bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Solitary groups: A latent profile analysis of motivations for social withdrawal and experiences of solitude in late childhood and early adolescence
Authors: Brunetti Matilde , Sette Stefania , Cheng Tiffany , Laghi Fiorenzo , Longobardi Emiddia , Pastorelli Concetta , Zuffianò Antonio , Coplan Robert J.
Published: April 2024

The present study aims to differentiate groups of children and early adolescents characterized by their motivations for social withdrawal and personal experiences with solitude. Participants were N = 561 (307 girls) children and early adolescents, aged 8–14 years (M = 11.32, SD = 1.63), who completed self‐report assessments of motivations for social withdrawal (i.e., shyness, unsociability), social/asocial dissatisfaction (i.e., loneliness, aloneliness), time alone, affect during solitude, personality traits (i.e., Big Five), and indices of internalizing difficulties (i.e., social anxiety, depression). Results from a Latent Profile Analysis (LPA) provided evidence of three distinct groups characterized by different motivations for social withdrawal and experiences with solitude: (1) the shy group, characterized by higher levels of loneliness, social anxiety, depression, and emotional instability; (2) the unsociable group, who reported higher levels of aloneliness and average scores of extraversion and internalizing difficulties; and (3) the sociable group, characterized by lower levels of both loneliness and aloneliness, and higher levels of extraversion. Overall, findings confirmed the heterogeneity in how children and early adolescents experience solitude, their motivations, and individual dispositions.
Receipt of RhD‐positive whole blood for life‐threatening bleeding in female children: A survey in alloimmunized mothers regarding minimum acceptable survival benefit relative to risk of maternal alloimmunization to anti‐D
Authors: Sherwood Molly R. , Clayton Skye , Leeper Christine M. , Yazer Mark , Moise Kenneth J. , Granger Marion E. , Spinella Philip C.
Published: April 2024

Background

Low‐titer group O whole blood (LTOWB) for treatment of hemorrhagic shock sometimes necessitates transfusion of RhD‐positive units due to short supply of RhD‐negative LTOWB. Practitioners must choose between using RhD‐positive LTOWB when RhD‐negative is unavailable against the risk to a female of childbearing potential of becoming RhD‐alloimmunized, risking hemolytic disease of the fetus and newborn (HDFN) in future children, or using component therapy with RhD‐negative red cells. This survey asked females with a history of red blood cell (RBC) alloimmunization about their risk tolerance of RhD alloimmunization compared to the potential for improved survival following transfusion of RhD‐positive blood for an injured RhD negative female child.

Study Design and Methods

A survey was administered to RBC alloimmunized mothers. Respondents were eligible if they were living in the United States with at least one red cell antibody known to cause HDFN and if they had at least one RBC alloimmunized pregnancy.

Results

Responses from 107 RBC alloimmmunized females were analyzed. There were 32/107 (30%) with a history of severe HDFN; 12/107 (11%) had a history of fetal or neonatal loss due to HDFN. The median (interquartile range) absolute improvement in survival at which the respondents would accept RhD‐positive transfusions for a female child was 4% (1%–14%). This was not different between females with and without a history of severe or fatal HDFN (p = .08 and 0.38, respectively).

Conclusion

Alloimmunized mothers would accept the risk of D‐alloimmunization in a RhD‐negative female child for improved survival in cases of life‐threatening bleeding.
A Physics-Based Model-Data-Driven Method for Spindle Health Diagnosis—Part III: Model Training and Fault Detection
Authors: Tai Chung-Yu , Altintas Yusuf
Published: April 2024

The primary goal of the paper is to monitor the health of the spindle in machine tools to ensure optimal performance and reduce costly downtimes. Spindle health monitoring is essential to detect wear and cracks in spindle bearings, which can be challenging due to their gradual development and hidden locations. The proposed approach combines physics-based modeling and data-driven techniques to monitor spindle health effectively. In Part I and Part II of the paper, mathematical models of bearing faults and spindle imbalance are integrated into the digital model of the spindle. This allows for simulating the operation of the spindle both with and without faults. The integration of fault models enables the generation of vibrations at sensor locations along the spindle shaft. The generated vibration data from the physics-based model are used to train a recurrent neural network-based (RNN) fault detection algorithm. The RNN learns from the labeled vibration spectra to identify different fault conditions. Bayesian optimization is used to automatically tune the hyperparameters governing the accuracy and efficiency of the learning models during the training process. The RNN classifiers are further fine-tuned using a small set of experimentally collected data for the generalization of the model on real-world data. Once the RNN classifier is trained, it can distinguish between different types of damage and identify their specific locations on the spindle assembly. The proposed algorithms achieved an accuracy of 98.43% on experimental data sets that were not used in training the network.
A Discrete Element Model of High-Pressure Torsion Test to Assess the Effect of Particle Characteristics in the Interface
Authors: Zhang Chao , Nadimi Sadegh , Maramizonouz Sadaf , Milledge David , Lewis Roger
Published: April 2024

Sand particles have been used since the early stages of the railway industry to increase adhesion at the wheel–rail contact. However, there is a limited understanding of how sand particle characteristics affect the tribological performance of the wheel–rail contact. In this work, the high-pressure torsion test used as a small-scale simulation of the interface is numerically modeled using the discrete element method (DEM). The DEM model is then utilized to investigate the effect of different particle characteristics on the frictional performance of wheel–rail contact which can provide more insight into micromechanical observations. The effects of various particle characteristics including their size, their number, the number of fragments the particles break into, and the parameters defining the behavior of the bonds between particle fragments on the coefficient of traction (COT) are systematically investigated. Results show that, in dry contacts, the coefficient of traction decreases when the size or number of sand particles increases. This can be attributed to the formation of weak shear bands between the fragments. Further investigation is needed for wet- and leaf-contaminated contacts. It is also found that the COT is more sensitive to the stiffness of the bond between the fragments of a broken particle compared to the strength of the bond. A limiting value for bond strength was identified, beyond which the sand particles exhibited ductile behavior rather than the expected brittle fracture. The findings from this study can be useful for future research on adhesion management in wheel–rail contact and the modeling approach can be scaled up to the full contact.
On the Secondary Flow System of an Aggressive Inter Compressor Duct
Authors: Fritz S. , Dygutsch T. , Kasper A. , Hergt A. , Grund S. , Flamm J. , Lejon M. , Sahota H.
Published: April 2024

In contrast to the highly optimized rotating components, the inter compressor duct (ICD) is offering a high potential for further improvements. Due to a more aggressive design, the length of the whole engine can be reduced. Shorter and thus lighter engines are leading to further fuel savings for the next engine generation. The design of current ICDs is very conservative because of high uncertainties in design space. An extensive test campaign on two highly aggressive ICDs has been conducted at an annular cascade at German Aerospace Center (DLR) Cologne to explore these limitations. The test section consists of low-pressure compressor (LPC)-OGVs, struts, and high-pressure compressor (HPC)-inlet guide vanes (IGVs). To simulate the influence of the last rotor of the LPC and to vary the incidence of the OGV, a moveable swirler is placed in front of the OGV. This simplification results in differences compared to a real rotor outlet flow. Due to geometric constraints, the ability to move the swirler can only be achieved by adding partial gaps in the rear part of the swirler at hub and shroud. These gaps have a huge impact on the secondary flow structure of the swirler outflow and therefore on the inflow of the ICD. In this article, the secondary flow system of an aggressive ICD is analyzed in detail by the means of experimentally validated computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations. Special attention is given to the influence of the nonrotating swirler on the secondary flow system. Furthermore, a recommendation for future experimental setups with respect to the described effects is concluded.
Blockbuster videos: Using complementary video-based learning to augment first-year block-model teaching
Authors: Tripodi Nicholas , Murray Elodie , White Millicent , Korac Robert , Husaric Maja , Tangalakis Katerina
Published: April 2024

Introduction: The first year of university is fraught with obstacles and challenges for students. Of particular concern is the often high level of student disengagement encountered at this juncture. Consequently, universities are reimagining what their first-year student experience can be like. The aims of this study were to, firstly, investigate the effects that complementary video-based practical skills resources have on first-year osteopathy student engagement and, secondly, if these effects differ in block-model when compared to traditional-model delivery format.
Methods: This study utilised a two-part mixed-method sequential exploratory design consisting of a quantitative and qualitative survey and focus-group interviews. The quantitative data were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics, while the qualitative data were thematically analysed.
Results: The results demonstrated that the majority of students found the video-based learning (VBL) activities to have an overall positive effect on their learning experience and that VBL improved their perceived psychomotor skill acquisition. Furthermore, the reported positive responses appear to be enhanced in an intensive block-model setting.
Conclusion: VBL appears to be a useful tool for clinical skills training in an intensive-style tertiary education setting. Further research should be performed to see if this effect is seen across other health professions courses.
Immersed in scholarly projects: Upskilling our future medical workforce
Authors: Ward Bernadette , Diug Basia , Wallace Megan
Published: April 2024

Introduction: Much has been written about the need for medical students to have research skills. Increasing numbers of medical schools are incorporating compulsory research experiences to increase research literacy. However, little is known about the student perceptions of, and outcomes from, those programs. We aimed to examine medical students' perceptions of a compulsory 6-week scholarly project at a large Australian university. There was a particular focus on comparing students’ perceptions based on their prior research experience.
Methods: A cross-sectional study design was used to survey 418 final-year medical students. Responses were analysed using descriptive and bivariate statistics.
Results: One hundred and eleven students responded to the survey (27% of the cohort). Fifty-one percent had prior research experience. The majority of respondents perceived they had enhanced their confidence (69%) and research skills (74%), and as a result of this unit, 62% reported enhanced willingness to participate in future research projects. Students produced a variety of outputs in addition to their assessment requirements. Students without prior experience were significantly more likely to report they were suitably challenged and their project had enhanced their skills in interpreting and applying evidence.
Conclusion: We found that short (6-week) scholarly projects enhanced final-year medical students’ perceived ability to interpret and apply evidence. Many students also reported an increased willingness to participate in future research activities. As clinician research literacy and engagement are thought to improve healthcare performance and health outcomes, scholarly experiences in the final year of medical school have the potential to enhance graduate enquiry to improve healthcare.
Effect of beam and gate offset size on x-ray focal spot resolution of a cold cathode electron beam
Authors: Sawant Jaydip , Bhotkar Ketan , Yu Yi Yin , Park Kyu Chang
Published: April 2024

In x-ray imaging, high resolution is essential, particularly in sectors such as medical and industries where the need for nondestructive defect detection is required. Previous research has shown that altering beam design and the number of gates offset holes has an impact on focal spot size (FSS). However, the specific effects of beam size and offset size were not thoroughly assessed. In the present study, the influence of beam size and gate offset size was evaluated by utilizing a cold cathode electron beam. Various beam sizes were employed to achieve a small FSS, and subsequently, the smallest beam was utilized to examine the impact of gate offset size. In doing so, the smallest FSS of 0.25 mm vertical and 0.33 mm horizontal was attained without the utilization of any additional focusing lens. This illustrates that by adjusting the beam size and gate offset size, it is possible to attain a small FSS, facilitating the development of an economically viable x-ray imaging beam.
Burnout, Help Seeking, and Perceptions of Psychological Safety and Stigma Among National Collegiate Athletic Association Coaches
Authors: Slowiak Julie M. , Osborne Rebecca R. , Thomas Jordyn , Haasan Adna
Published: April 2024

Sport coaches face unique work-related demands that, over time, can lead to negative well-being outcomes, such as burnout. The link between burnout and mental health is supported in the literature, and public stigma around mental health has been identified as a prominent barrier to seeking help. The aim of this study was to investigate how burnout and help-seeking attitudes of National Collegiate Athletic Association coaches are impacted by psychological safety and public stigma associated with seeking help. A sample of 187 National Collegiate Athletic Association coaches participated in a cross-sectional online survey and reported sociodemographic and job-related characteristics, public stigma, self and team psychological safety, burnout, and attitudes toward help seeking. Regression-based mediation analyses revealed that greater psychological safety predicted lower levels of exhaustion and disengagement as well as more positive help-seeking attitudes. In addition, public stigma partially mediated the influence of psychological safety on exhaustion and disengagement and fully mediated the relationship between psychological safety and help-seeking attitudes. No differences in exhaustion, disengagement, and help-seeking attitudes among National Collegiate Athletic Association coaches across Divisions I, II, and III were observed. Findings lend support for intervention development to increase psychological safety as a burnout management strategy as well as to reduce public stigma associated with help seeking.
Alkyl quinolones mediate heterogeneous colony biofilm architecture that improves community-level survival
Authors: Weaver Abigail A. , Jia Jin , Cutri Allison R. , Madukoma Chinedu S. , Vaerewyck Catherine M. , Bohn Paul W. , Shrout Joshua D.
Published: April 2024

Bacterial communities exhibit complex self-organization that contributes to their survival. To better understand the molecules that contribute to transforming a small number of cells into a heterogeneous surface biofilm community, we studied acellular aggregates, structures seen by light microscopy in
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
colony biofilms using light microscopy and chemical imaging. These structures differ from cellular aggregates, cohesive clusters of cells important for biofilm formation, in that they are visually distinct from cells using light microscopy and are reliant on metabolites for assembly. To investigate how these structures benefit a biofilm community we characterized three recurrent types of acellular aggregates with distinct geometries that were each abundant in specific areas of these biofilms. Alkyl quinolones (AQs) were essential for the formation of all aggregate types with AQ signatures outside the aggregates below the limit of detection. These acellular aggregates spatially sequester AQs and differentiate the biofilm space. However, the three types of aggregates showed differing properties in their size, associated cell death, and lipid content. The largest aggregate type co-localized with spatially confined cell death that was not mediated by Pf4 bacteriophage. Biofilms lacking AQs were absent of localized cell death but exhibited increased, homogeneously distributed cell death. Thus, these AQ-rich aggregates regulate metabolite accessibility, differentiate regions of the biofilm, and promote survival in biofilms.

IMPORTANCE

Pseudomonas aeruginosa
is an opportunistic pathogen with the ability to cause infection in the immune-compromised. It is well established that
P. aeruginosa
biofilms exhibit resilience that includes decreased susceptibility to antimicrobial treatment. This work examines the self-assembled heterogeneity in biofilm communities studying acellular aggregates, regions of condensed matter requiring alkyl quinolones (AQs). AQs are important to both virulence and biofilm formation. Aggregate structures described here spatially regulate the accessibility of these AQs, differentiate regions of the biofilm community, and despite their association with autolysis, correlate with improved
P. aeruginosa
colony biofilm survival.
An evolution of Nanopore next-generation sequencing technology: implications for medical microbiology and public health
Authors: Mostafa Heba H.
Published: April 2024

Next-generation sequencing has evolved as a powerful tool, with applications that extend from diagnosis to public health surveillance and outbreak investigations. Short-read sequencing, using primarily Illumina chemistry, has been the prevailing approach. Single-molecule sensing and long-read sequencing using Oxford Nanopore Technologies (ONT) has witnessed a breakthrough in the evolution of the technology, performance, and applications in the past few years. In this issue of the
Journal of Clinical Microbiology
, Bogaerts et al. (
https://doi.org/10.1128/jcm.01576-23
) describe the utility of the latest ONT sequencing technology, the R10.4.1, in bacterial outbreak investigations. The authors demonstrate that ONT R10.4.1 technology can be comparable to Illumina sequencing for single-nucleotide polymorphism-based phylogeny. The authors emphasize that the reproducibility between ONT and Illumina technologies could facilitate collaborations among laboratories utilizing different sequencing platforms for outbreak investigations.
Differential impacts of DNA repair machinery on fluoroquinolone persisters with different chromosome abundances
Authors: Tang Juechun , Herzfeld Allison M. , Leon Gabrielle , Brynildsen Mark P.
Published: April 2024

DNA repair machinery has been found to be indispensable for fluoroquinolone (FQ) persistence of
Escherichia coli
. Previously, we found that cells harboring two copies of the chromosome (2Chr) in stationary-phase cultures were more likely to yield FQ persisters than those with one copy of the chromosome (1Chr). Furthermore, we found that RecA and RecB were required to observe that difference, and that loss of either more significantly impacted 2Chr persisters than 1Chr persisters. To better understand the survival mechanisms of persisters with different chromosome abundances, we examined their dependencies on different DNA repair proteins. Here, we show that
lexA3
and ∆
recN
negatively impact the abundances of 2Chr persisters to FQs, without significant impacts on 1Chr persisters. In comparison, ∆
xseA
, ∆
xseB
, and ∆
uvrD
preferentially depress 1Chr persistence to levels that were near the limit of detection. Collectively, these data show that the DNA repair mechanisms used by persisters vary based on chromosome number, and suggest that efforts to eradicate FQ persisters will likely have to take heterogeneity in single-cell chromosome abundance into consideration.

IMPORTANCE

Persisters are rare phenotypic variants in isogenic populations that survive antibiotic treatments that kill the other cells present. Evidence has accumulated that supports a role for persisters in chronic and recurrent infections. Here, we explore how an under-appreciated phenotypic variable, chromosome copy number (#Chr), influences the DNA repair systems persisters use to survive fluoroquinolone treatments. We found that #Chr significantly biases the DNA repair systems used by persisters, which suggests that #Chr heterogeneity should be considered when devising strategies to eradicate these troublesome bacterial variants.
Extended-spectrum beta-lactamase, AmpC, and carbapenemase-producing Gram-negative wastewater isolates from Aotearoa New Zealand
Authors: Straub Christina , Weaver Louise , Cornelius Angela J. , McGill Erin , Dyet Kristin , Pattis Isabelle
Published: April 2024

Extended-spectrum beta-lactamase, AmpC, and carbapenemase-producing bacteria were isolated from raw sewage, effluent, oxidation pond water, and sediment from a wastewater treatment plant in Aotearoa New Zealand. Here, we report the assemblies of 17 isolates belonging to the species
Aeromonas veronii
,
Aeromonas hydrophila
,
Enterobacter cloacae
,
Enterobacter soli
,
Lelliottia amnigena
,
Aeromonas caviae
,
Escherichia coli
,
Pseudomonas moraviensis
,
Pseudomonas putida
, and
Kluyvera ascorbata
.
Mucin alleviates colonic barrier dysfunction by promoting spermine accumulation through enhanced arginine metabolism in
Limosilactobacillus mucosae
Authors: Zhou Xingjian , Xu Qian , Zhang Xiangyu , Wang Hao , Bai Yu , Wu Yujun , Liu Xiaoyi , Wang Zhenyu , Hu Jie , Huang Mingyi , Pi Yu , Zhao Jinbiao , Wang Junjun , Han Dandan
Published: April 2024

Dietary fiber deprivation is linked to probiotic extinction, mucus barrier dysbiosis, and the overgrowth of mucin-degrading bacteria. However, whether and how mucin could rescue fiber deprivation-induced intestinal barrier defects remains largely unexplored. Here, we sought to investigate the potential role and mechanism by which exogenous mucin maintains the gut barrier function. The results showed that dietary mucin alleviated fiber deprivation-induced disruption of colonic barrier integrity and reduced spermine production
in vivo
. Importantly, we highlighted that microbial-derived spermine production, but not host-produced spermine, increased significantly after mucin supplementation, with a positive association with upgraded colonic
Lactobacillus
abundance. After employing an
in vitro
model, the microbial-derived spermine was consistently dominated by both mucin and
Lactobacillus
spp. Furthermore,
Limosilactobacillus mucosae
was identified as an essential spermine-producing
Lactobacillus
spp., and this isolated strain was responsible for spermine accumulation, especially after adhering to mucin
in vitro
. Specifically, the mucin-supplemented bacterial supernatant of
Limosilactobacillus mucosae
was verified to promote intestinal barrier functions through the increased spermine production with a dependence on enhanced arginine metabolism. Overall, these findings collectively provide evidence that mucin-modulated microbial arginine metabolism bridged the interplay between microbes and gut barrier function, illustrating possible implications for host gut health.

IMPORTANCE

Microbial metabolites like short-chain fatty acids produced by dietary fiber fermentation have been demonstrated to have beneficial effects on intestinal health. However, it is essential to acknowledge that certain amino acids entering the colon can be metabolized by microorganisms to produce polyamines. The polyamines can promote the renewal of intestinal epithelial cell and maintain host-microbe homeostasis. Our study highlighted the specific enrichment by mucin on promoting the arginine metabolism in
Limosilactobacillus mucosae
to produce spermine, suggesting that microbial-derived polyamines support a significant enhancement on the goblet cell proliferation and barrier function.
A novel fast hybrid capture sequencing method for high-efficiency common human coronavirus whole-genome acquisition
Authors: Meng Zixinrong , Wang Shuo , Yu Liping , Zhao Kangchen , Wu Tao , Zhu Xiaojuan , Yang Ning , Qiao Qiao , Ma Junyan , Wu Bin , Ge Yiyue , Cui Lunbiao
Published: April 2024

Rapid and accurate sequencing of the entire viral genome, coupled with continuous monitoring of genetic changes, is crucial for understanding the epidemiology of coronaviruses. We designed a novel method called micro target hybrid capture system (MT-Capture) to enable whole-genome sequencing in a timely manner. The novel design of probes used in target binding exhibits a unique and synergistic “hand-in-hand” conjugation effect. The entire hybrid capture process is within 2.5 hours, overcoming the time-consuming and complex operation characteristics of the traditional liquid-phase hybrid capture (T-Capture) system. By designing specific probes for these coronaviruses, MT-Capture effectively enriched isolated strains and 112 clinical samples of coronaviruses with cycle threshold values below 37. Compared to multiplex PCR sequencing, it does not require frequent primer updates and has higher compatibility. MT-Capture is highly sensitive and capable of tracking variants.

IMPORTANCE

MT-Capture is meticulously designed to enable the efficient acquisition of the target genome of the common human coronavirus. Coronavirus is a kind of virus that people are generally susceptible to and is epidemic and infectious, and it is the virus with the longest genome among known RNA viruses. Therefore, common human coronavirus samples are selected to evaluate the accuracy and sensitivity of MT-Capture. This method utilizes innovative probe designs optimized through probe conjugation techniques, greatly shortening the time and simplifying the handwork compared with traditional hybridization capture processes. Our results demonstrate that MT-Capture surpasses multiplex PCR in terms of sensitivity, exhibiting a thousandfold increase. Moreover, MT-Capture excels in the identification of mutation sites. This method not only is used to target the coronaviruses but also may be used to diagnose other diseases, including various infectious diseases, genetic diseases, or tumors.
Effects of
Klebsiella michiganensis
LDS17 on
Codonopsis pilosula
growth, rhizosphere soil enzyme activities, and microflora, and genome-wide analysis of plant growth-promoting genes
Authors: Jin Tingting , Ren Jiahong , Bai Bianxia , Wu Wei , Cao Yongqing , Meng Jing , Zhang Lihui
Published: April 2024

Codonopsis pilosula
is a perennial herbaceous liana with medicinal value. It is critical to promote
Codonopsis pilosula
growth through effective and sustainable methods, and the use of plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB) is a promising candidate. In this study, we isolated a PGPB,
Klebsiella michiganensis
LDS17, that produced a highly active 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate deaminase from the
Codonopsis pilosula
rhizosphere. The strain exhibited multiple plant growth-promoting properties. The antagonistic activity of strain LDS17 against eight phytopathogenic fungi was investigated, and the results showed that strain LDS17 had obvious antagonistic effects on
Rhizoctonia solani
,
Colletotrichum camelliae
,
Cytospora chrysosperma
, and
Phomopsis macrospore
with growth inhibition rates of 54.22%, 49.41%, 48.89%, and 41.11%, respectively. Inoculation of strain LDS17 not only significantly increased the growth of
Codonopsis pilosula
seedlings but also increased the invertase and urease activities, the number of culturable bacteria, actinomycetes, and fungi, as well as the functional diversity of microbial communities in the rhizosphere soil of the seedlings. Heavy metal (HM) resistance tests showed that LDS17 is resistant to copper, zinc, and nickel. Whole-genome analysis of strain LDS17 revealed the genes involved in IAA production, siderophore synthesis, nitrogen fixation, P solubilization, and HM resistance. We further identified a gene (
koyR
) encoding a plant-responsive LuxR solo in the LDS17 genome.
Klebsiella michiganensis
LDS17 may therefore be useful in microbial fertilizers for
Codonopsis pilosula
. The identification of genes related to plant growth and HM resistance provides an important foundation for future analyses of the molecular mechanisms underlying the plant growth promotion and HM resistance of LDS17.

IMPORTANCE

We comprehensively evaluated the plant growth-promoting characteristics and heavy metal (HM) resistance ability of the LDS17 strain, as well as the effects of strain LDS17 inoculation on the
Codonopsis pilosula
seedling growth and the soil qualities in the
Codonopsis pilosula
rhizosphere. We conducted whole-genome analysis and identified lots of genes and gene clusters contributing to plant-beneficial functions and HM resistance, which is critical for further elucidating the plant growth-promoting mechanism of strain LDS17 and expanding its application in the development of plant growth-promoting agents used in the environment under HM stress.
Synchronous carcinoma and sarcoma in a burn scar: a treatment conundrum
Authors: Thejashwini Shivakumar I , Pai B Srinivas
Published: April 2024

Marjolijn’s ulcer is a malignant ulcer in a burn scar. Types of malignancy are squamous cell carcinoma, basal cell carcinoma and malignant melanoma. Soft tissue sarcoma case reports indicate only one type of cancer. We present a patient in her 60s with a 10-year-old burn scar developing a biopsy-proven squamous cell carcinoma on the lateral aspect of the left thigh with metastatic superficial inguinal node. A wide excision and grafting of ulcer with ilioinguinal dissection done on left side. On the 12th postoperative day 2, subcutaneous swellings adjacent to the grafted area developed, on biopsy revealed to be pleomorphic sarcoma. PET CT scan revealed tumour deposits in the muscles of the left lower limb, liver and lung. There are no case reports of synchronous carcinoma and sarcoma in a burn scar. The case is reported for its rarity and the decision-making dilemma.
Severe papilloedema with vision loss secondary to Guillain-Barré syndrome
Authors: Moloney Niamh Bridget , Ong Jessica , Irani Neha
Published: April 2024

We discuss a patient who presented with bilateral VI and VII cranial nerve palsies, symmetric upper and lower limb weakness and areflexia, 2 weeks following an flu-like illness. At presentation, there was no papilloedema, and her visual function was normal. Cerebrospinal fluid analysis and electrophysiology supported the diagnosis of Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS). She received intravenous immunoglobulins. She subsequently developed headaches and vision loss. Funduscopy demonstrated severe papilloedema with visual acuity of 6/18 right eye, 6/12 left eye with bitemporal visual field depression. Lumbar puncture revealed elevated opening pressure with high protein and normal cell count. She received acetazolamide. There was resolution of papilloedema and normal visual function at 3 months. Of note, the patient’s body mass index was 17 kg/m2.

Our case highlights the rare occurrence of papilloedema in GBS, reiterating the importance of performing funduscopy on patients with any neurological diagnosis. Early detection and prompt management of papilloedema can prevent permanent vision loss.
4D spherically symmetric time-dependent quantum gravity amplitudes
Authors: Rosabal J. A.
Published: April 2024

In these short notes, we compute non-perturbatively the time-dependent quantum gravity amplitudes for a four-dimensional spherically symmetric space-time with space-like and time-like boundaries. We solve the 4D classical and quantum constraints in a novel way. We identify the classical solution of the constraints as a canonical transformation, where the integration constants are the new variables. We apply this canonical transformation to the path integral representation of the amplitudes we are interested in. We use both, the canonical and the path integral formalism. This procedure allows us to reduce the action to the actual degree of freedom of the theory. In the end, we get the time-dependent amplitudes from the path integral without performing an actual path integration. From these amplitudes, we show that for most of the boundary conditions time evolution in quantum gravity is non-unitary. There is however a special case where unitary evolution could be achieved.
Science as exploration in a knowledge landscape: tracing hotspots or seeking opportunity?
Authors: Liu Feifan , Zhang Shuang , Xia Haoxiang
Published: April 2024

The selection of research topics by scientists can be viewed as an exploration process conducted by individuals with cognitive limitations traversing a complex cognitive landscape influenced by both individual and social factors. While existing theoretical investigations have provided valuable insights, the intricate and multifaceted nature of modern science hinders the implementation of empirical experiments. This study leverages advancements in Geographic Information System (GIS) techniques to investigate the patterns and dynamic mechanisms of topic-transition among scientists. By constructing the knowledge space across 6 large-scale disciplines, we depict the trajectories of scientists’ topic transitions within this space, measuring the flow and distance of research regions across different sub-spaces. Our findings reveal a predominantly conservative pattern of topic transition at the individual level, with scientists primarily exploring local knowledge spaces. Furthermore, simulation modeling analysis identifies research intensity, driven by the concentration of scientists within a specific region, as the key facilitator of topic transition. Conversely, the knowledge distance between fields serves as a significant barrier to exploration. Notably, despite potential opportunities for breakthrough discoveries at the intersection of subfields, empirical evidence suggests that these opportunities do not exert a strong pull on scientists, leading them to favor familiar research areas. Our study provides valuable insights into the exploration dynamics of scientific knowledge production, highlighting the influence of individual cognition, social factors, and the intrinsic structure of the knowledge landscape itself. These findings offer a framework for understanding and potentially shaping the course of scientific progress.
Commentary on the Process of Gravity: Quantum Mechanics and Gravity Resonance Together
Authors: Flomenbom Ophir
Published: April 2024

In a recent paper, “The process of gravity” (2022), we developed the theory to explain gravity, stating that gravity waves are created through a process involving quantum fluctuations of all the molecules of the celestial body. The local fluctuations of adjacent molecules interact, and this process on the macroscopic scale creates the gravitational waves: at steady state, these fluctuations are structured as layers of the onion, generating a force toward the body center of mass. Here, we further develop the theory microscopically, stating that all elementary particles vibrate at their own particular frequency of gravity, generating radiant energy, where their mass determines the radiant pulses strength. These quantum fluctuations are not photons; the fluctuations are connected to the mass. These might be defined as electromagnetic radiant phonons. Yet also, the frequency of gravity might reach 10[Formula: see text]–10[Formula: see text][Formula: see text]Hz, whereas these are not photons, the energy is not high at all. This description is valid also for black holes. There, gravity waves made of electromagnetic fluctuations engulf the singularity. As these fluctuations are connected to the mass, the waves can escape the black hole, within our layering description of gravity. An anti-gravity device should create a fluctuating magnetic field and electric field, in the adequate direction, at the required frequency and strength. The signal should annihilate the Earth’s gravitation waves. In this work, an anti-gravity device is designed and developed. It is based on a Tesla coil circuit of high voltage, and high frequency, connected to a coil on a rotating board, at a condensation temperature, yet all the ingredients are replaced and improved, including the rotation feature.
Popularity Bias in Correlation Graph-based API Recommendation for Mashup Creation
Authors: Yan Chao , Zhong Weiyi , Zhai Dengshuai , Khan Arif Ali , Gong Wenwen , Xu Yanwei , Xin Baogui
Published: April 2024

The explosive growth of the Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) economy in recent years has led to a dramatic increase in available APIs. Mashup development, a dominant approach for creating data-centric applications based on APIs, has experienced a surge in popularity. However, the vast array of choices poses a challenge for mashup developers when selecting appropriate API compositions to meet specific business requirements. Correlation graph-based recommendation approaches have been designed to assist developers in discovering related and compatible API compositions for mashup creation. Unfortunately, these approaches often suffer from popularity bias issues, leading to an inequality in API usage and potential disruptions to the entire API ecosystem. To address these challenges, our research begins with a theoretical analysis of the popularity bias introduced by correlation graph-based API recommendation approaches. Subsequently, we empirically validate the presence of popularity bias in API recommendations through a data-driven study. Finally, we introduce the
p
opularity
b
ias aware
w
eb
A
PI
r
ecommendation (
PB-WAR
) approach to mitigate popularity bias in correlation graph-based API recommendations. Experimental results over a real-world dataset demonstrate that
PB-WAR
offers the optimal tradeoff between accuracy and debiasing performance compared to other competitive methods.
Cold-Start Recommendation based on Knowledge Graph and Meta-Learning under Positive and Negative sampling
Authors: Han Di , Jing Xiaotian , Chen Yijun , Liu Junmin , Liao Kai , Li Wenting
Published: April 2024

This paper introduces a novel recommendation framework called CRKM (Cold-start Recommendation based on Knowledge Graph and Meta-learning), aimed at enhancing cold-start recommendation performance by addressing the issue of limited user interaction data through the fusion of positive and negative samples. In contrast to other cold-start frameworks, CRKM is divided into three distinct components: the negative sampler, the knowledge graph-based model architecture, and the meta-learner. The negative sampler designed in this paper leverages knowledge graphs and popularity information to sample negative labels from items without prior user interaction, thereby mitigating the sparsity of cold-start training data. On the other hand, the knowledge graph-based model architecture is responsible for incorporating the nodes and relationships of the knowledge graph into positive and negative samples, using a graph neural network to more effectively learn user and item fusion representations and enhance predictive performance. Finally, the meta-learner performs efficient model initialization parameter updates. We conducted extensive experiments on real-world datasets for cold-start user and item recommendations. CRKM demonstrated notable performance advantages in terms of recall and NDCG when compared to the state-of-the-art methods, thereby validating the rationality and effectiveness of the proposed approach. The source code listing is publicly available at https://gitee.com/kyle-liao/crkm.
Cross-Domain NER under a Divide-and-Transfer Paradigm
Authors: Zhang Xinghua , Yu Bowen , Cong Xin , Su Taoyu , Li Quangang , Liu Tingwen , Xu Hongbo
Published: April 2024

Cross-domain Named Entity Recognition (NER) transfers knowledge learned from a rich-resource source domain to improve the learning in a low-resource target domain. Most existing works are designed based on the sequence labeling framework, defining entity detection and type prediction as a monolithic process. However, they typically ignore the discrepant transferability of these two sub-tasks: the former locating spans corresponding to entities is largely domain-robust, whereas the latter owns distinct entity types across domains. Combining them into an entangled learning problem may contribute to the complexity of domain transfer. In this work, we propose the novel divide-and-transfer paradigm in which different sub-tasks are learned using separate functional modules for respective cross-domain transfer. To demonstrate the effectiveness of divide-and-transfer, we concretely implement two NER frameworks by applying this paradigm with different cross-domain transfer strategies. Experimental results on 10 different domain pairs show the notable superiority of our proposed frameworks. Experimental analyses indicate that significant advantages of the divide-and-transfer paradigm over prior monolithic ones originate from its better performance on low-resource data and a much greater transferability. It gives us a new insight into cross-domain NER. Our code is available on GitHub.

1
HLPerf: Demystifying the Performance of HLS-based Graph Neural Networks with Dataflow Architectures
Authors: Zhao Chenfeng , Faber Clayton , Chamberlain Roger , Zhang Xuan
Published: April 2024

The development of FPGA-based applications using HLS is fraught with performance pitfalls and large design space exploration times. These issues are exacerbated when the application is complicated and its performance is dependent on the input dataset, as is often the case with graph neural network approaches to machine learning. Here, we introduce HLPerf, an open-source, simulation-based performance evaluation framework for dataflow architectures that both supports early exploration of the design space and shortens the performance evaluation cycle. We apply the methodology to GNNHLS, an HLS-based graph neural network benchmark containing six commonly used graph neural network models and four datasets with distinct topologies and scales. The results show that HLPerf achieves over 10, 000× average simulation acceleration relative to RTL simulation and over 400× acceleration relative to state-of-the-art cycle-accurate tools at the cost of 7% mean error rate relative to actual FPGA implementation performance. This acceleration positions HLPerf as a viable component in the design cycle.
Multimodal Score Fusion with Sparse Low-rank Bilinear Pooling for Egocentric Hand Action Recognition
Authors: Roy Kankana
Published: April 2024

With the advent of egocentric cameras, there are new challenges where traditional computer vision is not sufficient to handle this kind of video. Moreover, egocentric cameras often offer multiple modalities that need to be modeled jointly to exploit complimentary information. In this article, we propose a sparse low-rank bilinear score pooling approach for egocentric hand action recognition from RGB-D videos. It consists of five blocks: a baseline CNN to encode RGB and depth information for producing classification probabilities; a novel bilinear score pooling block to generate a score matrix; a sparse low-rank matrix recovery block to reduce redundant features, which is common in bilinear pooling; a one-layer CNN for frame-level classification; and an RNN for video-level classification. We proposed to fuse classification probabilities instead of traditional CNN features from RGB and depth modality, involving an effective yet simple sparse low-rank bilinear score pooling to produce a fused RGB-D score matrix. To demonstrate the efficacy of our method, we perform extensive experiments over two large-scale hand action datasets, namely, THU-READ and FPHA, and two smaller datasets, GUN-71 and HAD. We observe that the proposed method outperforms state-of-the-art methods and achieves accuracies of 78.55% and 96.87% over the THU-READ dataset in cross-subject and cross-group settings, respectively. Further, we achieved accuracies of 91.59% and 43.87% over the FPHA and Gun-71 datasets, respectively.
Assessment of Claimant, Clinical, and Financial Characteristics of Teleradiology Medical Malpractice Cases
Authors: Schaffer Adam C. , Zawi Tarek , Einbinder Jonathan S. , Sato Luke , Sodickson Aaron D.
Published: April 2024

Teleradiology medical malpractice cases more frequently involved the death of the patient and had higher median indemnity payment amounts compared with radiology malpractice cases not involving teleradiology.
From the Editor: Keeping it Going
Authors: Kelly Rob G.
Published: April 2024

Continuity is a goal for all organizations. Successful organizations are built in such a way that their excellence is maintained over the long term, from generation to generation. ECS is a great example; its divisional and editorial board structures have provided robust mechanisms for continuity for over 120 years. A succession plan (or lack thereof) is so key that TV series have been made about it (one with the ingenious title Succession). Organizations that are successful over multiple generations are those that can handle such planning well, whether by luck or by science. Organizations that do not handle this aspect well may be spectacular while their founder/star is involved, but the Grim Reaper remains undefeated. At that point, the organization drifts and eventually fades away.
Heavy-Duty Transportation in 10 Charts
Authors: Kusoglu Ahmet
Published: April 2024

This article illustrates the key facts and figures about the transportation sector and its contribution to emissions, in particular the heavy-duty trucking, in terms of the current state of sector in the U.S. in light of increasing recent focus on decarbonization efforts with zero emission trucking. Heavy-duty trucks contribute significantly more to annual mileage traveled, fuel consumption, and greenhouse gas emissions on per vehicle basis, compared to light-duty vehicles and passenger cars. Given the essential role of heavy-duty trucking in freight movement demanding high energy, decarbonizing trucking sector comes with unique challenges overcoming which will have an important impact on reducing global emissions as well as mitigating the adverse health effects arising from these emissions.