bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Global conservation prioritization for the Orchidaceae
Authors: Vitt Pati , Taylor Amanda , Rakosy Demetra , Kreft Holger , Meyer Abby , Weigelt Patrick , Knight Tiffany M. 
Published: April 2023

AbstractQuantitative assessments of endemism, evolutionary distinctiveness and extinction threat underpin global conservation prioritization for well-studied taxa, such as birds, mammals, and amphibians. However, such information is unavailable for most of the world’s taxa. This is the case for the Orchidaceae, a hyperdiverse and cosmopolitan family with incomplete phylogenetic and threat information. To define conservation priorities, we present a framework based on phylogenetic and taxonomic measures of distinctiveness and rarity based on the number of regions and the area of occupancy. For 25,434 orchid species with distribution data (89.3% of the Orchidaceae), we identify the Neotropics as hotspots for richness, New Guinea as a hotspot for evolutionary distinctiveness, and several islands that contain many rare and distinct species. Orchids have a similar proportion of monotypic genera as other Angiosperms, however, more taxonomically distinct orchid species are found in a single region. We identify 278 species in need of immediate conservation actions and find that more than 70% of these do not currently have an IUCN conservation assessment and are not protected in ex-situ collections at Botanical Gardens. Our study highlights locations and orchid species in urgent need of conservation and demonstrates a framework that can be applied to other data-deficient taxa.
Natural aging and Alzheimer’s disease pathology increase susceptibility to focused ultrasound-induced blood–brain barrier opening
Authors: Noel R. L. , Batts A. J. , Ji R. , Pouliopoulos A. N. , Bae S. , Kline-Schoder A. R. , Konofagou E. E. 
Published: April 2023

AbstractFocused Ultrasound (FUS) paired with systemically-injected microbubbles (μB) is capable of transiently opening the blood–brain barrier (BBBO) for noninvasive and targeted drug delivery to the brain. FUS-BBBO is also capable of modulating the neuroimmune system, further qualifying its therapeutic potential for neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Natural aging and AD impose significant strain on the brain and particularly the BBB, modifying its structure and subsequently, its functionality. The emerging focus on treating neurodegenerative diseases with FUS-BBBO necessitates an investigation into the extent that age and AD affect the BBB’s response to FUS. FUS-BBBO was performed with a 1.5-MHz, geometrically focused transducer operated at 450 kPa and paired with a bolus microbubble injection of 8 × 108 μB/mL. Here we quantify the BBBO, BBB closing (BBBC) timeline, and BBB permeability (BBBP) following FUS-BBBO in male mice with and without AD pathology, aged 10 weeks, one year, or two years. The data presented herein indicates that natural aging and AD pathology may increase initial BBBO volume by up to 34.4% and 40.7% respectively, extend BBBC timeline by up to 1.3 and 1.5 days respectively, and increase BBBP as measured by average Ktrans values up to 80% and 86.1% respectively in male mice. This characterization of the BBB response to FUS-BBBO with age and AD further clarifies the nature and extent of the functional impact of these factors and may offer new considerations for planning FUS-BBBO interventions in aged and AD populations.
A spatial–temporal graph deep learning model for urban flood nowcasting leveraging heterogeneous community features
Authors: Farahmand Hamed , Xu Yuanchang , Mostafavi Ali 
Published: April 2023

AbstractFlood nowcasting refers to near-future prediction of flood status as an extreme weather event unfolds to enhance situational awareness. The objective of this study was to adopt and test a novel structured deep-learning model for urban flood nowcasting by integrating physics-based and human-sensed features. We present a new computational modeling framework including an attention-based spatial–temporal graph convolution network (ASTGCN) model and different streams of data that are collected in real-time, preprocessed, and fed into the model to consider spatial and temporal information and dependencies that improve flood nowcasting. The novelty of the computational modeling framework is threefold: first, the model is capable of considering spatial and temporal dependencies in inundation propagation thanks to the spatial and temporal graph convolutional modules; second, it enables capturing the influence of heterogeneous temporal data streams that can signal flooding status, including physics-based features (e.g., rainfall intensity and water elevation) and human-sensed data (e.g., residents’ flood reports and fluctuations of human activity) on flood nowcasting. Third, its attention mechanism enables the model to direct its focus to the most influential features that vary dynamically and influence the flood nowcasting. We show the application of the modeling framework in the context of Harris County, Texas, as the study area and 2017 Hurricane Harvey as the flood event. Three categories of features are used for nowcasting the extent of flood inundation in different census tracts: (i) static features that capture spatial characteristics of various locations and influence their flood status similarity, (ii) physics-based dynamic features that capture changes in hydrodynamic variables, and (iii) heterogeneous human-sensed dynamic features that capture various aspects of residents’ activities that can provide information regarding flood status. Results indicate that the ASTGCN model provides superior performance for nowcasting of urban flood inundation at the census-tract level, with precision 0.808 and recall 0.891, which shows the model performs better compared with other state-of-the-art models. Moreover, ASTGCN model performance improves when heterogeneous dynamic features are added into the model that solely relies on physics-based features, which demonstrates the promise of using heterogenous human-sensed data for flood nowcasting. Given the results of the comparisons of the models, the proposed modeling framework has the potential to be more investigated when more data of historical events are available in order to develop a predictive tool to provide community responders with an enhanced prediction of the flood inundation during urban flood.
Integrating renewable energy devices with streetscape elements to electrify the Egyptian roads
Authors: Moussa Rania Rushdy , Gurguis Marianne Nabil 
Published: April 2023

AbstractThe high percentage of carbon emissions, which leads to various environmental problems such as air pollution and global warming, is one of the critical issues resulting from the growth of cities. International agreements are being established to prevent these negative effects. Non-renewable resources are also being depleted and may become extinct in future generations. Due to the extensive use of fossil fuels by automobiles, data show that the transportation sector is responsible for roughly a quarter of worldwide carbon emissions. On the other hand, in developing nations, energy is scarce in many neighborhoods and districts because the governments are unable to meet the community's need for power supply. This research aims to work on techniques that will reduce the carbon emissions produced by roadways while also building environmentally friendly neighborhoods by electrifying the roads using (RE). A novel component called "Energy-Road Scape" (ERS) elements will be used to demonstrate how to generate (RE) and, hence, reduce carbon emissions. This element is the result of integrating streetscape elements with (RE). This research presents a database for ERS elements and properties as a tool for architects and urban designers to design ERS elements instead of utilizing regular streetscape elements.
Behaviour of mesopredatory coral reef fishes in response to threats from sharks and humans
Authors: Asunsolo-Rivera A. , Lester E. , Langlois T. , Vaughan B. , McCormick M. I. , Simpson S. D. , Meekan M. G. 
Published: April 2023

AbstractBoth sharks and humans present a potentially lethal threat to mesopredatory fishes in coral reef systems, with implications for both population dynamics and the role of mesopredatory fishes in reef ecosystems. This study quantifies the antipredator behaviours mesopredatory fishes exhibit towards the presence of large coral reef carnivores and compares these behavioural responses to those elicited by the presence of snorkelers. Here, we used snorkelers and animated life-size models of the blacktip reef shark (Carcharhinus melanopterus) to simulate potential predatory threats to mesopredatory reef fishes (lethrinids, lutjanids, haemulids and serranids). The responses of these reef fishes to the models and the snorkelers were compared to those generated by three non-threatening controls (life-size models of a green turtle [Chelonia mydas], a PVC-pipe [an object control] and a Perspex shape [a second object control]). A Remote Underwater Stereo-Video System (Stereo-RUV) recorded the approach of the different treatments and controls and allowed accurate measurement of Flight Initiation Distance (FID) and categorization of the type of flight response by fishes. We found that mesopredatory reef fishes had greater FIDs in response to the approach of threatening models (1402 ± 402–1533 ± 171 mm; mean ± SE) compared to the controls (706 ± 151–896 ± 8963 mm). There was no significant difference in FID of mesopredatory fishes between the shark model and the snorkeler, suggesting that these treatments provoked similar levels of predator avoidance behaviour. This has implications for researchers monitoring behaviour in situ or using underwater census as a technique to estimate the abundance of reef fishes. Our study suggests that, irrespective of the degree to which sharks actually consume these mesopredatory reef fishes, they still elicit a predictable and consistent antipredator response that has the potential to create risk effects.
Tailoring the resonant modes in liquid crystal based all-dielectric metasurfaces
Authors: Sakhare Pratiksha A. , Atmakuri Madhunika , Dontabhaktuni Jayasri 
Published: April 2023

AbstractHigh refractive index dielectic metasurfaces are being increasingly studied for their novel light-matter interactions such as Huygen’s lens, absolute transmission and complete absorption. Liquid crystal is a versatile medium with high dielectric anisotropy and hence interaction of light with the dielectric metasurfaces immersed in liquid crystal medium show complex behaviour compared to isotropic media. Most of the investigations on liquid crystal based electromagnetic response of dielectric metasurfaces focus on tunability of resonant frequencies and switching between the resonant states as a function of external stimuli such as electric field, temperature, etc. In the current work we present a detailed numerical investigation based on studies of scattering response, near-field and far-field radiation profiles of cubic Tellurium metasurfaces as a function of liquid crystal orientations in infrared frequencies. We show that the near-field and far-field radiation profiles of primary resonant modes—electric dipoles and magnetic dipoles reorient as a function of liquid crystal orientations. In particular, we study the effect of liquid crystal orientations on novel non-radiative states called anapoles. It is observed that liquid crystal orientations effect the excitation and orientation of anapole states within the Tellurium structures. This paves way for design of an electrically-driven switch between non-radiative and radiative states. Further, controlling the near-field and far-field radiation profiles opens up possibilities in designing liquid crystal based tunable multi-functional metasurfaces which can change the directionality of incident light.
A new method for mutation inducing in rice by using DC electrophoresis bath and its mutagenic effects
Authors: Zou Minmin , Tong Sun , Zou Ting , Wang Xinyi , Wu Linxuan , Wang Jiafeng , Guo Tao , Xiao Wuming , Wang Hui , Huang Ming 
Published: April 2023

AbstractMutation breeding is a significant means of increasing breeding efficiency and accelerating breeding process. In present study, we explored a new method for mutations inducing in rice (Oryza sativa L.) by using direct current electrophoresis bath (DCEB). The results showed that 20 mM NaCl solution is the optimal buffer, and the mortality of rice seeds followed an upward trend with increasing voltage and processing time of DCEB. By exploring the mutagenic effects of γ-irradiation and DCEB on seed vigor and physiological damages, we found that the physiological damages induced by DCEB on seed vigor were significant compared with that by γ-irradiation. We screened two mutants with low filled grain percentage and one mutant with abnormal hull from the M2 generations. These three mutants were confirmed to be authentic mutants based on 48 SSR markers followed by the protocol NY/T 1433–2014. Whole-genome resequencing detected a total of 503 and 537 polymorphisms in the two mutants, respectively, and the DCEB mutagenesis induced mainly InDel variants, while the exon region of mutant genes occupied a large proportion, especially the SNP variants, which occupied about 20% of the mutation sites in the exon region.
Forecasting COVID-19 spreading through an ensemble of classical and machine learning models: Spain’s case study
Authors: Heredia Cacha Ignacio , Sáinz-Pardo Díaz Judith , Castrillo María , López García Álvaro 
Published: April 2023

AbstractIn this work the applicability of an ensemble of population and machine learning models to predict the evolution of the COVID-19 pandemic in Spain is evaluated, relying solely on public datasets. Firstly, using only incidence data, we trained machine learning models and adjusted classical ODE-based population models, especially suited to capture long term trends. As a novel approach, we then made an ensemble of these two families of models in order to obtain a more robust and accurate prediction. We then proceed to improve machine learning models by adding more input features: vaccination, human mobility and weather conditions. However, these improvements did not translate to the overall ensemble, as the different model families had also different prediction patterns. Additionally, machine learning models degraded when new COVID variants appeared after training. We finally used Shapley Additive Explanation values to discern the relative importance of the different input features for the machine learning models’ predictions. The conclusion of this work is that the ensemble of machine learning models and population models can be a promising alternative to SEIR-like compartmental models, especially given that the former do not need data from recovered patients, which are hard to collect and generally unavailable.
Predictive validity of the prognosis on admission aneurysmal subarachnoid haemorrhage scale for the outcome of patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid haemorrhage
Authors: Nguyen Tuan Anh , Vu Luu Dang , Mai Ton Duy , Dao Co Xuan , Ngo Hung Manh , Hoang Hai Bui , Do Son Ngoc , Nguyen Hao The , Pham Dung Thi , Nguyen My Ha , Nguyen Duong Ngoc , Vuong Hien Thi Thu , Vu Hung Dinh , Nguyen Dong Duc , Nguyen Linh Quoc , Dao Phuong Viet , Vu Thanh Dang , Nguyen Dung Tien , Tran Tuan Anh , Pham Trang Quynh , Van Nguyen Chi , Nguyen Anh Dat , Luong Chinh Quoc 
Published: April 2023

AbstractThis multicentre prospective cohort study aimed to compare the accuracy of the PAASH, WFNS, and Hunt and Hess (H&H) scales in predicting the outcomes of adult patients with aneurysmal SAH presented to three central hospitals in Hanoi, Vietnam, from August 2019 to June 2021. Of 415 eligible patients, 32.0% had a 90-day poor outcome, defined as an mRS score of 4 (moderately severe disability) to 6 (death). The PAASH, WFNS and H&H scales all have good discriminatory abilities for predicting the 90-day poor outcome. There were significant differences in the 90-day mean mRS scores between grades I and II (p = 0.001) and grades II and III (p = 0.001) of the PAASH scale, between grades IV and V (p = 0.026) of the WFNS scale, and between grades IV and V (p < 0.001) of the H&H scale. In contrast to a WFNS grade of IV–V and an H&H grade of IV–V, a PAASH grade of III–V was an independent predictor of the 90-day poor outcome. Because of the more clearly significant difference between the outcomes of the adjacent grades and the more strong effect size for predicting poor outcomes, the PAASH scale was preferable to the WFNS and H&H scales.
Lack of accessibility and clarity in regulations concerning dog access to protected areas lowers public awareness
Authors: Zamora-Nasca Lucía B. , Lambertucci Sergio A. 
Published: April 2023

AbstractWhile natural protected areas are conceived for nature conservation, humans and their activities must also be considered. Conflict between the public and managers of protected areas can be minimized by regulations that clearly communicate which activities are allowed. Domestic dogs (Canis lupus familiaris) affect threatened species and impact numerous protected areas. In this study we evaluate: (1) the accessibility and clarity of regulations regarding dog access to protected areas in Argentina, (2) the public’s knowledge of these regulations, (3) the public’s expectations of the regulations (4) which institutions people consider should act when dog aggression occurs, and (5) measures suggested by people when dog aggression occurs. Poor accessibility and clarity of regulations were associated with poor public knowledge of them; there was also an association between visited protected areas that did not mention regulations and respondents who reported not knowing whether dogs were allowed or thinking dogs were allowed. In general, the respondents supported measures to regulate dog access to protected areas and the control of problematic dogs. We discuss several aspects that lead to a lack of clarity on dog regulations in protected areas and suggest approaches that could be used to overcome this conservation problem.
Spectral cardiac CT in acute stroke patients
Authors: Larsen Naomi , Austein Friederike , Klintz Tristan , Campbell Graeme , Sedaghat Sam , Aludin Schekeb , Schunk Domagoj , Both Marcus , Jansen Olav , Langguth Patrick 
Published: April 2023

AbstractCardiac CT obtained in acute ischemic stroke patients can facilitate timely detection of cardiac sources of embolism and guide secondary prevention strategies. Spectral CT exploiting the simultaneous acquisition of separate higher-energy and lower-energy photon spectrum datasets has the potential to improve contrast between thrombi and cardiac structures. This study aimed to investigate the diagnostic value of spectral cardiac CT compared to conventional CT for the detection of cardiac thrombi in acute stroke patients. Patients with acute ischemic stroke undergoing spectral cardiac CT were retrospectively included. Conventional CT images, virtual 55 keV monoenergetic (monoE55), z-effective (zeff), and iodine density images were evaluated for the presence of thrombi. Diagnostic certainty was rated on a 5-point Likert scale. Contrast ratios were calculated for all reconstructions. 63 patients with 20 thrombi were included. Four thrombi were missed on conventional images but detected on spectral reconstructions. MonoE55 achieved the highest scores for diagnostic certainty. Contrast ratios were highest on iodine density images, followed by monoE55, conventional and zeff (p < 0.005). Spectral cardiac CT adds diagnostic benefit for the detection of intra-cardiac thrombi in acute ischemic stroke patients compared to conventional CT.
Sport-related differences in QT dispersion and echocardiographic parameters in male athletes
Authors: Stoičkov Viktor , Radovanović Dragan , Deljanin-Ilić Marina , Perišić Zoran , Pavlović Milan , Tasić Ivan , Stoičkov Ivan , Golubović Mlađan , Scanlan Aaron T. , Jakovljević Vladimir , Stojanović Emilija 
Published: April 2023

AbstractThe aim of this study was to compare QT dispersion (QTd) and echocardiographic parameters in male athletes competing across different sports (long-distance running, volleyball, football, powerlifting, and bodybuilding) and a control population. Significant moderate-strong differences (p < 0.001, $${\eta }_{p}^{2}$$

η

p

2

= 0.52–0.71) were found in corrected QTd, intraventricular septal wall thickness (ISWT), posterior wall thickness (PWT), relative wall thickness (RWT) and LV (left ventricular) index between groups. Corrected QTd, ISWT, PWT, and RWT were significantly (p < 0.001) higher in powerlifters and bodybuilders compared to other athlete groups and controls. While all athlete groups displayed a significantly higher LV index (p < 0.05) compared to controls, corrected QTd was significantly lower (p < 0.001) only in long-distance runners, volleyball athletes, and football athletes compared to controls. Normal or eccentric LV hypertrophy (LVH) was observed in most long-distance runners (58% and 33%), volleyball athletes (50% and 50%), and football athletes (56% and 41%). In contrast, concentric LVH was observed in most powerlifters (58%) and bodybuilders (54%). Advanced LVH, predominantly concentric in nature, appears to be accompanied with increased QTd in powerlifters and bodybuilders. On the other hand, runners, volleyball athletes, and football athletes experienced LVH toward the upper threshold of the normal reference range alongside reduced QTd compared to other groups.
Reversible electric-field-induced phase transition in Ca-modified NaNbO3 perovskites for energy storage applications
Authors: Aso Seiyu , Matsuo Hiroki , Noguchi Yuji 
Published: April 2023

AbstractSodium niobate (NaNbO3) is a potential material for lead-free dielectric ceramic capacitors for energy storage applications because of its antipolar ordering. In principle, a reversible phase transition between antiferroelectric (AFE) and ferroelectric (FE) phases can be induced by an application of electric field (E) and provides a large recoverable energy density. However, an irreversible phase transition from the AFE to the FE phase usually takes place and an AFE-derived polarization feature, a double polarization (P)-E hysteresis loop, does not appear. In this study, we investigate the impact of chemically induced hydrostatic pressure (pchem) on the phase stability and polarization characteristics of NaNbO3-based ceramics. We reveal that the cell volume of Ca-modified NaNbO3 [(CaxNa1−2xVx)NbO3], where V is A-site vacancy, decreases with increasing x by a positive pchem. Structural analysis using micro-X-ray diffraction measurements shows that a reversible AFE–FE phase transition leads to a double P-E hysteresis loop for the sample with x = 0.10. DFT calculations support that a positive pchem stabilizes the AFE phase even after the electrical poling and provides the reversible phase transition. Our study demonstrates that an application of positive pchem is effective in delivering the double P-E loop in the NaNbO3 system for energy storage applications.