Kim Hyun Woo
Published: January 2024

Human behavior is a dominant factor in road accidents, contributing to more than 70% of such incidents. However, gathering detailed data on individual drivers’ behavior is a significant challenge in the field of road safety. As a result, researchers often narrow the scope of their studies thus limiting the generalizability of their findings. Our study aims to address this issue by identifying demographic-related variables and their indirect effects on road accident frequency. The theoretical basis is set through existing literature linking demographics to risky driving behavior and through the concept of “close to home” effect, finding that the upwards of 62% of accidents happen within 11km of a driver’s home. Using regression-based machine learning models, our study, looking at England, UK, explores the theoretical linkages between demographics of an area and road accident frequency, finding that census data is able to explain over 28% of the variance in road accident rates per capita. While not replacing more in-depth research on driver behavior, this research validates trends found in the literature through the use of widely available data with the use of novel methods. The results of this study support the use of demographic data from the national census that is obtainable at a large spatial and temporal scale to estimate road accident risks; additionally, it demonstrates a methodology to further explore potential indirect relationships and proxies between behaviors and road accident risk.
Epitranscriptional m6A modification of rRNA negatively impacts translation and host colonization in Staphylococcus aureus
Authors: Shields Kathryn E. , Ranava David , Tan Yongjun , Zhang Dapeng , Yap Mee-Ngan F.
Published: January 2024

Macrolides, lincosamides, and streptogramin B (MLS) are structurally distinct molecules that are among the safest antibiotics for prophylactic use and for the treatment of bacterial infections. The family of erythromycin resistance methyltransferases (Erm) invariantly install either one or two methyl groups onto the N6,6-adenosine of 2058 nucleotide (m6A2058) of the bacterial 23S rRNA, leading to bacterial cross-resistance to all MLS antibiotics. Despite extensive structural studies on the mechanism of Erm-mediated MLS resistance, how the m6A epitranscriptomic mark affects ribosome function and bacterial physiology is not well understood. Here, we show that Staphylococcus aureus cells harboring m6A2058 ribosomes are outcompeted by cells carrying unmodified ribosomes during infections and are severely impaired in colonization in the absence of an unmodified counterpart. The competitive advantage of m6A2058 ribosomes is manifested only upon antibiotic challenge. Using ribosome profiling (Ribo-Seq) and a dual-fluorescence reporter to measure ribosome occupancy and translational fidelity, we found that specific genes involved in host interactions, metabolism, and information processing are disproportionally deregulated in mRNA translation. This dysregulation is linked to a substantial reduction in translational capacity and fidelity in m6A2058 ribosomes. These findings point to a general “inefficient translation” mechanism of trade-offs associated with multidrug-resistant ribosomes.
Negotiating Pluriversality
Authors: Leeming William
Published: January 2024

In this essay, I examine opportunities for re-viewing what I call, after John Law, examples of “one-world world” arguments through the lens of negotiating pluriversality. Specifically, I look at examples of arguments that placed side-by-side suggest that life will not return to what life was like in the recent past due to accumulating social crises and ecological disasters that have been increasing in both amount and intensity. What links these arguments is a one-world world presumption that we are all in this together. My approach is to disentangle and re-view the arguments separately as accounts of experiences of conjugated power relations and gray space. I propose that re-viewing one-world world arguments for purposes of negotiating pluriversality benefits from, following Achille Mbembe, “the analyst [revealing] the myriad ways ordinary people guide, deceive, and toy with power instead of confronting it directly” and, following Ariella Azoulay, remaking a “never-ending series of [constitutive] moments … into a never-ending project.” Ultimately, I argue negotiating pluriversality involves ascertaining ways communities in transformation can, as Azoulay puts it, reinvent the ways they “tie themselves together.”
Plurality, Data, and the Necessity of “Internets”
Authors: Thomas Andrew
Published: January 2024

Today, the internet is often understood as a monolithic entity. This depiction is increasingly inaccurate and needs to be radically re-examined. The pluriverse concept of the internet examines local and international models of community building in interdependent but separated digital contexts. Drawing on Indigenous knowledge systems some articulations of the pluriverse describe a universe of separate, but connected and interdependent worlds, understood with reference to the concept of communities. Unlike today’s internet-based communities, organized in specific siloed venues and forums where users with specific interests rarely face opposition or differences of opinion and where these interests are constantly reinforced by recirculated data and opinions, the pluriverse offers an imaginative frame where we can imagine a series of ‘internets’, made up of localized networks, community-driven social spaces, open source data sharing, and truly collaborative production at a replicable scale. This paper presents an exploration of the potential for pluriversal “internets.”
Las redes trasnacionales del Secretariado Unificado de la IV Internacional en México y su sección en Baja California, 1960-1973
Authors: Bustamante González Josué , Musotti Sara
Published: January 2024

En el presente artículo se reconstruyen las redes trasnacionales que los trotskistas pertenecientes al Secretariado Unificado (SU) de la Cuarta Internacional establecieron desde su sección mexicana en el contexto internacional. Recorremos la urdimbre de esta sección en su etapa formativa, analizando la sociabilidad entre agentes de distintas nacionalidades, espacios de comunicación, soportes impresos, formas de subsistencia, alteraciones y recomposiciones organizacionales en una etapa de la Guerra Fría de América Latina donde los paradigmas de la Nueva Izquierda se estaban articulado alrededor del antiimperialismo y el internacionalismo.
An Unusual Hiccup: Severe Singultus as a Symptom in Ulcerative Colitis
Authors: Zaher Anas , Hans Amneet K. , Lukin Dana J.
Published: January 2024

Inflammatory bowel disease encompasses a group of chronic inflammatory conditions associated with both intestinal and extraintestinal manifestations. We present a 26-year-old man with a history of ulcerative colitis who presented with a disease exacerbation associated with severe intractable hiccups. We report a unique clinical symptom associated with severe ulcerative colitis and the diagnostic dilemma associated with this presentation. This case highlights the importance of recognizing unusual symptoms that can be associated with inflammatory bowel disease exacerbations and demonstrates the therapeutic potential of effective therapy of the underlying inflammatory disease.
The use of soluble resin for additive manufacturing of automotive industry prototypes
Authors: Pawlak Tomasz , Nabiałek Jacek , Klepka Mateusz
Published: January 2024

The article describes the method of producing car parts using the Freeform method (FIM). The injection process into a mold obtained by 3D printing was simulated and the surface condition of the finished product made of high-strength PEEK was assessed.
Mozambique public investment in the water and sanitation sector and the targets of SDG6
Authors: da Conceição Rebelo Manuel Salvador
Published: January 2024

Many developing countries may not reach the targets of providing access to safe water sources and sanitation services for all by 2030. Census data from Mozambique show that the country’s population is one of fastest growing in the Sub-Saharan region. Between the 2007 and 2017 censuses more than seven million people were added to the total population. By 2030 about 11 million people will be added to Mozambique’s population. This will pose a huge challenge for the water and sanitation services. Access to these services is a fundamental requirement for the wellbeing of individuals and the development of nations. The last data from a Survey on Mozambique Family Budgets (IOF 2019/20), show that 55.7% of a total population has access to safe water sources. In contrast, access to sanitation services (31% of the population), has not kept pace with the progress made in water access. In this study, based on data from the General State Account of Mozambique, which includes the description of the annual investment made by the government and using the results of the Family Budget Surveys, it can be seen that if the average percentage values of public investment of 2009 to 2021 are the same in the following years as regards the water and sanitation sector, Mozambique will not reach the Sustainable Development Goals 6 targets in 2030.
If You Should Go at Midnight
Authors: Debies-Carl Jeffrey S.
Published: January 2024

This is a book about legends and the people who become enthralled by them. A legend is an account of past events that might be true. They enthrall listeners with bizarre claims and appeal to common concerns. Legends can also inspire “legend-tripping.” Here, individuals become so captivated with particular claims that they go on a personal quest to investigate whether these are true. In the process, they hope to achieve a profound experience for themselves. Legend-tripping has grown increasingly prominent in popular culture with the rise of related television shows and social media. This book provides an in-depth investigation into the world of legend tripping to provide a more complete understanding of this fascinating phenomenon. First, it provides a comparative analysis of scores of legend trips to identify overall patterns. These include cases drawn from previous scholarship and new ethnographic research. Second, it examines new data from multiple sources—especially the internet and television. Third, it incorporates scholarship from multiple disciplines with something to say about legend tripping. This leverages multiple points of view to extend the existing understanding of the phenomenon. Fourth, it includes cases beyond the usual emphasis on hauntings and curses to expand the concept of legend tripping. This enlarges the scope of what counts as legend tripping while simultaneously asking what differences might arise across different types of legends. Fifth, it synthesizes the existing literature and integrates it with novel findings to provide a comprehensive introduction to, and update of, legend tripping scholarship.
Legend Telling
Authors: Debies-Carl Jeffrey S.
Published: January 2024

This chapter examines how legends are so effective at inspiring participation through legend tripping. Legends tend to be full of characteristics that are especially well suited to engaging audiences. These include shocking warnings and paranormal or otherwise bizarre claims, ambiguous and open-ended content, and physical settings with an appeal all their own. Next, it explores the meaning of legends, building on previous scholarship by showing how legends change in correspondence with shifts in social concerns. It argues that future legend cycles might be predictable because of this fact. Finally, it demonstrates that all of these characteristics of legends—content, structure, and so forth—can interact with each other to make a legend’s appeal even more potent and the possibility of it inspiring ostension more likely.
Preparations and an Uncanny Journey
Authors: Debies-Carl Jeffrey S.
Published: January 2024

This chapter explores the importance of the preparatory stage of legend trips. Making a journey to mysterious places where the paranormal might reside can entail many obstacles and challenges. Success thus often involves preparation, including carefully reviewing the legend, piecing together its hints, and gathering supplies or equipment. The journey itself is also fraught with difficulties. These issues are not just circumstantial aspects of legend trips: planning ahead, coping with the absence of clear guidance, mobilities of travelling through physical space, experiencing fear and anticipating the supernatural encounter ahead are essential characteristics. This chapter examines the ways that these factors contribute to the preparatory step of legend tripping and how they set the stage for things to come. Fundamentally, they serve as “preliminal rites,” which begin to separate legend trippers—initiates—from the everyday world of the mundane, priming them for extraordinary possibilities.
Divergent Weatherlore in Christian Hermeneutics
Authors: Bloomfield Emma Frances , Bock Sheila
Published: January 2024

This chapter discusses divergent weatherlore in Christian hermeneutics. It primarily covers the notion of climate change and vernacular rhetoric in the current environmental crisis. Despite prominent associations between Christianity and climate-change skepticism, there are a variety of different ways and degrees to which Christians engage in ecological thinking and behaviors. The chapter introduces the rhetoric of the Creation Care movement, which is an iteration of Evangelical Christianity that unites faith with environmentalism while creating space for an eco-conscious identity in Christianity. It also looks into the two poles of Julia Corbett's spectrum of environmental ideologies by considering established Christian climate groups.
In the Bones
Authors: Mullins Willow G.
Published: January 2024

This chapter explores prognostication and weather in the twenty-first century. It provides an overview of the history of weather prediction, which includes weather forecasting as a comparatively recent phenomenon. Popular jokes about the weather reveal a complicated relationship between meteorological forecasting and belief. The jokes reflect weather-forecast consumers' frustrations with the difference between predictions and what happens. The chapter explains that the embodied prediction of weather temporalizes belief in an immediate present and future. It cites that the belief is built from faith in vernacular phenomenological, immersive, and integrated knowledge of weather and trust in the words and benignity of the weatherman.