bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
AI for tribology: Present and future
Authors: Yin Nian , Yang Pufan , Liu Songkai , Pan Shuaihang , Zhang Zhinan
Published: March 2024

With remarkable learning capabilities and swift operational speeds, artificial intelligence (AI) can assist researchers in swiftly extracting valuable patterns, trends, and associations from subjective information. Tribological behaviors are characterized by dependence on systems, evolution with time, and multidisciplinary coupling. The friction process involves a variety of phenomena, including mechanics, thermology, electricity, optics, magnetics, and so on. Hence, tribological information possesses the distinct characteristics of being multidisciplinary, multilevel, and multiscale, so that the application of AI in tribology is highly extensive. To delineate the scope, classification, and recent trends of AI implementation in tribology, this review embarks on exploration of the tribology research domain. It comprehensively outlines the utilization of AI in basic theory of tribology, intelligent tribology, component tribology, extreme tribology, bio-tribology, green tribology, and other fields. Finally, considering the emergence of “tribo-informatics” as a novel interdisciplinary field, which combines tribology with informatics, this review elucidates the future directions and research framework of “AI for tribology”. In this paper, tribo-system information is divided into 5 categories: input information (I), system intrinsic information (S), output information (O), tribological state information (Ts), and derived state information (Ds). Then, a fusion method among 5 types of tribo-system information and different AI technologies (regression, classification, clustering, and dimension reduction) has been proposed, which enables tribo-informatics methods to solve common problems such as tribological behavior state monitoring, behavior prediction, and system optimization. The purpose of this review is to offer a systematic comprehension of tribo-informatics and to inspire new research ideas of tribo-informatics. Ultimately, it aspires to enhance the efficiency of problem-solving in tribology.
Experimental and numerical simulation study on forced ventilation and dust removal of coal mine heading surface
Authors: Zheng Haotian , Jiang Bingyou , Wang Haoyu , Zheng Yuannan
Published: March 2024

In order to study the problems of unreasonable airflow distribution and serious dust pollution in a heading surface, an experimental platform for forced ventilation and dust removal was built based on the similar principles. Through the similar experiment and numerical simulation, the distribution of airflow field in the roadway and the spatial and temporal evolution of dust pollution under the conditions of forced ventilation were determined. The airflow field in the roadway can be divided into three zones: jet zone, vortex zone and reflux zone. The dust concentration gradually decreases from the head to the rear of the roadway. Under the forced ventilation conditions, there is a unilateral accumulation of dust, with higher dust concentrations away from the ducts. The position of the equipment has an interception effect on the dust. The maximum error between the test value and the simulation result is 12.9%, which verifies the accuracy of the experimental results. The research results can provide theoretical guidance for the application of dust removal technology in coal mine.
Te Tiriti o Waitangi: The Treaty of Waitangi, Principles and Other Representations
Authors: Burns Christopher , Hetaraka Maia , Jones Alison
Published: March 2024

This article draws attention to shifting educational discourses on the two texts of the 1840 treaty: te Tiriti o Waitangi and the Treaty of Waitangi. Policy and resource conversations in education reveal subtle strategic shifts in use of an invented idea of “treaty principles”—from standing in for and attempting to reconcile the two language texts, to a focus on the specific language of te Tiriti o Waitangi with reference to so-called principles to support contemporary application. Tracing these changes assists our teachers and educators in developing a critical understanding of the language employed in education policy and teaching resources. Examining these shifts with students also provides “teachable moments” about the politics of treaty discourse.
Automatic Flood Detection from Sentinel-1 Data Using a Nested UNet Model and a NASA Benchmark Dataset
Authors: Ghosh Binayak , Garg Shagun , Motagh Mahdi , Martinis Sandro
Published: March 2024

During flood events near real-time, synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellite imagery has proven to be an efficient management tool for disaster management authorities. However, one of the challenges is accurate classification and segmentation of flooded water. A common method of SAR-based flood mapping is binary segmentation by thresholding, but this method is limited due to the effects of backscatter, geographical area, and surface characterstics. Recent advancements in deep learning algorithms for image segmentation have demonstrated excellent potential for improving flood detection. In this paper, we present a deep learning approach with a nested UNet architecture based on a backbone of EfficientNet-B7 by leveraging a publicly available Sentinel‑1 dataset provided jointly by NASA and the IEEE GRSS Committee. The performance of the nested UNet model was compared with several other UNet-based convolutional neural network architectures. The models were trained on flood events from Nebraska and North Alabama in the USA, Bangladesh, and Florence, Italy. Finally, the generalization capacity of the trained nested UNet model was compared to the other architectures by testing on Sentinel‑1 data from flood events of varied geographical regions such as Spain, India, and Vietnam. The impact of using different polarization band combinations of input data on the segmentation capabilities of the nested UNet and other models is also evaluated using Shapley scores. The results of these experiments show that the UNet model architectures perform comparably to the UNet++ with EfficientNet-B7 backbone for both the NASA dataset as well as the other test cases. Therefore, it can be inferred that these models can be trained on certain flood events provided in the dataset and used for flood detection in other geographical areas, thus proving the transferability of these models. However, the effect of polarization still varies across different test cases from around the world in terms of performance; the model trained with the combinations of individual bands, VV and VH, and polarization ratios gives the best results.
How to use literature in political theory: five questions of methodology in ‘politics and literature’
Authors: Buchholz Hans-Ludwig
Published: March 2024

Two influential but strangely separate bodies of research have emerged in the field of Politics and Literature. Either political theorists write about literature in a theoretical way by describing how literature enriches our understanding of politics, or they interpret individual works of literature. Comprehensive methodological accounts that aim to connect these two research literatures do not exist. In order to start such a methodological debate, the article will ask what methodology means in Politics and Literature. It will identify five methodological questions, ranging from how to read literary elements of style and how to deal with fictionality to what else to do with literature apart from interpretation. Any set of answers to these questions can be called a methodology in the field, and every methodology must find answers to all five questions.
Interannual Variation of Half-Hourly Extreme Precipitation in Africa: The Assessment of the Warmest Decade (2011–2020) Since the Beginning of Observations
Authors: Ncipha Xolile , Kruger Andries , Sibali Linda
Published: March 2024

Africa is experiencing widespread extreme precipitation. However, the continent remains understudied regarding extreme precipitation variation, particularly at high temporal resolution. This study assessed the changes in spatial distribution, frequency, and intensity of half-hourly violent precipitation (≥ 50 mm/h) in Africa during 2011–2020. The data were sourced from the Integrated MultisatellitE Retrievals for Global Precipitation Measurement (IMERG) program. The results reflect that the 50–60 mm/h precipitation category was the most densely spatially distributed with less-discernable interannual changes. There was a strong interannual variation in the spatial distribution of the 60–70 mm/h and ≥ 70 mm/h precipitation categories. There was a general decrease in the frequency of occurrence of violent precipitation in all regions, except in North Africa (NA). Among the study regions, NA had the broadest precipitation intensity distribution extended to high values and consequently, on average, the most intense violent precipitation, followed by Southern Africa (SA) and Southwest Indian Ocean (SWIO). The regions in the tropics, i.e., West Africa (WA), Central Africa (CA), and East Africa (EA), had a relatively narrow intense violent precipitation distribution. The results further illustrate that the strength of climate variability modes has a strong influence in the distribution, frequency, and intensity of violent precipitation over the continent particularly the ≥ 70 mm/h precipitation category. This study underscores a need for a strengthened capacity in forecasting climate variability modes impacting on Africa, augmentation of continental precipitation observation network, and improved extreme precipitation adaptation infrastructure.
Shifting the language of ‘invasion’ ecology: two-eyed seeing as a framework for discourse regarding introduced species
Authors: Lane-Clark Shelby Nicole , Gagnon Valoree S. , Bal Tara L.
Published: March 2024

Discourse used in the field of invasion ecology has significant impacts on society's perception, yet communication related to “invasives” is rife with problematic, exclusionary language. We provide potential solutions, including a repositioned perspective that may facilitate better relationships with the natural world by applying the two-eyed seeing framework. Our discussion calls for a paradigm shift for deeper understandings of human and more-than-human relationships. Ultimately, we advocate for respectful, considerate, and intentional language and stewardship.
Is the anterior approach still superior to posterior correction in AIS regarding correction, fusion levels and kyphosis when modern posterior systems are used?
Authors: Hammad Ahmed , Eberl Johanna , Wirries André , Geiger Florian
Published: March 2024

Purpose

The aim of our study is to compare anterior and posterior corrections of thoracic (Lenke I) and lumbar (Lenke V) curves when modern posterior pedicle screw systems with vertebral derotation techniques are used. Curves that could not be corrected with both systems were excluded.

Methods

A thoracic group (N = 56) of Lenke I AIS patients (18 anterior and 38 posterior) and a lumbar group (N = 42) of Lenke V patients (14 anterior and 28 posterior) with similar curves < 65° were identified.

Results

Thoracic group The mean postoperative correction (POC) was 68 ± 13.4% in the anterior and 72 ± 10.5% in the posterior group. The postoperative change in thoracic kyphosis was +4° and +5° respectively. The median length of fusion was eight segments in the posterior and seven segments in the anterior groups. In 89% the LIV was EV or shorter in the anterior, and in 71% of the posterior corrections.

Lumbar group The mean POC was 75 ± 18.3% (anterior) and 72 ± 8.5% (posterior). The postoperative gain in lumbar lordosis was 0.8° (anterior) and 4° (posterior). The median length of fusion was five segments in both groups and there was no difference in relation of the LIV to the EV.

Conclusion

With modern implants and derotation techniques, the posterior approach can achieve similar coronal correction, apical derotation and thoracic kyphosis with similar length of fusion and better lumbar lordosis restoration.
Creativity in early childhood: how educators from Australia and Italy are documenting the creative thought processes of young children
Authors: Leggett Nicole
Published: March 2024

Creative and critical thinking, problem-solving and decision-making have attracted increasing interest over the last decade as key twenty-first century skills for education. While the Australian Curriculum implies that creativity should be applied to all learning domains, the Early Years Learning Framework for birth to 5 years (EYLF) largely relegates creativity to children’s expression through the creative arts. The world-renowned Reggio Emilia approach places creativity at the centre of its curriculum not as a creative product, but as a cognitive process. This paper draws upon recent research with early childhood teachers from NSW, Australia and Northern Italy who formed sister-centre relationships to share their perspectives on children’s creative thinking. Through email exchange, educators from each country sent three examples of centre documentation they believed demonstrated children’s creative thinking, with an invitation for a response from the sister centre. Vygotsky’s creative imagination theory, Malaguzzi and Rodari’s philosophies of creativity, imagination and education, provide theoretical frameworks to explain the creative processes of children. Findings suggest that the Australian educators in this study demonstrated the practice of responsiveness to children in co-constructing factual knowledge, while the Italian educators focused more on the processes of children’s thinking, with a view of the child as an imaginative and creative being. This paper argues that if creative thinking is an essential skill for lifelong learning, then more attention for how educators in early childhood education contexts are incorporating this into practice is needed.
Safety alert on scaffolding practices in Hong Kong
Authors: Chow W. K.
Published: March 2024

There are many incidents involving scaffolding which might lead to serious occupational safety consequences. A poor scaffold erected along public access in Hong Kong is taken as an example to alert the hidden hazards. This indicates inadequacy in safety management with possible violation of the Occupational Safety and Health Ordinance and possible violation of at least three local fire codes of practice, including Means of Escape, Means of Access and Fire Service Installations Codes. Blocking public access for fire exits would lead to hazardous consequences. Occupants might not be able to escape safely and efficiently, and firemen might not be able to access the fire spot quickly. These would lead to unnecessary injury and property damage, court case, insurance claim, and so on. It is obvious that fire safety management should be implemented properly to ensure proper monitoring of the scaffold. However, current control appears to be too loose. Safety culture should be promoted by stakeholders with tighter government control, inspection and penalty. The new penalty scheme of the Occupational Safety and Health Ordinance is a good starting point.
Have Repertoire, Will Travel
Authors: Gallo-Cruz Selina R.
Published: March 2024

Nonviolence is celebrated and practiced around the world, as a universal 'method for all human conflict.' This Element describes how nonviolence has evolved into a global repertoire, a patterned form of contentious political performance that has spread as an international movement of movements, systematizing and institutionalizing particular forms of protest as best claims-making practice. It explains how the formal organizational efforts of social movement emissaries and favorable and corresponding global models of state and civic participation have enabled the globalization of nonviolence. The Element discusses a historical perspective of this process to illuminate how understanding nonviolence as a contentious performance can explain the repertoire's successes and failures across contexts and over time. The Element underscores the dynamics of contention among global repertoires and suggests future research more closely examines the challenges posed by institutionalization.
Crisis Theatre and The Living Newspaper
Authors: Mullan Sarah Jane , Bartley Sarah
Published: March 2024

Crisis Theatre and The Living Newspapers traces a history of the living newspaper as a theatre of crisis from Soviet Russia (1910s), through the Federal Theatre Project of the Great Depression in America (1930s), to Augusto Boal's teatro jornal in Brazil (1970s), and its resonance with documentary forms deployed in the final years of apartheid in South Africa (1990s), up until the present day in the UK (2020s). Across this Element, the author is interested in what a transnational and transhistorical examination of the living newspaper through the lens of crisis reveals about the ways in which theatre can intervene in our collective social, economic and political life. By holding these diverse examples together, the author asserts the Living Newspaper as a form of Crisis Theatre.
PDMP Monte Carlo methods for piecewise smooth densities
Authors: Chevallier Augustin , Power Sam , Wang Andi Q. , Fearnhead Paul
Published: March 2024

There has been substantial interest in developing Markov chain Monte Carlo algorithms based on piecewise deterministic Markov processes. However, existing algorithms can only be used if the target distribution of interest is differentiable everywhere. The key to adapting these algorithms so that they can sample from densities with discontinuities is to define appropriate dynamics for the process when it hits a discontinuity. We present a simple condition for the transition of the process at a discontinuity which can be used to extend any existing sampler for smooth densities, and give specific choices for this transition which work with popular algorithms such as the bouncy particle sampler, the coordinate sampler, and the zigzag process. Our theoretical results extend and make rigorous arguments that have been presented previously, for instance constructing samplers for continuous densities restricted to a bounded domain, and we present a version of the zigzag process that can work in such a scenario. Our novel approach to deriving the invariant distribution of a piecewise deterministic Markov process with boundaries may be of independent interest.
A multi-shot target wheel assembly for high-repetition-rate, laser-driven proton acceleration
Authors: Peñas J. , Bembibre A. , Cortina-Gil D. , Martín L. , Reija A. , Ruiz C. , Seimetz M. , Alejo A. , Benlliure J.
Published: March 2024

A multi-shot target assembly and automatic alignment procedure for laser–plasma proton acceleration at high repetition rate are introduced. The assembly is based on a multi-target rotating wheel capable of hosting more than 5000 targets, mounted on a 3D motorized stage to allow rapid replenishment and alignment of the target material between laser irradiations. The automatic alignment procedure consists of a detailed mapping of the impact positions at the target surface prior to the irradiation that ensures stable operation of the target, which alongside the purpose-built design of the target wheel, enables operation at rates up to 10 Hz. Stable and continuous laser-driven proton acceleration at 10 Hz is demonstrated, with observed cut-off energy stability about 15%.
Prandtl number effects on extreme mixing events in forced stratified turbulence
Authors: Petropoulos Nicolaos , Couchman Miles M.P. , Mashayek Ali , de Bruyn Kops Stephen M. , Caulfield Colm-cille P.
Published: March 2024

Relatively strongly stratified turbulent flows tend to self-organise into a ‘layered anisotropic stratified turbulence’ (LAST) regime, characterised by relatively deep and well-mixed density ‘layers’ separated by relatively thin ‘interfaces’ of enhanced density gradient. Understanding the associated mixing dynamics is a central problem in geophysical fluid dynamics. It is challenging to study LAST mixing, as it is associated with Reynolds numbers$Re := UL/\nu \gg 1$and Froude numbers$Fr :=(2{\rm \pi} U)/(L N) \ll 1$($U$and$L$being characteristic velocity and length scales,$\nu$the kinematic viscosity and$N$the buoyancy frequency). Since a sufficiently large dynamic range (largely) unaffected by stratification and viscosity is required, it is also necessary for the buoyancy Reynolds number$Re_{b} := \epsilon /(\nu N^{2}) \gg 1$, where$\epsilon$is the (appropriately volume-averaged) turbulent kinetic energy dissipation rate. This requirement is exacerbated for oceanically relevant flows, as the Prandtl number$Pr := \nu /\kappa = {O}(10)$in thermally stratified water (where$\kappa$is the thermal diffusivity), thus leading (potentially) to even finer density field structures. We report here on four forced fully resolved direct numerical simulations of stratified turbulence at various Froude ($Fr=0.5, 2$) and Prandtl ($Pr=1, 7$) numbers forced so that$Re_{b}=50$, with resolutions up to$30\,240 \times 30\,240 \times 3780$. We find that, as$Pr$increases, emergent ‘interfaces’ become finer and their contribution to bulk mixing characteristics decreases at the expense of the small-scale density structures populating the well-mixed ‘layers’. However, extreme mixing events (as quantified by significantly elevated local destruction rates of buoyancy variance$\chi _0$) are always preferentially found in the (statically stable) interfaces, irrespective of the value of$Pr$.
The conditional Lyapunov exponents and synchronisation of rotating turbulent flows
Authors: Li Jian , Tian Mengdan , Li Yi , Si Wenwen , Mohammed Huda Khaleel
Published: March 2024

The synchronisation between rotating turbulent flows in periodic boxes is investigated numerically. The flows are coupled via a master–slave coupling, taking the Fourier modes with wavenumber below a given value

$k_m$

as the master modes. It is found that synchronisation happens when

$k_m$

exceeds a threshold value

$k_c$

, and

$k_c$

depends strongly on the forcing scheme. In rotating Kolmogorov flows,

$k_c\eta$

does not change with rotation in the range of rotation rates considered,

$\eta$

being the Kolmogorov length scale. Even though the energy spectrum has a steeper slope, the value of

$k_c\eta$

is the same as that found in isotropic turbulence. In flows driven by a forcing term maintaining constant energy injection rate, synchronisation becomes easier when rotation is stronger. Here,

$k_c\eta$

decreases with rotation, and it is reduced significantly for strong rotations when the slope of the energy spectrum approaches

$-3$

. It is shown that the conditional Lyapunov exponent for a given

$k_m$

is reduced by rotation in the flows driven by the second type of forcing, but it increases mildly with rotation for the Kolmogorov flows. The local conditional Lyapunov exponents fluctuate more strongly as rotation is increased, although synchronisation occurs as long as the average conditional Lyapunov exponents are negative. We also look for the relationship between

$k_c$

and the energy spectra of the Lyapunov vectors. We find that the spectra always seem to peak at approximately

$k_c$

, and synchronisation fails when the energy spectra of the conditional Lyapunov vectors have a local maximum in the slaved modes.
Microplastics alter soil carbon cycling: Effects on carbon storage, CO2 and CH4 emission and microbial community
Authors: Chang Sha , Zhou Aoyu , Hua Zhuyao , Meng Han , Zhu Fengxiao , Li Shiyin , He Huan
Published: March 2024

Microplastics (MPs) are carbon-rich polymers that are ubiquitous in the environment. With the increase of plastic production, microplastic pollution may be exacerbated and result in significant changes in microbial communities and biogeochemical processes such as carbon cycling, eventually impacting greenhouse gas emission and carbon storage in terrestrial ecosystems. However, current research on the effect of MPs on soil carbon cycling is still limited, and there is a lack of systematic review of the scattered information obtained from previous studies. Accordingly, this review provides a systematic overview of the current knowledge on the effects of MPs on soil carbon cycling and gives future research suggestions. Emerging evidence indicates that MPs could affect soil carbon stability and CO2 and CH4 emission by modifying soil physicochemical and microbiological properties; though biodegradable MPs often exhibit a greater effect than nonbiodegradable ones, the specific effects are highly dependent on plastic type, size and concentration. The specific mechanisms of MPs’ impact on soil carbon cycles remain elusive, which are discussed mainly from the perspective of microbial changes, including microbial biomass, microbial community composition, and key enzymes and functional genes associated with carbon metabolism. Further research is needed to elucidate whether MPs have a positive priming effect on soil carbon decomposition and the biotic and abiotic mechanisms involved. This review paper helps researchers gain a clearer picture of how and through which way MPs impact carbon cycling in soil ecosystems.
Who benefits from indirect prevention and treatment of depression using an online intervention for insomnia? Results from an individual-participant data meta-analysis
Authors: Thielecke Janika , Kuper Paula , Lehr Dirk , Schuurmans Lea , Harrer Mathias , Ebert David D. , Cuijpers Pim , Behrendt Dörte , Brückner Hanna , Horvath Hanne , Riper Heleen , Buntrock Claudia
Published: March 2024

Background

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is highly prevalent and burdensome for individuals and society. While there are psychological interventions able to prevent and treat MDD, uptake remains low. To overcome structural and attitudinal barriers, an indirect approach of using online insomnia interventions seems promising because insomnia is less stigmatized, predicts MDD onset, is often comorbid and can outlast MDD treatment. This individual-participant-data meta-analysis evaluated the potential of the online insomnia interventionGET.ON Recoveryas an indirect treatment to reduce depressive symptom severity (DSS) and potential MDD onset across a range of participant characteristics.

Methods

Efficacy on depressive symptom outcomes was evaluated using multilevel regression models controlling for baseline severity. To identify potential effect moderators, clinical, sociodemographic, and work-related variables were investigated using univariable moderation and random-forest methodology before developing a multivariable decision tree.

Results

IPD were obtained from four of seven eligible studies (N= 561); concentrating on workers with high work-stress. DSS was significantly lower in the intervention group both at post-assessment (d= −0.71 [95% CI−0.92 to −0.51]) and at follow-up (d= −0.84 [95% CI −1.11 to −0.57]). In the subsample (n= 121) without potential MDD at baseline, there were no significant group differences in onset of potential MDD. Moderation analyses revealed that effects on DSS differed significantly across baseline severity groups with effect sizes betweend= −0.48 and −0.87 (post) andd= − 0.66 to −0.99 (follow-up), while no other sociodemographic, clinical, or work-related characteristics were significant moderators.

Conclusions

An online insomnia intervention is a promising approach to effectively reduce DSS in a preventive and treatment setting.
Association of Alcohol Consumption with Cognition and Functionality in Older Adults Aged 75+ Years: The Pietà Study
Authors: de Almeida Mariana Alves , Barbosa Maira Tonidandel , Resende Elisa de Paula França , Carvalho Viviane Amaral , Santos Ana Paula Borges , Machado João Carlos Barbosa , Lara Vivian Proença , Gomes Karina Braga , Machado Thais Helena , Caramelli Paulo
Published: March 2024

The relationship between alcohol consumption and cognition is still controversial. This is a cross-sectional population-based study conducted in Caeté (MG), Brazil, where 602 individuals aged 75+ years, 63.6% female, and with a mean education of 2.68 years, were submitted to thorough clinical assessments and categorized according to the number of alcoholic beverages consumed weekly. The prevalence rates of previous and current alcohol consumption were 34.6% and 12.3%, respectively. No association emerged between cognitive diagnoses and current/previous alcohol consumption categories. Considering current alcohol intake as a dichotomous variable, the absence of alcohol consumption was associated with dementia (OR = 2.34; 95%CI: 1.39–3.90) and worse functionality (p = 0.001). Previous consumption of cachaça (sugar cane liquor) increased the risk of dementia by 2.52 (95%CI: 1.25–5.04). The association between the consumption of cachaça and dementia diagnosis has not been described before.
Wounded Animals and Where to Find Them. The Symbolism of Hunting in Palaeolithic Art
Authors: Rivero Olivia , García-Bustos Miguel , Sauvet Georges
Published: March 2024

Representations of wounded animals and humans in European Upper Palaeolithic art have traditionally been conceived as figures related to the hunting activities of hunter-gatherer societies. In this paper, we propose an analysis of Franco-Cantabrian figurative representations showing signs of violence between 35,000 and 13,000 cal. bp to qualify the interpretations of hunting and death in Palaeolithic art. To this end, both multivariate statistical analyses and hypothesis tests have been used to highlight the formal, thematic, chronological and regional similarities and differences in these types of artistic representations. The results show that wounded graphic units are mythograms coded by different variables that do not seem to reflect the actual hunting of the animal, but rather a more complex meaning. It was also discovered that, in early times, the artist preferred to wound secondary or less frequent animals, like deer. This changed in more recent times, when the main animals, such as bison, are wounded under greater normativity and homogeneity in the Pyrenees or the Cantabrian region.
Buildings-in-buildings: museological theatres of preservation and display
Authors: Paine Ashley
Published: March 2024

The Hill House by Charles Rennie Mackintosh (1902-04) is widely considered a seminal work of early modern architecture. Today, after more than a century of saturating Scottish weather, the house is crumbling from water damage and needing renovation. In 2019, the first stage of works to stabilise the house and rectify its damp walls began in radical fashion with the ’Hill House Box’ by London-based architects Carmody Groarke. Like an oversized architectural raincoat, this roof and chainmesh-walled structure completely encases the house, allowing it to dry out before conservation works can begin. The design also incorporates a series of walkways through the interstitial volume, enabling visitors to observe the old building from new vantage points during its renovation. As such, the enclosure not only forms a protective case, but effectively turns the building - and its conservation - into a museological exhibit.

The architectural interest of the Hill House Box, however, lies in its encounter with Mackintosh’s temporally and stylistically distinct design, and the perverse strategy of placing one building inside another. For this essay, the Hill House and its new box highlight the underexamined architecture of buildings-in-buildings and, in particular, the creation of spaces that are neither interior nor exterior, but both, simultaneously. Drawing upon a diverse array of buildings and texts, this paper will attempt to outline a theoretical framework through which such composite constructions might be better understood. In particular, it will argue that, while there are countless ways that buildings have historically become encased within other buildings, it is within museums and sites of preservation, like the Hill House Box, that these fantastic architectural encounters find their most exciting and emphatic expressions.
Obesity risk in young adults from the Jerusalem Perinatal Study (JPS): the contribution of polygenic risk and early life exposure
Authors: Hochner Hagit , Butterman Rachely , Margaliot Ido , Friedlander Yechiel , Linial Michal
Published: March 2024

Background/Objectives

The effects of early life exposures on offspring life-course health are well established. This study assessed whether adding early socio-demographic and perinatal variables to a model based on polygenic risk score (PRS) improves prediction of obesity risk.

Methods

We used the Jerusalem Perinatal study (JPS) with data at birth and body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC) measured at age 32. The PRS was constructed using over 2.1M common SNPs identified in genome-wide association study (GWAS) for BMI. Linear and logistic models were applied in a stepwise approach. We first examined the associations between genetic variables and obesity-related phenotypes (e.g., BMI and WC). Secondly, socio-demographic variables were added and finally perinatal exposures, such as maternal pre-pregnancy BMI (mppBMI) and gestational weight gain (GWG) were added to the model. Improvement in prediction of each step was assessed using measures of model discrimination (area under the curve, AUC), net reclassification improvement (NRI) and integrated discrimination improvement (IDI).

Results

One standard deviation (SD) change in PRS was associated with a significant increase in BMI (β = 1.40) and WC (β = 2.45). These associations were slightly attenuated (13.7–14.2%) with the addition of early life exposures to the model. Also, higher mppBMI was associated with increased offspring BMI (β = 0.39) and WC (β = 0.79) (p < 0.001). For obesity (BMI ≥ 30) prediction, the addition of early socio-demographic and perinatal exposures to the PRS model significantly increased AUC from 0.69 to 0.73. At an obesity risk threshold of 15%, the addition of early socio-demographic and perinatal exposures to the PRS model provided a significant improvement in reclassification of obesity (NRI, 0.147; 95% CI 0.068–0.225).

Conclusions

Inclusion of early life exposures, such as mppBMI and maternal smoking, to a model based on PRS improves obesity risk prediction in an Israeli population-sample.
Re-evaluating the genotypes of patients with adenomatous polyposis of unknown etiology: a nationwide study
Authors: Karstensen John Gásdal , Hansen Thomas v. Overeem , Burisch Johan , Djursby Malene , Højen Helle , Madsen Majbritt Busk , Jespersen Niels , Jelsig Anne Marie
Published: March 2024

In the Danish Polyposis Register, patients with over 100 cumulative colorectal adenomas of unknown genetic etiology, named in this study colorectal polyposis (CP), is registered and treated as familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP). In this study, we performed genetic analyses, including whole genome sequencing (WGS), of all Danish patients registered with CP and estimated the detection rate of pathogenic variants (PV). We identified 231 families in the Polyposis Register, 31 of which had CP. A polyposis-associated gene panel was performed and, if negative, patients were offered WGS and screening for mosaicism in blood and/or adenomas. Next-generation sequencing (NGS) was carried out for 27 of the families (four declined). PVs were detected in 11 families, and WGS revealed three additional structural variants in APC. Mosaicism of a PV in APC was detected in two families. As the variant detection rate of eligible families was 60%, 93% of families in the register now have a known genetic etiology.
A shedding analysis after AAV8 CNS injection revealed fragmented viral DNA without evidence of functional AAV particles in mice
Authors: Krause Felix , Schmidtke Katja , de Vasconcelos Mailton Franca , Schmidt David , Cansiz Beyza , Theisen Franziska , Mark Melanie D. , Rybarski Max O.
Published: March 2024

Adeno-associated viruses (AAV) are commonly used in the scientific field due to their diverse application range. However, AAV shedding, the release of virions from the host organism, can impact the safety of AAV-based approaches. An increasing number of authorities require the characterization of vector shedding in clinical trials. Recently, shedding of transduced laboratory animals has also gained attention regarding the necessary disposal measures of their waste products. However, no explicit international regulations for AAV-shedding waste exist. Generating insights into shedding dynamics becomes increasingly relevant to help authorities develop adequate regulations. To date, knowledge of AAV vector shedding in mice is very limited. Moreover, confirmation of functional shed AAV particles in mice is missing. Therefore, we examined feces, urine, and saliva of mice after CNS injection with AAV2/8. It revealed the presence of viral DNA fragments via qPCR for up to 4 days after injection. To examine AAV functionality we performed nested PCR and could not detect full-length viral genomes in any but two collected feces samples. Furthermore, a functional infection assay did not reveal evidence of intact AAV particles. Our findings are supposed to contribute murine shedding data as a foundation to help establish still lacking adequate biosafety regulations in the context of AAV shedding.
Numerosity estimation of virtual humans as a digital-robotic marker for hallucinations in Parkinson’s disease
Authors: Albert Louis , Potheegadoo Jevita , Herbelin Bruno , Bernasconi Fosco , Blanke Olaf
Published: March 2024

Hallucinations are frequent non-motor symptoms in Parkinson’s disease (PD) associated with dementia and higher mortality. Despite their high clinical relevance, current assessments of hallucinations are based on verbal self-reports and interviews that are limited by important biases. Here, we used virtual reality (VR), robotics, and digital online technology to quantify presence hallucination (vivid sensations that another person is nearby when no one is actually present and can neither be seen nor heard) in laboratory and home-based settings. We establish that elevated numerosity estimation of virtual human agents in VR is a digital marker for experimentally induced presence hallucinations in healthy participants, as confirmed across several control conditions and analyses. We translated the digital marker (numerosity estimation) to an online procedure that 170 PD patients carried out remotely at their homes, revealing that PD patients with disease-related presence hallucinations (but not control PD patients) showed higher numerosity estimation. Numerosity estimation enables quantitative monitoring of hallucinations, is an easy-to-use unobtrusive online method, reaching people far away from medical centers, translating neuroscientific findings using robotics and VR, to patients’ homes without specific equipment or trained staff.
The first demonstration of entirely roll-to-roll fabricated perovskite solar cell modules under ambient room conditions
Authors: Weerasinghe Hasitha C. , Macadam Nasiruddin , Kim Jueng-Eun , Sutherland Luke J. , Angmo Dechan , Ng Leonard W. T. , Scully Andrew D. , Glenn Fiona , Chantler Regine , Chang Nathan L. , Dehghanimadvar Mohammad , Shi Lei , Ho-Baillie Anita W. Y. , Egan Renate , Chesman Anthony S. R. , Gao Mei , Jasieniak Jacek J. , Hasan Tawfique , Vak Doojin
Published: March 2024

The rapid development of organic-inorganic hybrid perovskite solar cells has resulted in laboratory-scale devices having power conversion efficiencies that are competitive with commercialised technologies. However, hybrid perovskite solar cells are yet to make an impact beyond the research community, with translation to large-area devices fabricated by industry-relevant manufacturing methods remaining a critical challenge. Here we report the first demonstration of hybrid perovskite solar cell modules, comprising serially-interconnected cells, produced entirely using industrial roll-to-roll printing tools under ambient room conditions. As part of this development, costly vacuum-deposited metal electrodes are replaced with printed carbon electrodes. A high-throughput experiment involving the analysis of batches of 1600 cells produced using 20 parameter combinations enabled rapid optimisation over a large parameter space. The optimised roll-to-roll fabricated hybrid perovskite solar cells show power conversion efficiencies of up to 15.5% for individual small-area cells and 11.0% for serially-interconnected cells in large-area modules. Based on the devices produced in this work, a cost of ~0.7 USD W−1 is predicted for a production rate of 1,000,000 m² per year in Australia, with potential for further significant cost reductions.
Inhibition of 7-dehydrocholesterol reductase prevents hepatic ferroptosis under an active state of sterol synthesis
Authors: Yamada Naoya , Karasawa Tadayoshi , Ito Junya , Yamamuro Daisuke , Morimoto Kazushi , Nakamura Toshitaka , Komada Takanori , Baatarjav Chintogtokh , Saimoto Yuma , Jinnouchi Yuka , Watanabe Kazuhisa , Miura Kouichi , Yahagi Naoya , Nakagawa Kiyotaka , Matsumura Takayoshi , Yamada Ken-ichi , Ishibashi Shun , Sata Naohiro , Conrad Marcus , Takahashi Masafumi
Published: March 2024

Recent evidence indicates ferroptosis is implicated in the pathophysiology of various liver diseases; however, the organ-specific regulation mechanism is poorly understood. Here, we demonstrate 7-dehydrocholesterol reductase (DHCR7), the terminal enzyme of cholesterol biosynthesis, as a regulator of ferroptosis in hepatocytes. Genetic and pharmacological inhibition (with AY9944) of DHCR7 suppress ferroptosis in human hepatocellular carcinoma Huh-7 cells. DHCR7 inhibition increases its substrate, 7-dehydrocholesterol (7-DHC). Furthermore, exogenous 7-DHC supplementation using hydroxypropyl β-cyclodextrin suppresses ferroptosis. A 7-DHC-derived oxysterol metabolite, 3β,5α-dihydroxycholest-7-en-6-one (DHCEO), is increased by the ferroptosis-inducer RSL-3 in DHCR7-deficient cells, suggesting that the ferroptosis-suppressive effect of DHCR7 inhibition is associated with the oxidation of 7-DHC. Electron spin resonance analysis reveals that 7-DHC functions as a radical trapping agent, thus protecting cells from ferroptosis. We further show that AY9944 inhibits hepatic ischemia-reperfusion injury, and genetic ablation of Dhcr7 prevents acetaminophen-induced acute liver failure in mice. These findings provide new insights into the regulatory mechanism of liver ferroptosis and suggest a potential therapeutic option for ferroptosis-related liver diseases.
PHEIGES: all-cell-free phage synthesis and selection from engineered genomes
Authors: Levrier Antoine , Karpathakis Ioannis , Nash Bruce , Bowden Steven D. , Lindner Ariel B. , Noireaux Vincent
Published: March 2024

Bacteriophages constitute an invaluable biological reservoir for biotechnology and medicine. The ability to exploit such vast resources is hampered by the lack of methods to rapidly engineer, assemble, package genomes, and select phages. Cell-free transcription-translation (TXTL) offers experimental settings to address such a limitation. Here, we describe PHage Engineering by In vitro Gene Expression and Selection (PHEIGES) using T7 phage genome and Escherichia coli TXTL. Phage genomes are assembled in vitro from PCR-amplified fragments and directly expressed in batch TXTL reactions to produce up to 1011 PFU/ml engineered phages within one day. We further demonstrate a significant genotype-phenotype linkage of phage assembly in bulk TXTL. This enables rapid selection of phages with altered rough lipopolysaccharides specificity from phage genomes incorporating tail fiber mutant libraries. We establish the scalability of PHEIGES by one pot assembly of such mutants with fluorescent gene integration and 10% length-reduced genome.
Circulating tumor DNA validity and potential uses in metastatic breast cancer
Authors: Amato Ottavia , Giannopoulou Nefeli , Ignatiadis Michail
Published: March 2024

Following the first characterization of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) in the 1990s, recent advances led to its introduction in the clinics. At present, the European Society Of Medical Oncology (ESMO) recommendations endorse ctDNA testing in routine clinical practice for tumor genotyping to direct molecularly targeted therapies in patients with metastatic cancer. In studies on metastatic breast cancer, ctDNA has been utilized for treatment tailoring, tracking mechanisms of drug resistance, and for predicting disease response before imaging. We review the available evidence regarding ctDNA applications in metastatic breast cancer.
Single-cell integrative analysis reveals consensus cancer cell states and clinical relevance in breast cancer
Authors: Pang Lin , Xiang Fengyu , Yang Huan , Shen Xinyue , Fang Ming , Li Ran , Long Yongjin , Li Jiali , Yu Yonghuan , Pang Bo
Published: March 2024

High heterogeneity and complex interactions of malignant cells in breast cancer has been recognized as a driver of cancer progression and therapeutic failure. However, complete understanding of common cancer cell states and their underlying driver factors remain scarce and challenging. Here, we revealed seven consensus cancer cell states recurring cross patients by integrative analysis of single-cell RNA sequencing data of breast cancer. The distinct biological functions, the subtype-specific distribution, the potential cells of origin and the interrelation of consensus cancer cell states were systematically elucidated and validated in multiple independent datasets. We further uncovered the internal regulons and external cell components in tumor microenvironments, which contribute to the consensus cancer cell states. Using the state-specific signature, we also inferred the abundance of cells with each consensus cancer cell state by deconvolution of large breast cancer RNA-seq cohorts, revealing the association of immune-related state with better survival. Our study provides new insights for the cancer cell state composition and potential therapeutic strategies of breast cancer.
Towards standardising retinal OCT angiography image analysis with open-source toolbox OCTAVA
Authors: Untracht Gavrielle R. , Durkee Madeleine S. , Zhao Mei , Kwok-Cheung Lam Andrew , Sikorski Bartosz L. , Sarunic Marinko V. , Andersen Peter E. , Sampson David D. , Chen Fred K. , Sampson Danuta M.
Published: March 2024

Quantitative assessment of retinal microvasculature in optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) images is important for studying, diagnosing, monitoring, and guiding the treatment of ocular and systemic diseases. However, the OCTA user community lacks universal and transparent image analysis tools that can be applied to images from a range of OCTA instruments and provide reliable and consistent microvascular metrics from diverse datasets. We present a retinal extension to the OCTA Vascular Analyser (OCTAVA) that addresses the challenges of providing robust, easy-to-use, and transparent analysis of retinal OCTA images. OCTAVA is a user-friendly, open-source toolbox that can analyse retinal OCTA images from various instruments. The toolbox delivers seven microvascular metrics for the whole image or subregions and six metrics characterising the foveal avascular zone. We validate OCTAVA using images collected by four commercial OCTA instruments demonstrating robust performance across datasets from different instruments acquired at different sites from different study cohorts. We show that OCTAVA delivers values for retinal microvascular metrics comparable to the literature and reduces their variation between studies compared to their commercial equivalents. By making OCTAVA publicly available, we aim to expand standardised research and thereby improve the reproducibility of quantitative analysis of retinal microvascular imaging. Such improvements will help to better identify more reliable and sensitive biomarkers of ocular and systemic diseases.