bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Universal representation learning for multivariate time series using the instance-level and cluster-level supervised contrastive learning
Authors: Moradinasab Nazanin , Sharma Suchetha , Bar-Yoseph Ronen , Radom-Aizik Shlomit , C. Bilchick Kenneth , M. Cooper Dan , Weltman Arthur , Brown Donald E. 
Published: February 2024

AbstractThe multivariate time series classification (MTSC) task aims to predict a class label for a given time series. Recently, modern deep learning-based approaches have achieved promising performance over traditional methods for MTSC tasks. The success of these approaches relies on access to the massive amount of labeled data (i.e., annotating or assigning tags to each sample that shows its corresponding category). However, obtaining a massive amount of labeled data is usually very time-consuming and expensive in many real-world applications such as medicine, because it requires domain experts’ knowledge to annotate data. Insufficient labeled data prevents these models from learning discriminative features, resulting in poor margins that reduce generalization performance. To address this challenge, we propose a novel approach: supervised contrastive learning for time series classification (SupCon-TSC). This approach improves the classification performance by learning the discriminative low-dimensional representations of multivariate time series, and its end-to-end structure allows for interpretable outcomes. It is based on supervised contrastive (SupCon) loss to learn the inherent structure of multivariate time series. First, two separate augmentation families, including strong and weak augmentation methods, are utilized to generate augmented data for the source and target networks, respectively. Second, we propose the instance-level, and cluster-level SupCon learning approaches to capture contextual information to learn the discriminative and universal representation for multivariate time series datasets. In the instance-level SupCon learning approach, for each given anchor instance that comes from the source network, the low-variance output encodings from the target network are sampled as positive and negative instances based on their labels. However, the cluster-level approach is performed between each instance and cluster centers among batches, as opposed to the instance-level approach. The cluster-level SupCon loss attempts to maximize the similarities between each instance and cluster centers among batches. We tested this novel approach on two small cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) datasets and the real-world UEA Multivariate time series archive. The results of the SupCon-TSC model on CPET datasets indicate its capability to learn more discriminative features than existing approaches in situations where the size of the dataset is small. Moreover, the results on the UEA archive show that training a classifier on top of the universal representation features learned by our proposed method outperforms the state-of-the-art approaches.
Management of Fusarium fruit rot of Luffa cylindrical caused by Fusarium incarnatum and Fusarium chlamydosporum
Authors: Abdel-Kader Mokhtar M. , Khalil Mohamed S. A. , El-Gamal Nadia G. , El-Mougy Nehal S. 
Published: February 2024

AbstractFusarium rot of Luffa cylindrical was detected at Kafr-El-Dawar province, Beheira governorate, North Egypt during the growing season 2021. Surveyed disease incidence at Beheira, Kafr El-Shekh and Sharkia governorate showed fruit rot incidences of 18.33%, 16.12%, and 12.42%, respectively. Two fungal isolates of Fusarium spp. were tested for their pathogenic ability to induce Fusarium rot disease and typical disease symptoms. The online Basic Local Alignment Search Tool for Nucleotide Sequences (BLASTN) was used for identification and confirmation of identity performance of Internal Transcribed Spacer (ITS) and DNA sequencing, then compared with sequences available in GenBank. The two fungal isolates were identified as Fusarium incarnatum and Fusarium chlamydosporum and registered under accession number MN480497 and MN480498, respectively. Under laboratory conditions, organic acids, essential oils and organic salts significantly inhibited the growth of the two fungal isolates. Complete inhibition of fungal growth (100%) was recorded at 0.75 g/l of Topsin-M70 (Thiophanate-methyl) and 0.5% of salicylic acid. Meanwhile, a moderate growth reduction was observed using benzoic acid, coumarine, and cinnamon, thyme oil and garlic oil treatments. Under field conditions for two successive seasons, similar trends were observed. Foliar sprays with the fungicide Topsin-M70 showed the largest reduction in disease expression. The highest fruit rot disease reduction was recorded for salicylic acid and coumarin treatments followed by thyme oil, benzoic acid and potassium carbonate, garlic oil, boric acid and sodium bicarbonate. We concluded that the treatments are effective, safe and cost-effective methods for the control of this pre-harvest fruit disease under field conditions.
Analysis of the bonding’s energy in metal-halide perovskites and brief evaluation of meta-GGA functionals TPSS and revTPSS
Authors: Diaz José Juan , Ornelas-Cruz Iván , Cano Francisco J. , Velumani S. , Gallardo-Hernández Salvador , Koudriavtsev Iouri , Mansurova Svetlana 
Published: February 2024

AbstractMetal-halide perovskites, known for their remarkable photovoltaic performance and ease of production, have garnered global attention in material science. Addressing scalability requires tackling the technology’s primary challenge: instability. Crucial insights into the complex chemistry of these materials are imperative for progress. The present study focused on well-known perovskites, namely CsPbI3, CH3NH3PbI3 and HC(NH2)2PbI3. Through both cohesive energy and ICOHP analysis, the chemical bonding of these compounds. Additionally, a comparative evaluation of the functionals of TPSS, revTPSS, HCTH/407, and PBE was made through bandgap determination. The key findings of this study were: i) having confirmed the predominantly ionic nature of lead halide interactions; ii) having pointed out the predominantly covalent nature of the molecules’ constituents binding; iii) having found that the strongest hydrogen bonds are formed by methylammonium; and iv) having nourished the utility of the TPSS meta-GGA functional in calculating the band gap of organic–inorganic perovskites. The results presented here could be important to the understanding and description of metal halide perovskite materials.
Reinforcement learning tutor better supported lower performers in a math task
Authors: Ruan Sherry , Nie Allen , Steenbergen William , He Jiayu , Zhang J. Q. , Guo Meng , Liu Yao , Dang Nguyen Kyle , Wang Catherine Y. , Ying Rui , Landay James A. , Brunskill Emma 
Published: February 2024

AbstractResource limitations make it challenging to provide all students with one of the most effective educational interventions: personalized instruction. Reinforcement learning could be a pivotal tool to decrease the development costs and enhance the effectiveness of intelligent tutoring software, that aims to provide the right support, at the right time, to a student. Here we illustrate that deep reinforcement learning can be used to provide adaptive pedagogical support to students learning about the concept of volume in a narrative storyline software. Using explainable artificial intelligence tools, we extracted interpretable insights about the pedagogical policy learned and demonstrated that the resulting policy had similar performance in a different student population. Most importantly, in both studies, the reinforcement-learning narrative system had the largest benefit for those students with the lowest initial pretest scores, suggesting the opportunity for AI to adapt and provide support for those most in need.
A Hard-Boiled Hero in an Atomized World: Manuel Vázquez Montalbán’s El hombre de mi vida and Milenio Carvalho Lament Neoliberal Alienation
Authors: Ortigas José 
Published: February 2024

AbstractManuel Vázquez Montalbán’s Pepe Carvalho detective novels comprise a seminal series, spanning eighteen novels from 1972 to 2004, that consolidated the novela negra as a popular, denunciatory genre in Spain. While much has been written about the early entries in the series, the latter novels, namely El hombre de mi vida (2000), Milenio I: Rumbo a Kabul, and Milenio II: En las antípodas (2004), have not received similar attention. Critics like Colmeiro, Balibrea, and Nichols have accurately read these novels as a denunciation of the most evident negative consequences of globalization at the turn of the new millennium, principally gentrification, displacement, and the exploitation of both labor and natural resources. Here, I expand this analysis to consider another of the deleterious effects of free-market rationality: The increasing personal alienation that has come to characterize modern neoliberal societies, a phenomenon recently analyzed by political philosophers like Brown (2015) and May (2012), and psychologists such as Verhaeghe (2014). I argue that, as the Carvalho character evolves throughout the series and neoliberalism achieves cultural hegemony, the depiction of the solitary protagonist in the final three novels denounces the growing isolation of the individual in a transnational society. This is reflected in the trope of the voyage, Carvalho’s nostalgic melancholia, and the progressively alienated condition of the marginalized detective as his relationships with others, tenuous in the best circumstances, begin to fully disintegrate.
Role of ultrasensitivity in biomolecular circuitry for achieving homeostasis
Authors: Montefusco Francesco , Procopio Anna , Bulai Iulia M. , Amato Francesco , Cosentino Carlo 
Published: February 2024

AbstractLiving systems have developed control mechanisms for achieving homeostasis. Here, we propose a plausible biological feedback architecture that exploits ultrasensitivity and shows adaptive responses without requiring error detection mechanism (i.e., by measuring an external reference signal and deviation from this). While standard engineering control systems are usually based on error measurements, this is not the case for biological systems. We find that a two-state negative feedback control system, without explicit error measurements, is able to track a reference signal that is implicitly determined by the tunable threshold and slope characterizing the sigmoidal ultrasensitive relationship implemented by the control system. We design different ultrasensitive control functions (ultrasensitive up- or down-regulation, or both) and, by performing sensitivity analysis, show that increasing the sensitivity level of the control allows achieving robust adaptive responses to the effects of parameter variations and step disturbances. Finally, we show that the devised control system architecture without error detection is implemented within the yeast osmoregulatory response network and allows achieving adaptive responses to osmotic stress, by exploiting the ubiquitous ultrasensitive features of the involved biomolecular circuitry.
Pitcovski’s explanation-based account of harm
Authors: Carlson Erik , Johansson Jens , Risberg Olle 
Published: February 2024

AbstractIn a recent article in this journal, Eli Pitcovski puts forward a novel, explanation-based account of harm. We seek to show that Pitcovski’s account, and his arguments in favor of it, can be substantially improved. However, we also argue that, even thus improved, the account faces a dilemma. The dilemma concerns the question of what it takes for an event, E, to explain why a state, P, does not obtain. Does this require that P would have obtained if E had not occurred? Pitcovski’s theory faces problems no matter how one answers that question.
Closing the Gender Gap in Internal Political Efficacy? Gender Roles and the Masculine Ethos of Politics in Spain
Authors: Fraile Marta , Marinova Dani 
Published: February 2024

AbstractGiven women’s gains in employment, education, and economic status, the persistent gender gap in internal political efficacy remains a puzzle for social scientists. We go beyond standard socioeconomic explanations and consider gender roles, which, unlike socioeconomic situation, are a slow-moving force constrained by gendered socialization. Stereotypically feminine traits jar with stereotypical notions of politics in general, as competitive, and leaders as power-seeking and assertive. Drawing on observational data from an original survey fielded in Spain, we show that this incongruence accounts for women’s perception of having a low capacity to participate in politics. Results from a survey experiment suggest that this relationship is not set in stone, however. When politicians’ motivation is framed in line with feminine traits—as a public service rather than a struggle for power—women consider themselves just as capable as men of participating in politics. The results have implications for women’s political participation and representation in politics.
Comparing the epistemic burdens of liberal transition and central planning
Authors: Molden Max 
Published: February 2024

AbstractEpistemic burdens are ubiquitous. Whenever people act, their success largely depends on their knowledge. While epistemic burdens are widely recognised when it comes to centrally planning the economy, Scott Scheall has drawn attention to the epistemic burdens involved in transitioning to a liberal society. In this regard, Scheall raises the question of whether these epistemic burdens might actually be as high as those faced by central planners. In this paper, I examine the epistemic burdens of liberal transitions and compare them to those of central planning the economy. Also looking at empirical cases, I tentatively conclude that transitioning to a liberal society is epistemically less burdensome, primarily because the liberal society provides a relatively stable objective and because theoretical knowledge about the necessary cultural preconditions and the institutional framework already exists. However, liberal transitions are still epistemically burdensome, especially when it comes to getting to the desired societal framework. Furthermore, when the required cultural preconditions are absent, it may well be that the epistemic burdens are insurmountable.
Isolation of local strains of the yeast Metschnikowia for biocontrol and lipid production purposes
Authors: Tatay-Núñez Josep , Albi-Puig Joana , Garrigós Víctor , Orejas-Suárez Margarita , Matallana Emilia , Aranda Agustín 
Published: February 2024

AbstractThe bioprospection of indigenous microorganism strains with biotechnological potential represents a prominent trend. Metschnikowia yeasts exhibit diverse capabilities, such as ethanol reduction in winemaking, biocontrol potential, and lipid production. In this work, local Metschnikowia strains were isolated from different fruits by their ability to produce pulcherrimic acid, a molecule that has been linked to biocontrol activity and that binds iron giving colored colonies. Five strains were selected, each from one of five distinct sources. All of them were identified as M. pulcherrima. All five were able inhibit other yeasts and one M. pulcherrima, called M7, inhibited the growth of Aspergillus nidulans. The selected strains accumulated lipid bodies in stationary phase. Certain non-conventional yeasts like Hanseniaspora vineae are very sensitive to biomass drying, but cell extracts from M. pulcherrima added to the growth media as a source of antioxidant lipids increased their tolerance to drying. All strains isolated showed good stress tolerance (particularly to heat) and have nutrient requirements similar to a commercial M. pulcherrima strain. In addition, the M7 strain had a good growth in sugarcane and beet molasses and behaved like Saccharomyces cerevisiae in a growth medium derived from agricultural waste, a persimmon hydrolysate. Therefore, the isolation of local strains of Metschnikowia able to grow in a variety of substrates is a good source of biocontrol agents.
Do renewable energy and human capital facilitate the improvement of environmental quality in the United States? A new perspective on environmental issues with the load capacity factor
Authors: ÇAMKAYA Serhat , KARAASLAN Abdulkerim 
Published: February 2024

AbstractRecently, countries have been making intensive efforts to alleviate the burden on the environment and to make environmental conditions sustainable. In this context, our study aims to investigate the long-term impact of renewable energy consumption (REC) and human capital (HC) by considering the load capacity factor (LCF). We also investigate the long-term impact of economic growth (Y) and non-renewable energy consumption (NREC) on the LCF. In this context, we analyze annual data for the U.S. for the period 1965–2018 using the newly developed augmented ARDL (AARDL) approach. The long-term empirical results show the following. i) Increases in Y negatively affect LCF and deteriorate environmental quality. ii) Increases in NREC negatively affect LCF and accelerate the deterioration of environmental quality. iii) REC has no significant impact on environmental quality. iv) Increases in HC support the improvement of environmental quality. The empirical results show that contrary to expectations, renewable energy consumption does not have a significant impact on environmental quality in the U.S., whereas human capital is an important factor in improving environmental quality. In this context, US policymakers should pave the way for more investment in eco-friendly renewable energy investments and human capital to establish sustainable environmental quality. Policymakers should also take steps to reduce the use of fossil fuels.
A rare case report of reversible glucose counterregulation in an insulinoma patient with type 2 diabetes
Authors: Teng Jian-hui , Hu Jun-pei , Wang Xia , Zhang Chi , Chen Jing 
Published: February 2024

Abstract
Context
Insulinoma is a neuroendocrine tumor derived from pancreatic β -cells whose clinical manifestation is recurrent hypoglycemia. Insulinoma in a patient with preexisting diabetes is extraordinarily rare, and the unmasking of type 2 diabetes (T2DM) after insulinoma surgery is even rarer.

Case report
This article reports a 49-year-old male patient with insulinoma that masked the diagnosis of T2DM. The patient was admitted to the hospital with symptoms of hypoglycemia, such as repeated sweating, palpitations, and asthenia for over 4 years. The patient was diagnosed with insulinoma after completing relevant examinations. The emergence of hyperglycemia after the removal of insulinoma is attributable to the coexistence of T2DM. Surprisingly, a reversible decrease in cortisol levels was observed during the diagnostic process. We searched the previously published reports of this type of case from PubMed to determine why type 2 diabetes was covered by insulinoma and why glucocorticoids decreased.

Conclusions
The diagnosis of T2DM in the patient after surgery may be related to increased food intake and insulin resistance induced by hyperinsulinemia caused by long-term hypoglycemia. The reversible decrease in cortisol levels, not adrenocortical insufficiency during the diagnostic process, may be caused by a transient abnormality in glucose counterregulation.
Rapid generation of an RBL cellular model to study proteins that cause allergenic reactions in vitro
Authors: Hernández-Aguilar Israel , Vizuet-de-Rueda Juan Carlos , Galván-Morales Miguel Ángel , Montero-Vargas Josaphat Miguel , Teran Luis M. 
Published: February 2024

AbstractAllergic diseases affect nearly 30% of people worldwide. There is a wide range of allergen sources, such as animal dander, food, venom, dust mites, and pollen. The skin prick test is the predominant technique used to identify allergenic sensitivity in vivo; the main problem is that it can be imprecise as many of the allergen extracts are made of mixtures of allergic and nonallergic components, making it difficult to identify the disease-eliciting allergen. An alternative to solve this problem is employing cellular models in vitro that may allow allergen identification, allergy diagnosis, and testing of novel potential compounds that can be used in immunotherapeutics. For example, rat basophilic leukemia (RBL) cells are a well-suited model for studying allergies. Unfortunately, cells generated from RBL cells are not commercially available. Therefore, we developed an RBL model with a degranulation gene reporter capable of recognizing human IgE involved in allergenic sensitivity using commercial plasmids. Employing this model, we successfully evaluated the capacity of union between IgE from allergic patients to allergenic proteins from Oleaceae tree pollen. This RBL cell model can be used as a diagnostic method for sensitivity to any allergens from different sources in vitro.
Shaping the Neurovascular Unit Exploiting Human Brain Organoids
Authors: Rizzuti Mafalda , Melzi Valentina , Brambilla Lorenzo , Quetti Lorenzo , Sali Luca , Ottoboni Linda , Meneri Megi , Ratti Antonia , Verde Federico , Ticozzi Nicola , Comi Giacomo Pietro , Corti Stefania , Abati Elena 
Published: February 2024

AbstractBrain organoids, three-dimensional cell structures derived from pluripotent stem cells, closely mimic key aspects of the human brain in vitro, providing a powerful tool for studying neurodevelopment and disease. The neuroectodermal induction protocol employed for brain organoid generation primarily gives rise to the neural cellular component but lacks the vital vascular system, which is crucial for the brain functions by regulating differentiation, migration, and circuit formation, as well as delivering oxygen and nutrients. Many neurological diseases are caused by dysfunctions of cerebral microcirculation, making vascularization of human brain organoids an important tool for pathogenetic and translational research. Experimentally, the creation of vascularized brain organoids has primarily focused on the fusion of vascular and brain organoids, on organoid transplantation in vivo, and on the use of microfluidic devices to replicate the intricate microenvironment of the human brain in vitro. This review summarizes these efforts and highlights the importance of studying the neurovascular unit in a forward-looking perspective of leveraging their use for understanding and treating neurological disorders.
Graphical Abstract
All physical activities are not created equal: differential effects of goal contents, psychological need satisfaction, and flow in physical activity on satisfaction with life
Authors: Codina Nuria , Valenzuela Rafael , Pestana José Vicente 
Published: February 2024

AbstractRegular physical activity (PA) is linked with greater satisfaction with life (SWL), but is this effect equivalent for all PAs? Or do effects and causal paths of PA on SWL differ depending on goal contents in PA? PA practitioners (N = 1900) reported goal contents in exercise (GCE), psychological need satisfaction (PNS), and flow in PA, as well as SWL. Cluster analyses and multi-group structural equation modeling were used to analyze differential effects of study variables on SWL. Four clusters based on GCE were identified and labeled (health-management, n = 652; team-skill, n = 412; social-recognition, n = 494; and low-goals, n = 342). Differential effects on SWL were observed via distinct causal paths: social affiliation and relatedness predicted SWL in the health-management cluster; skill development, competence, and flow in the team-skill cluster; and flow alone in the low-goals cluster. The amounts and the ways in which SWL can be derived from PA practice differ between clusters based on different goal contents. Thus, tailored PA programs may identify distinct goal profiles in order to cater to these separately, orienting them towards either sports-like team practices fostering skill development, perceived competence, and flow; or individually practised and autonomously endorsed PAs facilitating health management, group affiliation and relatedness.