bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Acting the Part
Authors: Enelow Shonni
Published: December 2024

Abstract: This essay explores Joanna Hogg's recent films The Souvenir and The Souvenir Part II as exemplary revisions of Michael Fried's concept of absorption, focusing on their presentation of actors and acting. Using Joan Copjec's psychoanalytic reading of Fried, it argues that realist acting as it appears in the films demonstrates absorption as a mode of attachment. In contrast to the motivated realist acting that fulfills Lauren Berlant's description of the heroic model of sovereignty, this realist acting rejects the primacy of motivation, insisting instead on an emphatic tautology: I love it because I love it.
"Can She the Bodiless Dead Espy?": Coleridge and the Hermeneutics of Ghost Seeing
Authors: Thomas Alex
Published: December 2024

Abstract: This article argues for a revised understanding of Coleridge's aesthetics of the preternatural by analyzing them through the lens of his long-standing engagement with the phenomenology and hermeneutics of ghost-seeing. Focusing first on critical works such as The Friend, The Statesman's Manual , and Coleridge's notes on Hamlet , I contend that Coleridge articulates an account of visionary experience which stresses the primacy of the interpretive act. The article concludes with a reading of Christabel as a meditation on the hermeneutics of apparitions in which the interpretive crisis of ghost-seeing facilitates a necromantic sociality interpenetrated by the presences of the dead.
Chinese Culture in Translation: A Case Study of the Multimedia Dissemination of Four Classic Novels of Chinese Literature in Myanmar
Authors: Myint Htay Htay
Published: December 2024

Abstract: Representative of Chinese cultural globalization, the Four Classic Novels of Chinese Literature— Journey to the West, Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Water Margin, and Dream of the Red Chamber —have been translated into various languages, including Burmese. This article discusses the translation process and the situation of the Four Classic Novels of Chinese Literature in Myanmar, and how they have been integrated into Burmese popular culture to expand their readership. Analysis includes exploration of Burmese writers’ translation work and the ways in which these works are assimilated to world and Burmese literature as well as television and new media.
Ministerial Public Juridic Persons: The Newest Twist on Sponsorship of Apostolic Institutions Founded by Religious Institutes
Authors: Bauer Nancy
Published: December 2024

ABSTRACT: Once settled in the United States, religious institutes founded apostolates that they themselves owned and operated. In the 1960s and 1970s, due to declining numbers of members, the pursuit of new ministries, and increased costs and liabilities, it became necessary for religious institutes to acts as sponsors of their original apostolates, which were then operated and financially managed by a lay board of trustees or directors. Now, the governance of these apostolates is increasingly being entrusted to a canonically erected ministerial public juridic person, which safeguards the ongoing Catholic identity of these apostolates on behalf of the religious institute. This progression and the current praxis in regard to ministerial public juridic persons is exemplified and illustrated in the case of Duluth Benedictine Ministries, initiated by St. Scholastica Monastery in Duluth, Minnesota.
Uncommon Senses, Uncommunal Retractions: The Give and Take of Language in Franz Kafka's Der Proceß
Authors: Mieszkowski Jan
Published: December 2024

Abstract: This essay explores the language of retraction. The focus is on two sections of Franz Kafka's Der Proceß in which a variety of different attempts are made to take back something that has been said and, in some cases, to provide a substitute for it. The antinomy that emerges—all utterances can be rescinded; no utterances can be rescinded—unsettles any simple identity between communication and community. Ultimately, a discourse may prove most stable when its participants can never be entirely confident that they all share a common tongue and are thus disinclined to expect that their own speech acts will be respected or even understood.
Toward Walter Benjamin's: Theory of the Novel
Authors: McLaughlin Kevin
Published: December 2024

Abstract: This essay proposes the thesis that the literary critical project launched by Walter Benjamin in his early work (from 1914 to 1922) opens an important and complex line of inquiry into the novel that has not been sufficiently appreciated—either in the reception of his work or with regard to the study of the novel more generally. Benjamin's early criticism does not contain a fully developed and comprehensive theory of the novel like the one offered by Georg Lukács during these same years. But Benjamin's approach to the novel in his early work, and in particular in the essay "Goethe's Elective Affinities," completed in 1922, marks a departure from an interpretation of the genre as a modern form of epic of which Lukács's theory is the most developed example.
Signatures of Decision-Making: Keller and Der grüne Heinrich (1854/55; 1879/80)
Authors: Wagner-Egelhaaf Martina
Published: December 2024

Abstract: This article reads Gottfried Keller's novel Der grüne Heinrich [ Green Henry ], which exists in two versions (first version from 1854/55; second version from 1879/80) in light of recent theories of decision-making. It relates the life story of the protagonist Heinrich Lee, which is based on Keller's, to the form and structure of the novel. The constellation of decisions he makes are the decisive factor in this relation. While the first version, which Keller himself describes as shapeless, corresponds to the protagonist's misguided decision to become a painter and his equally shapeless paintings, the structured reworking of the second version of the novel reflects Heinrich's pragmatic decision to give up his unsuccessful career as a painter and to accept the position of an official secretary.
Miguel, Mississippi
Authors: Solomon Eric , Hall Heather Sundquist
Published: December 2024

Abstract: This essay explores the connection between two men—one a Mississippi native and one a native of Xalapa, Mexico—whose lives intersected in the "borderland" space of the Yazoo-Mississippi Delta in the early 2000s. This intimate connection is set against the background of persistent health inequities and inhumane official immigration policy within the state of Mississippi today. Viewing the Yazoo-Mississippi Delta region as a microcosm, the author examines the region's history of cultural confluence to highlight both the possibility and the collapse of what the writer Toni Morrison described in her essay "Home" as a "sharable world." Following a phrase from Édouard Glissant in Faulkner, Mississippi , the essay asks readers to consider what kind of "world-thought" emerges from our "commonplaces." Ultimately, however, the essay is a tribute to the titular man, Miguel Angel Vasquez, who passed away in 2014.
Dynamics-aware deep predictive adaptive scanning optical coherence tomography
Authors: Rajani Dhyey Manish , Seghizzi Federico , Lai Yang-Lun , Buchta Koerner Gray , Draelos Mark
Published: December 2024

Conventional scanned optical coherence tomography (OCT) suffers from the frame rate/resolution tradeoff, whereby increasing image resolution leads to decreases in the maximum achievable frame rate. To overcome this limitation, we propose two variants of machine learning (ML)-based adaptive scanning approaches: one using a ConvLSTM-based sequential prediction model and another leveraging a temporal attention unit (TAU)-based parallel prediction model for scene dynamics prediction. These models are integrated with a kinodynamic path planner based on the clustered traveling salesperson problem to create two versions of ML-based adaptive scanning pipelines. Through experimental validation with novel deterministic phantoms based on a digital light processing board, our techniques achieved mean frame rate speed-ups of up to 40% compared to conventional raster scanning and the probabilistic adaptive scanning method without compromising image quality. Furthermore, these techniques reduced scene-dependent manual tuning of system parameters to demonstrate better generalizability across scenes of varying types, including those of intrasurgical relevance. In a real-time surgical tool tracking experiment, our technique achieved an average speed-up factor of over 3.2× compared to conventional scanning methods, without compromising image quality.
High-performance Ga2O3-based solar-blind UV photodetectors developed with low fabricating and operating temperature
Authors: Chen Yan , Xu Peiran , Li Huihao , Wang Jindong , Li Yuanyuan , Wu Hao , Cao Zetan , Chen Xin , Xu Jintong , Liao Qingjun , Fu Xiuli , Peng Zhijian , Ye Zhenhua
Published: December 2024

Infrared and ultraviolet dual-band integrated detectors are among the most important development trends in photodectors. To be compatible with the low operating and mild fabricating temperature for cooled infrared detectors, it is crucial to develop low-temperature operating UV photodetectors with mild fabricating conditions. In this work, we developed amorphous Ga2O3-based metal-semiconductor-metal solar-blind UV photo-detectors with a low temperature process no higher than 200°C. The photodetectors fabricated with the low-temperature annealed ALD-Ga2O3 thin films exhibit an ultra-low dark current of 5.04 × 10−14 A, high photo-to-dark current ratio of 1.09 × 107, high detectivity of 6.5 × 1015 Jones and responsivity of 1.04 A/W at bias of 5 V. The rise and decay times are less than 70 ms. The changes of oxygen vacancy defects and crystallization region are probably the main reasons. Besides, the prepared photodetectors represent the photo-to-dark current ratio of 2.04 × 105, detectivity of 4.8 × 1014 Jones, and responsivity of 0.13 A/W at liquid nitrogen temperature. Further, the optimal UV photodetectors were integrated with HgCdTe infrared photodetector realizing solar blind UV and short infrared detecting by a single device. This work provides some ideas for exploiting the low-temperature fabricating process of Ga2O3-based UV photodetectors and widening its low-temperature application scenarios. It also lays a foundation for integrating with a cooled infrared detector.
Enhanced broadband quantum efficiency in LWIR T2SL detectors with guided-mode resonance structure
Authors: Ahn Seung-Yeop , Lim Jinha , Geum Dae-Myeong , Gwak Dongho , Kang Ko-Ku , Eom Jun Ho , Kim Young Ho , Kim SangHyeon
Published: December 2024

Type-II superlattice (T2SL) detectors are emerging as key technologies for next-generation long-wavelength infrared (LWIR) applications, particularly in the 8–14 µm range, offering advantages in space exploration, medical imaging, and defense. A major challenge in improving quantum efficiency (QE) lies in achieving sufficient light absorption without increasing the active layer (AL) thickness, which can elevate dark current and complicate manufacturing. Traditional methods, such as thickening the absorber, are limited by the short carrier lifetime in T2SLs, necessitating alternative solutions. In this study, we introduced a guided-mode resonance (GMR) structure into T2SL LWIR detectors to enhance QE while maintaining a thin AL for efficient carrier collection. The GMR structure was fabricated by introducing a grating array on the surface of the detector and an Au mirror beneath the absorber. This configuration enhanced light trapping, which introduced additional resonance modes. The optimized grating design, with a 5 µm period and a fill factor of 0.6, significantly increased absorption, as predicted by finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) simulations and confirmed experimentally. The GMR-enhanced T2SL detector demonstrated a 2.58-fold improvement in QE over conventional LWIR detectors and a 1.33-fold increase compared to Fabry-Pérot (FP) resonance-based detectors in the 6–11 µm range. Despite exhibiting an almost identical dark current density, the GMR LWIR detector demonstrated superior performance, featuring a broader cut-off wavelength of 9.3 µm and higher QE compared to FP LWIR detectors.
Dielectric-metal hybrid structured LSPR sensor based on graphene oxide amplification for lead ion detection
Authors: Li Lixia , Wu Siyuan , Jin Mingdeng , Liu Feiyou , Zhao Jiabin , Huang Yurui , Feng Ning , Liu Yufang
Published: December 2024

The detection of lead ions (Pb2+) is crucial due to its harmful effects on health and the environment. In this article, what we believe to be a novel dielectric-metal hybrid structure localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) sensor for ultra-trace detection of Pb2+ is proposed, featuring a zinc sulfide layer, silver nanodisks (Ag-disks), and graphene oxide (GO) covering the Ag-disks. The sensor works by detecting the variation of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) on its surface when Pb2+ cleaves a substrate strand linked to a DNAzyme, causing the AuNPs modified on the substrate strand to disperse. The LSPR sensor boasts superior performance with a bulk refractive index sensitivity of 714.34 nm/RIU. It also exhibits a log-linear response to Pb2+ concentrations ranging from 10 pM to 100 nM, with a sensitivity of 3.93 nm/log(µM) and a detection limit of 10 pM. This represents a 1.25-fold increase in sensitivity and an order of magnitude lower detection limit compared to the GO-uncoated sensor. The improved performance is due to the abundant reactive groups and expansive surface area of graphene oxide, which facilitate the absorption of biochemical molecules. In addition, the sensor has good specificity and stability, holding significant potential for a variety of practical applications, and paving the way for LSPR sensors in detecting trace heavy metal ions.
Nonlinear Fourier transform based optical communication systems with FBMC wave-carriers
Authors: Balogun Muyiwa , Barry Liam , Derevyanko Stanislav
Published: December 2024

The nonlinear Fourier transforms (NFT) transmission scheme continues to show a lot of potential in the field of optical communications. Nonlinear frequency division multiplexing (NFDM), which is based on the NFT concept, has been shown to offer immunity against Kerr nonlinearity and dispersion in optical fiber transmission systems. However, some issues such as relatively low achievable information rate (AIR) and the interaction of the optical signal with the inline amplifier noise still constitute a major setback for NFT-based schemes. In this work, we examine what is believed to be for the first time, the use of physical layer for dynamic spectrum access (PHYDYAS), which is a type of filter bank multi-carrier (FBMC) method, as a wave-carrier in NFT-based systems. The performance of the PHYDYAS wave-carrier is then compared with the Hermite-Gaussian (HG) based NFT schemes, which have been demonstrated to offer better performance than the traditional sinc- or root-raised cosine based subcarriers. We demonstrate that the proposed PHYDYAS-based NFT system offers a high achievable information rate (AIR) of up to 7.2 bits/symbol and shows a highly desirable resilience to inline amplifier noise when compared to HG-based methods.
Kinetic-energy-dependent over-barrier behaviors of nanorotors in tilted periodic potentials
Authors: He Chaoxiong , Li Cuihong , Wang Jinchuan , Dong Ying , Zhu Shaochong , Ying Qianwen , Ma Yuanyuan , Feng Fu , Yin Zhangqi , Hu Huizhu
Published: December 2024

Thermal-induced transitions between multistable states hold significant interest in stochastic thermodynamics and dynamical control with nanomechanical systems. Here, we study kinetic-energy-dependent over-barrier behaviors in the rotational degree of freedom of silica nanodumbells in tilted periodic potentials. In the rotational degree of freedom, nanodumbbells can undergo critical transitions between librations and rotations as the ellipticity of the trapping laser field changes. These transitions exhibit hysteresis effects, which can be monitored in real time by introducing an additional laterally scattered light. Our experiments elucidate that the distribution of kinetic energy of nanorotors influences the critical transition ellipticities for activating or inhibiting over-barrier behaviors, which is supported by theoretical and numerical analysis. This work lays the groundwork for exploring mesoscopic thermodynamics associated with a broad spectrum of stochastic processes, e.g., non-Markovian thermal noise and evolutions of non-equilibrium steady states.
Integrated quantum communication network and vibration sensing in optical fibers
Authors: Liu Shuaishuai , Tian Yan , Zhang Yu , Lu Zhenguo , Wang Xuyang , Li Yongmin
Published: December 2024

Communication and sensing technologies play crucial roles in various aspects of modern society. The seamless combination of communication and sensing systems has attracted significant interest in recent years. Without adding core devices, vibration-sensing functions can be integrated to build a quantum network with high efficiency and versatility. In this study, we propose and demonstrate a network architecture that integrates a downstream quantum access network (DQAN) and vibration sensing in optical fibers. By encoding the key information of eight users simultaneously on the sidemode quantum states of a single laser source and successively separating them using a specially designed narrow-bandwidth filter network, we achieved a secure and efficient DQAN with an average key rate of 1.94×104 bits per second over an 80 km single-mode fiber. Meanwhile, vibration locations with spatial resolutions of 131, 25, and 4 m at vibration frequencies of 100 Hz, 1 kHz, and 10 kHz, respectively, were implemented using the existing DQAN system infrastructure. The results indicate that the backward probe beam has a negligible effect on the DQAN system. Our integrated architecture provides a viable and cost-effective solution for building a quantum communication sensor network and paves the way for the functionality expansion of quantum communication networks.
Two-photon Rydberg EIT resonances in non-collinear beam configurations
Authors: Su Kevin , Behary Robert , aubin seth , Mikhailov Eugeniy , Novikova Irina
Published: December 2024

We study the modifications of Rydberg EIT resonances in non-collinear geometry, in which the two required optical fields cross at a small non-zero angle. We observe a strong broadening and amplitude reduction even for small angles, when compared to exact counter-propagating and co-propagating collinear geometries. We confirm that such EIT peak deterioration results from the additional Doppler broadening due the transverse velocity distribution atoms. The numerical simulation closely matches the experimental measurements. While a non-collinear geometry provides improved spatial resolution for Rydberg EIT electrometry, we conclude that the crossing angle must be small to maintain field sensitivity.
Environmental fungi target thiol homeostasis to compete with Mycobacterium tuberculosis
Authors: Malhotra Neha , Oh Sangmi , Finin Peter , Medrano Jessica , Andrews Jenna , Goodwin Michael , Markowitz Tovah E. , Lack Justin , Boshoff Helena I. M. , Barry Clifton Earl
Published: December 2024

Mycobacterial species in nature are found in abundance in sphagnum peat bogs where they compete for nutrients with a variety of microorganisms including fungi. We screened a collection of fungi isolated from sphagnum bogs by co-culture with Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) to look for inducible expression of antitubercular agents and identified 5 fungi that produced cidal antitubercular agents upon exposure to live Mtb. Whole genome sequencing of these fungi followed by fungal RNAseq after Mtb exposure allowed us to identify biosynthetic gene clusters induced by co-culture. Three of these fungi induced expression of patulin, one induced citrinin expression and one induced the production of nidulalin A. The biosynthetic gene clusters for patulin and citrinin have been previously described but the genes involved in nidulalin A production have not been described before. All 3 of these potent electrophiles react with thiols and treatment of Mtb cells with these agents followed by Mtb RNAseq showed that these natural products all induce profound thiol stress suggesting a rapid depletion of mycothiol. The induction of thiol-reactive mycotoxins through 3 different systems in response to exposure to Mtb suggests that fungi have identified this as a highly vulnerable target in a similar microenvironment to that of the caseous human lesion.
How fast are viruses spreading in the wild?
Authors: Dellicour Simon , Bastide Paul , Rocu Pauline , Fargette Denis , Hardy Olivier J. , Suchard Marc A. , Guindon Stéphane , Lemey Philippe
Published: December 2024

Genomic data collected from viral outbreaks can be exploited to reconstruct the dispersal history of viral lineages in a two-dimensional space using continuous phylogeographic inference. These spatially explicit reconstructions can subsequently be used to estimate dispersal metrics that can be informative of the dispersal dynamics and the capacity to spread among hosts. Heterogeneous sampling efforts of genomic sequences can however impact the accuracy of phylogeographic dispersal metrics. While the impact of spatial sampling bias on the outcomes of continuous phylogeographic inference has previously been explored, the impact of sampling intensity (i.e., sampling size) when aiming to characterise dispersal patterns through continuous phylogeographic reconstructions has not yet been thoroughly evaluated. In our study, we use simulations to evaluate the robustness of 3 dispersal metrics — a lineage dispersal velocity, a diffusion coefficient, and an isolation-by-distance (IBD) signal metric — to the sampling intensity. Our results reveal that both the diffusion coefficient and IBD signal metrics appear to be the most robust to the number of samples considered for the phylogeographic reconstruction. We then use these 2 dispersal metrics to compare the dispersal pattern and capacity of various viruses spreading in animal populations. Our comparative analysis reveals a broad range of IBD patterns and diffusion coefficients mostly reflecting the dispersal capacity of the main infected host species but also, in some cases, the likely signature of rapid and/or long-distance dispersal events driven by human-mediated movements through animal trade. Overall, our study provides key recommendations for the use of lineage dispersal metrics to consider in future studies and illustrates their application to compare the spread of viruses in various settings.
Expansion of epileptogenic networks via neuroplasticity in neural mass models
Authors: Köksal-Ersöz Elif , Benquet Pascal , Wendling Fabrice
Published: December 2024

Neuroplasticity refers to functional and structural changes in brain regions in response to healthy and pathological activity. Activity dependent plasticity induced by epileptic activity can involve healthy brain regions into the epileptogenic network by perturbing their excitation/inhibition balance. In this article, we present a new neural mass model, which accounts for neuroplasticity, for investigating the possible mechanisms underlying the epileptogenic network expansion. Our multiple-timescale model is inspired by physiological calcium-mediated synaptic plasticity and pathological extrasynaptic N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) dependent plasticity dynamics. The model highlights that synaptic plasticity at excitatory connections and structural changes in the inhibitory system can transform a healthy region into a secondary epileptic focus under recurrent seizures and interictal activity occurring in the primary focus. Our results suggest that the latent period of this transformation can provide a window of opportunity to prevent the expansion of epileptogenic networks, formation of an epileptic focus, or other comorbidities associated with epileptic activity.
Disentangling the consequences of type 2 diabetes on targeted metabolite profiles using causal inference and interaction QTL analyses
Authors: Bocher Ozvan , Singh Archit , Huang Yue , Võsa Urmo , Reimann Ene , Arruda Ana , Barysenska Andrei , Kolde Anastassia , Rayner Nigel W. ,   Estonian Biobank research team, Esko Tõnu , Mägi Reedik , Zeggini Eleftheria
Published: December 2024

Circulating metabolite levels have been associated with type 2 diabetes (T2D), but the extent to which T2D affects metabolite levels and their genetic regulation remains to be elucidated. In this study, we investigate the interplay between genetics, metabolomics, and T2D risk in the UK Biobank dataset using the Nightingale panel composed of 249 metabolites, 92% of which correspond to lipids (HDL, IDL, LDL, VLDL) and lipoproteins. By integrating these data with large-scale T2D GWAS from the DIAMANTE meta-analysis through Mendelian randomization analyses, we find 79 metabolites with a causal association to T2D, all spanning lipid-related classes except for Glucose and Tyrosine. Twice as many metabolites are causally affected by T2D liability, spanning almost all tested classes, including branched-chain amino acids. Secondly, using an interaction quantitative trait locus (QTL) analysis, we describe four metabolites consistently replicated in an independent dataset from the Estonian Biobank, for which genetic loci in two different genomic regions show attenuated regulation in T2D cases compared to controls. The significant variants from the interaction QTL analysis are significant QTLs for the corresponding metabolites in the general population but are not associated with T2D risk, pointing towards consequences of T2D on the genetic regulation of metabolite levels. Finally, through differential level analyses, we find 165 metabolites associated with microvascular, macrovascular, or both types of T2D complications, with only a few discriminating between complication classes. Of the 165 metabolites, 40 are not causally linked to T2D in either direction, suggesting biological mechanisms specific to the occurrence of complications. Overall, this work provides a map of the consequences of T2D on Nightingale targeted metabolite levels and on their genetic regulation, enabling a better understanding of the T2D trajectory leading to complications.
A multicenter study investigating the genetic analysis of childhood steroid-resistant nephrotic syndrome: Variants in COL4A5 may not be coincidental
Authors: Li Sheng , Hu Miaoyue , He Chao , Sun Yu , Huang Weifang , Lei Fengying , Liu Yunguang , Huang Zengpo , Meng Yongqiu , Liu Wenjing , Lei Xianqiang , Dong Yanfang , Lin Zihui , Huang Chunlin , Zhao Rihong , Qin Yuanhan
Published: December 2024

This study aimed to discuss the pathogenic hereditary factors of children with steroid-resistant nephrotic syndrome (SRNS) in Guangxi, China. We recruited 89 patients with SRNS or infantile NS from five major pediatric nephrology centers in Guangxi, and conducted a retrospective analysis of clinical data. Whole-exome sequencing analysis was also performed on all patients. The risk of progression to chronic kidney disease (CKD) was assessed using the Kaplan-Meier method and Cox proportional hazards model. The study included 69 male and 20 female participants from 86 distinct families, with the median age of disease onset being 48 months (interquartile range: 24–93). Overall, 24.7% had a family history of SRNS, whereas 13.5% exhibited extra-kidney manifestations. We identified disease-causing variants in 24.7% (22/89) of patients across eight screened genes. The most frequently detected variant was found in COL4A5, followed by NPHS2 (5.6%), NPHS1 (2.2%), PAX2 (2.2%), WT1 (1.1%), LMX1B (1.1%), NUP105 (1.1%), and COL4A6 (1.1%). Twelve of the 26 pathogenic variants were determined to be de novo. Based on gene detection results, pathogenic variants were categorized into two groups: identified and unidentified variants. The identified variant group demonstrated a significant association with positive family history, steroid resistant-style, and response to immune therapy (P<0.001). Patients with the identified genetic variant were approximately ten times more likely to develop CKD (P<0.001) than those in the unidentified group at the last follow-up. Kidney biopsy was performed on 66 patients, and minimal change disease was the most prevalent histopathological diagnosis (29 cases; 32.6%). These findings suggest that children diagnosed with SRNS exhibit a diverse range of genetic alterations. We identified the COL4A5 variant as the predominant genetic abnormality and a low frequency of NPHS1 gene involvement in these children. Gene variants may serve as an independent predictor for SRNS progression to CKD.
Amplified DNA heterogeneity assessment with Oxford Nanopore sequencing applied to cell free expression templates
Authors: Hejazi Sepehr , Ahsan Afrin , Kashani SeyedMohammad , Tameiv Denis , Reuel Nigel F.
Published: December 2024

In this work, Oxford Nanopore sequencing is tested as an accessible method for quantifying heterogeneity of amplified DNA. This method enables rapid quantification of deletions, insertions, and substitutions, the probability of each mutation error, and their locations in the replicated sequences. Amplification techniques tested were conventional polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with varying levels of polymerase fidelity (OneTaq, Phusion, and Q5) as well as rolling circle amplification (RCA) with Phi29 polymerase. Plasmid amplification using bacteria was also assessed. By analyzing the distribution of errors in a large set of sequences for each sample, we examined the heterogeneity and mode of errors in each sample. This analysis revealed that Q5 and Phusion polymerases exhibited the lowest error rates observed in the amplified DNA. As a secondary validation, we analyzed the emission spectra of sfGFP fluorescent proteins synthesized with amplified DNA using cell free expression. Error-prone polymerase chain reactions confirmed the dependency of reporter protein emission spectra peak broadness to DNA error rates. The presented nanopore sequencing methods serve as a roadmap to quantify the accuracy of other gene amplification techniques, as they are discovered, enabling more homogenous cell-free expression of desired proteins.
College students’ sense of belonging and alcohol use amidst COVID-19: Evidence from a 21-day daily diary study
Authors: Gopalan Maithreyi , Jung Jilli , Shou-Chun Chiang , Linden-Carmichael Ashley , Lanza Stephanie
Published: December 2024

Objective

Alcohol use, combined with the heightened mental health crisis among college students highlighted during the pandemic, remains a significant public health concern. We examine (1) how college students’ daily assessed sense of belonging with their institution, a key protective factor for better collegiate mental health, is associated with same-day alcohol-use behaviors (2) and how the associations are moderated by key sociodemographic characteristics relevant to this population (women, minoritized students, first-generation [FG], and students identifying as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, or Queer [LGBTQ]) amidst COVID-19.

Method

We used mixed models using data from a 21-day daily diary study of college students (N = 2,012) in Spring 2021.

Results

Results revealed that on days when students felt more uncertainty about their sense of belonging to their college (i.e., low belonging), they were less likely to drink, and drink less overall. This effect was observed after students were back on campus after pandemic-related college closures ended. Heterogeneity by minoritized student subgroups were also observed.

Conclusions

College students’ sense of belonging continues to be an important psychosocial determinant of health and health behaviors among young adults; at times in unintended ways. This reiterates the importance of examining dynamic relationships between belonging and population health.

Public health significance statements: These results provide important insight into the linkages between a key psychosocial factor—students’ sense of belonging in college—and their alcohol use patterns amidst COVID-19. Institutional programming and prevention efforts to curb alcohol misuse should be implemented with consideration of how those linkages may differ dynamically considering both between- and within-person variance in belonging.
Liver tumor segmentation method combining multi-axis attention and conditional generative adversarial networks
Authors: Liao Jiahao , Wang Hongyuan , Gu Hanjie , Cai Yinghui
Published: December 2024

In modern medical imaging-assisted therapies, manual annotation is commonly employed for liver and tumor segmentation in abdominal CT images. However, this approach suffers from low efficiency and poor accuracy. With the development of deep learning, automatic liver tumor segmentation algorithms based on neural networks have emerged, for the improvement of the work efficiency. However, existing liver tumor segmentation algorithms still have several limitations: (1) they often encounter the common issue of class imbalance in liver tumor segmentation tasks, where the tumor region is significantly smaller than the normal tissue region, causing models to predict more negative samples and neglect the tumor region; (2) they fail to adequately consider feature fusion between global contexts, leading to the loss of crucial information; (3) they exhibit weak perception of local details such as fuzzy boundaries, irregular shapes, and small lesions, thereby failing to capture important features. To address these issues, we propose a Multi-Axis Attention Conditional Generative Adversarial Network, referred to as MA-cGAN. Firstly, we propose the Multi-Axis attention mechanism (MA) that projects three-dimensional CT images along different axes to extract two-dimensional features. The features from different axes are then fused by using learnable factors to capture key information from different directions. Secondly, the MA is incorporated into a U-shaped segmentation network as the generator to enhance its ability to extract detailed features. Thirdly, a conditional generative adversarial network is built by combining a discriminator and a generator to enhance the stability and accuracy of the generator’s segmentation results. The MA-cGAN was trained and tested on the LiTS public dataset for the liver and tumor segmentation challenge. Experimental results show that MA-cGAN improves the Dice coefficient, Hausdorff distance, average surface distance, and other metrics compared to the state-of-the-art segmentation models. The segmented liver and tumor models have clear edges, fewer false positive regions, and are closer to the true labels, which plays an active role in medical adjuvant therapy. The source code with our proposed model are available at https://github.com/jhliao0525/MA-cGAN.git.
Impact of CD40 (rs1883832) and CD40L (rs1126535) gene variants on laryngeal cancer susceptibility and their association with serum biomarker levels of sCD40 and sCD40L
Authors: Gümüş Alper , Sönmez Dilara , Demirkol Şeyda , Tolgahan Hakan Mehmet , Verim Ayşegül , Süoğlu Yusufhan , Yaylım İlhan , Ergen Arzu
Published: December 2024

Introduction

The most prevalent head and neck cancer type is laryngeal cancer. Laryngeal cancer susceptibility is increased by a combination of genetic variables and environmental factors. Genetic predispositions that influence the functioning of the immune system can affect tumor development. Our study investigates the impact of alterations in CD40 (rs1883832) and CD40L (rs1126535) genes and the levels of their proteins on the development of laryngeal cancer.

Materials and methods

The PCR-RFLP method was used for genotyping SNPs in 96 patients with laryngeal cancer and 127 healthy individuals. Additionally, ELISA was utilized to measure circulating levels of sCD40 and sCD40L.

Results

We identified a significant difference in the genotype distribution of CD40 (rs1883832) between laryngeal cancer patients and healthy individuals (p = 0.05). The C allele was dominant, and the CC genotype was more frequently observed in patients with laryngeal cancer (OR: 2.34, 95% CI: 0.98–5.54). In contrast, no statistically significant difference in the genotypes of CD40L (rs1126535) was detected between laryngeal cancer patients and the control group (p = 0.12). Additionally, no significant differences in serum sCD40 or sCD40L levels were observed between the groups (p = 0.48 and p = 0.15, respectively). However, a moderate positive correlation was found between sCD40 and sCD40L levels in the laryngeal cancer group (r = 0.52, p<0.01), a relationship that was not observed in the control group.

Discussion

According to the current findings, it is suggested that the CD40 (rs1883832) gene variation found in patients may indicate an individual’s susceptibility to developing laryngeal cancer. On the other hand, CD40L (rs1126535) seems to not play a significant role. While serum sCD40 and sCD40L levels did not show significant differences between patients and controls, the correlation in cancer patients suggests that these markers may be relevant in tumor progression. Further research is required to clarify the functional implications of these genetic variants and their potential use as biomarkers for laryngeal cancer.
Comparison of a SARS-CoV-2 mRNA booster immunization containing additional antigens to a spike-based mRNA vaccine against Omicron BA.5 infection in hACE2 mice
Authors: Hurst Jacklyn R. , Naghibosadat Maedeh , Budowski Patrick , Liu Jun , Samaan Philip , Budiman Frans , Kurtesi Alexandra , Qi Fredo , Menon Haritha , Krishnan Rajesh , Abioye Jumai , Gingras Anne-Claude , Ostrowski Mario , Orozco Natalia Martin , Kozak Robert A.
Published: December 2024

The emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants presents challenges to vaccine effectiveness, underlining the necessity for next-generation vaccines with multiple antigens beyond the spike protein. Here, we investigated a multiantigenic booster containing spike and a chimeric construct composed of nucleoprotein (N) and membrane (M) proteins, comparing its efficacy to a spike-only booster against Omicron BA.5 in K18-hACE2 mice. Initially, mice were primed and boosted with Beta (B.1.351) spike-only mRNA, showing strong spike-specific T cell responses and neutralizing antibodies, albeit with limited cross-neutralization to Omicron variants. Subsequently, a spike-NM multiantigenic vaccine was then examined as a second booster dose for protection in hACE2-transgenic mice. Mice receiving either homologous spike-only or heterologous spike-NM booster had nearly complete inhibition of infectious virus shedding in oral swabs and reduced viral burdens in both lung and nasal tissues following BA.5 challenge. Examination of lung pathology further revealed that both spike-only and spike-NM boosters provided comparable protection against inflammatory infiltrates and fibrosis. Moreover, the spike-NM booster demonstrated neutralization efficacy in a pseudovirus assay against Wuhan-Hu-1, Beta, and Omicron variants akin to the spike-only booster. These findings indicate that supplementing spike with additional SARS-CoV-2 targets in a booster immunization confers equivalent immunity and protection against Omicron BA.5. This work highlights a promising strategy for individuals previously vaccinated with spike-only vaccines, potentially offering enhanced protection against emerging coronaviruses.
The compact beam energy measurement method of the photocathode RF gun by the solenoid and beam shaping
Authors: Sun Bin , Li Binkang , Tan Xinjian , Weng Xiufeng , Wang Yu , Wang Faquan , Zhang Jianxin , Yin Hongqiao , Zhang Xiaodong
Published: December 2024

Beam energy, normalized emittance, and quantum efficiency are crucial parameters of the RF gun. In this study, we proposed a compact and low-cost method to measure the beam energy at the exit of the 120 MeV electron linac’s RF gun. We utilized a solenoid magnetic field to rotate an elliptical beam and measured the rotation angle of the beam to calculate the energy. To generate an elliptical electron beam, we inserted a slit device after the laser beam shaping aperture (BSA) to produce a long strip of driving laser beam for the RF gun photocathode. During the measurement process, we employed the Maximally Stable Extremal Regions (MSER) detection algorithm to measure the beam spot angle, improving the accuracy and stability of the angle measurement. This method does not require any changes to the accelerator lattice, nor does it require additional space. It only requires inserting a slit device to measure the beam’s energy. Our results indicated that the energy at the exit of the RF gun was 4-5 MeV, consistent with simulation calculations using ASTRA.
Mechanical properties of discarded shield residue improved by calcium carbide slag and fly ash as subgrade filling
Authors: Wang Shoujie , Ding Jianwen , Guo Qingying , Jiao Ning , Li Chenhao
Published: December 2024

To utilize discarded shield residue and alleviate the shortage of subgrade filling, industrial wastes such as calcium carbide slag (CCS) and fly ash (FA) were considered to enhance the mechanical properties of the shield residue. A series of laboratory tests, including California Bearing Ratio (CBR) tests, unconfined compressive strength (UCS) tests, moisture content tests, pH tests, water stability tests, and dry-wet cycles tests were performed on discarded shield residue with additive contents. The results show that the UCS and CBR values enhanced significantly with the increase in curing time. However, the moisture content and pH of the stabilized soil exhibited a decreasing trend. The early UCS of CCS-FA stabilized soil is slightly lower than that of QL-FA stabilized soil. After 60 curing days, all stabilized soil exhibited a UCS value exceeding 1.9 MPa. In addition, the CBR values of CCS-FA stabilized soil were more than 8 times higher than those of the original shield residue. Furthermore, the water stability of CCS-FA stabilized soil is slightly better than QL-FA stabilized soil, especially at 7 days and 14 days. As for dry-wet cycles test, after the fifth cycle, the CCS-FA stabilized soil maintained overall integrity. The CCS can effectively replace QL to enhance the mechanical properties of shield residue as subgrade filling.
Incidence of splenic malignancy and hemangiosarcoma in dogs undergoing splenectomy surgery at a surgical specialty clinic: 182 cases (2017–2021)
Authors: Ziogaite Brigita , Contreras Elena T. , Horgan Jason E.
Published: December 2024

The objectives of this study were to evaluate the risk and predictive factors of splenic malignancy and hemangiosarcoma in dogs undergoing splenectomy at a surgical specialty clinic. Medical records, hematologic results, surgical reports, and histopathologic results from 182 dogs that underwent splenectomy for the treatment of splenic masses or nodules were reviewed retrospectively. The majority of dogs (57.7%) had benign splenic diagnoses with no malignancy. Hemangiosarcoma was diagnosed in 32.4% of the dogs. A final multivariable model indicated that thrombocytopenia, anemia, and a smaller diameter of the largest splenic nodule were risk factors for hemangiosarcoma (P<0.001), and hemoperitoneum (P = 0.01) was an additional risk factor when nodule diameter was not evaluated. There were 91 dogs that had hemoperitoneum, and 60.4% of those dogs had malignant splenic lesions. Of the 33 dogs that underwent a splenectomy for incidentally identified splenic lesions, 93.9% had benign splenic lesions. Breed size was not a significant predictor of splenic malignancy risk; however, all 6 of the German shepherds included in the study had a hemangiosarcoma diagnosis. Overall prevalence of splenic malignancy including HSA may be overestimated in some canine populations.
Cellular sialoglycans are differentially required for endosomal and cell-surface entry of SARS-CoV-2 in lung cell lines
Authors: Siwak Kimberley C. , LeBlanc Emmanuelle V. , Scott Heidi M. , Kim Youjin , Pellizzari-Delano Isabella , Ball Alice M. , Temperton Nigel J. , Capicciotti Chantelle J. , Colpitts Che C.
Published: December 2024

Cell entry of severe acute respiratory coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) and other CoVs can occur via two distinct routes. Following receptor binding by the spike glycoprotein, membrane fusion can be triggered by spike cleavage either at the cell surface in a transmembrane serine protease 2 (TMPRSS2)-dependent manner or within endosomes in a cathepsin-dependent manner. Cellular sialoglycans have been proposed to aid in CoV attachment and entry, although their functional contributions to each entry pathway are unknown. In this study, we used genetic and enzymatic approaches to deplete sialic acid from cell surfaces and compared the requirement for sialoglycans during endosomal and cell-surface CoV entry using lentiviral particles pseudotyped with the spike proteins of different sarbecoviruses. We show that entry of SARS-CoV-1, WIV1-CoV and WIV16-CoV, like the SARS-CoV-2 omicron variant, depends on endosomal cathepsins and requires cellular sialoglycans for entry. Ancestral SARS-CoV-2 and the delta variant can use either pathway for entry, but only require sialic acid for endosomal entry in cells lacking TMPRSS2. Binding of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein to cells did not require sialic acid, nor was sialic acid required for SARS-CoV-2 entry in TMRPSS2-expressing cells. These findings suggest that cellular sialoglycans are not strictly required for SARS-CoV-2 attachment, receptor binding or fusion, but rather promote endocytic entry of SARS-CoV-2 and related sarbecoviruses. In contrast, the requirement for sialic acid during entry of MERS-CoV pseudoparticles and authentic HCoV-OC43 was not affected by TMPRSS2 expression, consistent with a described role for sialic acid in merbecovirus and embecovirus cell attachment. Overall, these findings clarify the role of sialoglycans in SARS-CoV-2 entry and suggest that cellular sialoglycans mediate endosomal, but not cell-surface, SARS-CoV-2 entry.
De la ciencia de la seguridad a la nueva seguridad humana: transparencia, legitimidad y responsabilidad social corporativa en la policía nacional española
Authors: del Olmo Fernández Ignacio
Published: December 2024

El objetivo de la presente tesis es reflexionar sobre el papel de la seguridad en las sociedades contemporáneas occidentales y más concretamente en el caso de la sociedad española bajo el nuevo paradigma de la «Seguridad humana», propiciado por Naciones Unidas, que pone en el centro del interés de la seguridad a la persona humana. En esta nueva comprensión de la seguridad el protagonismo lo ostentan los modernos cuerpos de policía, especializados en la generación y mantenimiento de dicha seguridad. Para adaptarse al nuevo marco de seguridad se proponen modelos de gestión centrados en las personas y aplicados al mundo de la empresa, como son los principios de transparencia y buen gobierno, la Responsabilidad Social Corporativa (RSC) y la nueva Economía Social. En el caso de las modernas policías se estudian las contribuciones académicas de los distintos autores en torno al papel de la Legitimidad institucional y la Justicia procedimental, relacionadas con la eficacia social, con el objetivo de aumentar el valor social de la nueva seguridad, así como proponer soluciones para incrementar y mejorar la seguridad percibida por los ciudadanos, al tiempo que se incrementa el valor social, tal y como propone el Principio de Transparencia, la Responsabilidad Social Corporativa y la nueva Economía Social, enlazando la nueva seguridad con los «Objetivos del Milenio» y los Objetivos de Desarrollo Sostenible (ODS) de Naciones Unidas.