Research Institute Research Articles

Constraints on Covariant Dark-Matter–Nucleon Effective Field Theory Interactions from the First Science Run of the LUX-ZEPLIN Experiment

The LUX-ZEPLIN (LZ) experiment is a dual-phase xenon time project chamber operating in the Sanford Underground Research Facility in South Dakota, USA. We report on the results of a relativistic extension to the nonrelativistic effective field theory (NREFT) from a 5.5 t fiducial mass and 60 live days of exposure. We present constraints on couplings from covariant interactions arising from the coupling of vector, axial currents, and electric dipole moments of the nucleon to the magnetic and electric dipole moments of the weakly interacting massive particle which cannot be described by recasting previous results described by an NREFT. Using a profile-likelihood ratio analysis, in an energy region between 0 keVnr to 270 keVnr, we report 90% confidence level exclusion limits on the coupling strength of five interactions in both the isoscalar and isovector bases. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

Assessing water use efficiency, nutrient use efficiency and yield of Bhendi with 19:19:19 water-soluble fertilizer under drip irrigation

This study examines the effects of different fertilization treatments on the yield, water use efficiency (WUE) and nutrient use efficiency (NUE) of Bhendi. Field experiments were conducted at the Agricultural College and Research Institute, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Madurai, during the Rabi season of December 2023 to March 2024 because Bhendi thrives in warm temperatures and requires precise water management. Drip irrigation provides optimal growth conditions even in the cooler Rabi weather while minimizing water waste, especially in areas with limited water availability. The treatments included soil-based fertilizers and water-soluble fertilizers (WSF), applied alone or in combination with recommended doses of fertilizer (RDF). Among the treatments, T8, which applied 120 kg/ha of TNAU water-soluble fertilizer 19:19:19 with an additional 25 % RDF proved to be the most effective. It achieved the highest yield, WUE and NUE, demonstrating superior crop productivity and resource efficiency. In contrast, the absolute control treatment (T1), which received no fertilizer, resulted in the lowest yield, highlighting the importance of fertilization in enhancing crop performance. Treatment T5, which used 120 kg/ha of WSF, also showed high yield and good WUE but did not match the efficiency levels of T8. The study concludes that integrating high doses of water-soluble fertilizers with additional RDF through drip fertigation is the most effective strategy for optimizing yield and resource efficiency in Bhendi cultivation.

Genetic Variability and Association Studies on Yield and Yield Attributing Traits in Blackgram (Vigna mungo L. Hepper)

Aims: Low and static productivity (450–800 kg/ha) is one of the main obstacles in blackgram (Vigna mungo L. Hepper) crop. The low productivity is due to inadequate seed systems, a lack of access to genetic and genomic resources, and a lack of active breeding initiatives. Hence the present study was carried out to assess the variability and association among yield contributing traits for blackgram improvement programmes. Place and Duration of Study: The field study was carried out during 2019-2020 in V.O. Chidambaranar Agricultural College and Research Institute, Killikulam, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University at Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding. Study Design and Methodology: A total of 60 F4 progenies developed from the cross IC 436656 x KKB14045 in blackgram for the assessment of per se performance, genetic variability and association studies. Results: Based on the production of a single plant, seventeen offspring were determined to be promising. The traits viz., number of clusters per plant, number of pods per plant, and single plant yield showed high PCV and GCV, which indicated that there was a high level of genetic variability in the population. The variables of plant height, number of clusters / plant, number of pods/plant, and single plant yield showed significant heritability and high genetic advancement, indicating additive gene action. Single plant yield was positively and significantly correlated with the traits viz., plant height, number of clusters / plant, number of pods / plant, and number of seeds / pod. Therefore, choosing these characteristics is crucial to creating high yielding blackgram cultivars.

Successful biventricular assist device Berlin heart implantation leading to heart transplant in a complicated pediatric case: an experience from a single center

The use of the Berlin heart EXCOR ventricular assist device (VAD) as a bridge to heart transplantation in pediatric patients has become increasingly widespread. This case report presents a detailed account of the successful implantation of a biventricular assist device (BIVAD) Berlin heart device in a complex pediatric case at the esteemed King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center. The patient, diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) and Kawasaki disease, underwent a series of interventions and treatments before requiring extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) support and subsequently receiving the Berlin heart device. The post-implantation period was marked by significant challenges, including instances of bleeding and clot formation, necessitating multiple interventions and careful management. Ultimately, a heart transplant was performed; however, the patient encountered humoral rejection, leading to additional targeted treatment. Despite these intricate complications, the patient exhibited substantial improvement in left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) following the transplant, indicating a positive outcome. This case underscores the successful use of a BIVAD Berlin heart device as a viable bridge to heart transplantation in a complicated pediatric case, highlighting the crucial role of a multidisciplinary approach and meticulous management of complications throughout the entire treatment process.

Guidance for engagement in health guideline development: A scoping review

AbstractBackgroundHealth guideline developers engage with interested people and groups to ensure that guidelines and their recommendations are relevant and useful to those who will be affected by them. These ‘interest‐holders’ include patients, payers/purchasers of health services, payers of health research, peer review editors, product makers, programme managers, policymakers, providers, principal investigators, and the public. The Guidelines International Network (GIN) and McMaster University Guideline Development Checklist describes 146 steps of the guideline process organized into 18 topics. While one topic focuses on engagement, it does not describe how to engage with interest‐holders. In addition, interest‐holder input could be sought throughout the guideline development process. This scoping review is part of a series of four related reviews. The three other reviews address barriers and facilitators to engagement in guideline development, managing conflicts of interest in guideline development, and assessing the impact of interest‐holder engagement on guideline development. The four reviews will inform the development of guidance for multi‐interest‐holder engagement in guideline development; the GIN‐McMaster Guideline Development Checklist Extension for Engagement.ObjectivesThe objective of this scoping review is to identify, describe, and summarise existing guidance and methods for multi‐interest‐holder engagement throughout the health guideline development process.Search MethodsWe conducted one comprehensive search for studies of engagement in guidelines to meet the inclusion criteria of one or more of the four systematic reviews in this series. We searched MEDLINE (OVID), CINAHL (EBSCO), EMBASE (OVID), PsycInfo (OVID) and SCOPUS databases up to September 2022. We did not include limits for date, study design, or language. We searched websites of agencies and organizations that engage interest‐holder groups, such as the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), CIHR Strategy for Patient‐Oriented Research (SPOR), National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Be Part of Research, Guidelines International Network (G‐I‐N), the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, and the PatientCentred Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI). We handsearched the websites of guideline producing agencies. We solicited additional grey literature from the members of the MuSE Consortium.Selection CriteriaStudies were included in this review if they reported on engagement of any of our identified groups, patients, payers/funders of research, payers/purchasers of health services, policymakers, programme managers, providers, principal investigators/researchers, peer review editors, product makers in the development of a health guideline. Titles and abstracts of identified citations were screened independently, in duplicate. The full text of potentially relevant papers were screened for eligibility into one or more of the four reviews in the series. Screening was done independently, by two reviewers. The team held weekly meetings with all reviewers involved in screening to discuss and resolve conflicts.Data Collection and AnalysisTwo reviewers extracted relevant data into a pilot‐tested data extraction form using Excel. We used the GIN‐McMaster guideline development checklist as a framework for extracting the available guidance for each of our identified interest‐holder groups throughout the development process. We presented descriptive statistics of the number of papers reporting guidance for each groups across the steps of the guideline process. We synthesized the relevant text using a qualitative meta‐summary approach.Main ResultsWe included 16 papers (from 17 reports). These papers were from Australia, Denmark, the Netherlands, the UK, and the USA, and eight papers were international (countries not specified). The papers provided guidance for at least one of our interest‐holder groups for at least one stage of guideline development. We mapped this guidance to the GIN‐McMaster Guideline Development Checklist to identify the available guidance for each of our interest‐holder groups across all stages of the guideline development process. Guidance was available for patient engagement in 15 of the 16 papers. At least two papers provided guidance for each of the 18 topics of the GIN‐McMaster Guideline Development Checklist. For healthcare providers, 9 papers provided guidance for their engagement across 10 of the 18 guideline development topics. Guidance for engaging with the public was provided for 14 of the 18 topics and reported in 4 of our included papers. For payers/purchasers of health services, policymakers, product makers, programme managers, and principal investigators, 2–3 papers provided guidance for these groups across 4–7 topics of the GIN‐McMaster checklist. We did not identify any specific guidance for payers of health research or for editors of peer‐reviewed journals.Authors' ConclusionsGuidance for interst‐holder engagement in guidelines is available but has focused primarily on patients. We will utilize the guidance identified in this scoping review to inform the GIN‐McMaster Guideline Development Checklist Extension for engagement. Combined with the information obtained from the other systematic reviews in this series, we will address the gaps in guidance for the other identified interest‐holder groups.

Keeping up with the Max Plancks? Germany’s quest for university excellence and the role of public research institutes in doctoral education

AbstractDoctoral education is a crucial stage in the academic socialization of early-career researchers. Prior research has shown that career paths and activities of Ph.D.s are shaped by the universities and departments in which they were trained. To widen this focus, we analyze the role of public research organizations (PROs) and private-sector firms as organizational employment contexts of doctoral education. The empirical context of our study is Germany, where PROs and firms employ large numbers of doctoral candidates and provide the organizational environment for their dissertation research. Utilizing a novel process-generated dataset that covers about 40,000 STEM Ph.D.s who graduated from 1995 to 2011, we find that Ph.D.s employed at PROs during doctoral education are more likely to stay in academia than their university-employed peers. Despite extensive policy efforts that sought to strengthen the research performance of German universities, doctoral candidates employed at basic research-oriented PROs had the strongest cross-cohort increase in their post-graduation academic employment share. This group also experienced the most pronounced fall in the share of high post-graduation income owners. Industry-employed doctoral candidates are unlikely to migrate to the academic sector and have the highest likelihood of obtaining high post-graduation incomes.

Maximum Power Transfer Theorem with Arbitrary Efficiency for Wireless Power Transfer

Abstract Wireless power transfer (WPT) has been actively studied by many companies and research institutes for decades, and individual technologies have been highly developed. However, except for nearly contact WPT, it has not yet reached a standard adopted by multiple manufacturers. We believe that this is due to the lack of theory to evaluate the feasibility and validity of these proposals, while the market has high expectations for EV charging, which has led to unfeasible high specifications and many proposals for improvements. If non-physical proposals cannot be rejected, there is no way to set standard targets at a feasible level. The WPT consists of an electric circuit (Kirchhoff domain) that follows Kirchhoff's law and a non-contact power transfer part (Maxwell domain) that follows Maxwell's equations. Here, we show that by introducing the conduction wire electric field confinement by the free-electron model into the Axiomatic Maxwell's equations (derived from the principle of relativity and the principle of action), the Kirchhoff and Maxwell domains can be integrated without contradiction. Furthermore, this study demonstrates the maximum power transfer theorem with arbitrary efficiency in the Kirchhoff domain, enabling the determination of all circuit constants necessary to meet specified requirements. Additionally, numerical analyses are presented to illustrate the application of this theorem in practical circuits, including switching power supplies and batteries.

A successful application of information technologies in the treatment of multiple sclerosis: a case report

BackgroundMultiple sclerosis is a chronic disease of the central nervous system characterized by inflammation, neurodegeneration, and failure of the central nervous system’s repair mechanisms. The role of infectious agents against the background of genetic predisposition is currently considered a possible pathogenesis factor of this disease.Case presentationWe report the case of a 52-year-old white (Russian) female musician with 15-year history of relapsing–remitting multiple sclerosis who had repeatedly received conventional therapy without much benefit. In 2017, she was admitted to the outpatient department of the Institute of Virology, where she was treated with erythromycin and acyclovir (tablet forms), which were not applied in the traditional way but through the “device for transfer of information from the drug to the human body.” The received effect led to suppression of the disease activity, a significant reduction in the symptoms of the disease, prevention of further increase in neurological manifestations of the disease, and improvement in the dynamics of the manifestation of the disease according to brain magnetic resonance imaging.ConclusionThe described case report is innovative and presents for the first time the results of a noninvasive approach to the treatment of a patient with multiple sclerosis in whom information about various medications was introduced into different parts of the body, including the brain. The results obtained may indicate a possible role of infectious agents in the genesis of multiple sclerosis. It indicates a potential impact on them by using a “device for transfer of information from the drug to the human body.” The study was conducted in accordance with the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki. It was approved by the Institutional Review Board of the Research Institute of Virology of Uzbekistan (no. 12/8–1500, 1/3/2017).

AI-Assisted High-Throughput Tissue Microarray Workflow

Immunohistochemical (IHC) studies of formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) samples are a gold standard in oncology for tumor characterization, and the identification of prognostic and predictive markers. However, despite the abundance of archived FFPE samples, their research use is limited due to the labor-intensive nature of IHC on large cohorts. This study aimed to create a high-throughput workflow using modern technologies to facilitate IHC biomarker studies on large patient groups. Semiautomatic constructed tissue microarrays (TMAs) were created for two tumor patient cohorts and IHC stained for seven antibodies (ABs). AB expression in the tumor and surrounding stroma was quantified using the AI-supported image analysis software QuPath. The data were correlated with clinicopathological information using an R-script, all results were automatically compiled into formatted reports. By minimizing labor time to 7.7%—compared to whole-slide studies—the established workflow significantly reduced human and material resource consumption. It successfully correlated AB expression with overall patient survival and additional clinicopathological data, providing publication-ready figures and tables. The AI-assisted high-throughput TMA workflow, validated on two patient cohorts, streamlines modern histopathological research by offering cost and time efficiency compared to traditional whole-slide studies. It maintains research quality and preserves patient tissue while significantly reducing material and human resources, making it ideal for high-throughput research centers and collaborations.

Analysis of Genetic Variability, Trait Relationships, and Yield Determinants in Soybean

Aim: This study was conducted to enhance soybean yield by evaluating genetic variability, heritability, and trait correlations among 52 advanced breeding lines. Study Design: A randomized complete block design with three replications was used to assess key traits, including plant height, primary branches, nodes per plant, pods per plant, seeds per pod, flowering duration, maturity duration, and yield per plant. Place and Duration of Study: Trials were carried out during the Kharif season of 2023 at the N.E. Borlaug Crop Research Centre, GBPUAT, Pantnagar, Uttarakhand. Methodology and Results: High genetic coefficients of variation and heritability for pods per plant and yield per plant indicate their strong genetic control and potential for selection, which was carried out in 52 genotypes. Correlation analysis identified pods per plant as the most influential trait associated with yield, making it a critical selection criterion. Path analysis further highlighted its direct positive impact on yield, while seeds per pod and days to maturity also contributed positively. Complex indirect effects of traits like nodes per plant and days to flowering emphasize the need for a balanced selection approach. Conclusion: These findings provide a comprehensive framework for optimizing selection strategies in soybean breeding programs, contributing to the development of high-yielding varieties.

Creating Caring Campuses: A Faculty‐Led Approach

ABSTRACTCaring Campus–Faculty is a program that supports faculty as they develop and implement “behavioral commitments” designed to help students feel a sense of belonging and to support them in their educational journey. Developed by the Institute for Evidence‐Based Change, Caring Campus was evaluated by the Community College Research Center (CCRC) from 2019 to 2023. In this article, we describe Caring Campus as practiced by faculty, as well as findings from the research on implementation practices and outcomes. We also share the experiences of Delta College, which has been implementing its own version of Caring Campus for a number of years. Caring Campus allows faculty to take leadership in student success efforts by changing instructional practices in ways that can improve student experiences and outcomes. Further, as they implement Caring Campus strategies, faculty encourage changes in the culture of the college in ways that support students as well as their own engagement with their work and each other.

Statistical Data on Myelodysplastic Syndrome in the Russian Federation

Introduction. Myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) is a nosology that requires examination using cytogenetic, molecular-genetic and immunophenotypic analysis of bone marrow and/or blood, as well as mandatory bone marrow trepan biopsy with pathomorphological and immunohistochemically studies. Until recently, there was no official statistical data on MDS in Russia.Aim: to present data on the incidence and prevalence of MDS in Russia based on official statistical forms.Materials and methods. Information from statistical form №7 «Information on malignant neoplasms» (SF No. 7) for 2022 and 2023 on the incidence and prevalence of MDS, updated at the initiative of the National Medical Research Center for Hematology, is presented. For the first time, additional lines (35–37) with information on the movement of patients, including MDS (code D46 according to ICD-10), have been introduced into table 2100.Results. According to SF No. 7, in 2022 and 2023, 2,827 and 3,411 cases of MDS were registered, respectively. The estimated primary incidence in the Russian Federation was 0.58 and 0.50 per 100 thousand of the adult population in 2022 and 2023, respectively, and the prevalence was 2.4 per 100 thousand of the adult population. The estimated incidence of MDS by federal districts in 2022 ranged from 0.13 to 1.05 with variations from 0.03 to 2.57 per 100 thousand of the adult population, depending on the region of residence. At the end of 2023, 3001 (88 %) patients with MDS were registered under dispensary observation, of which 860 (28.7 %) were under observation for 5 years or more.Conclusion. The obtained statistical data on the incidence and prevalence of MDS showed the high significance of the work carried out both for the subsequent improvement of the system of registration of patients with diseases of the blood system in general, and MDS, particularly the Russian Federation, and will make it possible to use this data in the planning of healthcare in the Russia.

Thermochemical Conversion of Biomass into 2nd Generation Biofuel

Bioenergy is considered the largest contributor to the renewable and sustainable energy sector worldwide, playing a significant role in various energy sectors such as heating, electricity supply, and even in replacing fossil fuels in the transportation sector. As part of renewable, low-carbon energy systems, bioenergy can also ensure atmospheric carbon sequestration, provide numerous environmental and socio-economic benefits, and thus contribute to achieving global climate change goals, as well as broader environmental, social, economic, and sustainable development objectives. The use of bioenergy can significantly reduce our carbon footprint and thus contribute to improving the environment. While bioenergy conversion of biomass produces some amount of carbon dioxide, similar to traditional fossil fuels, its impact can be minimized by replacing forest biomass with fast-growing trees and energy crops. Therefore, fast-growing trees and energy crops are the primary raw materials for bioenergy. The results of the research in this publication confirm the high efficiency of biomass depolymerization through thermochemical conversion. The principle of continuous biomass conversion was used at a process temperature of 520 °C. The experiments were carried out in the Biomass Gasification Laboratory at the AgroBioTech Research Center of the Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra. The biomass used for the experiments was from energy-producing fast-growing willows, specifically the varieties Sven, Inger, and Express. The aim was to determine the amount of biochar produced from each of these tree species and subsequently to investigate its potential use for energy purposes. During the experiments, 0.106 kg of biochar was produced from 1 kg of Inger willow biomass, 0.252 kg from 1 kg of Express willow biomass, and 0.256 kg from 1 kg of Sven willow biomass. A subsequent goal was to determine the production of gas, which can also be used for energy purposes. The biofuel samples obtained were subsequently subjected to thermogravimetric analysis to determine moisture content, volatile matter, and ash content. The ash content in dry matter ranged from 6% to 7.28%, while the volatile matter in dry matter was between 92.72% and 94%. The moisture content in the samples ranged from 1.7% to 2.43%. These results may contribute to innovative insights into biomass depolymerization and help define optimized parameters for thermochemical conversion, as well as the required biomass composition, with the goal of generating second-generation biofuels in the most cost-effective way.

Relationship between injuries and motivation in recreational runners

Introduction: In recent years, running has become a popular form of recreational sports activity for adults. This study explores the relationships between motivation and injury among recreational runners, a growing population influenced by societal trends in health and wellness. Methods: The study involved 104 participants, consisting of 74 women and 75 men. Among them, 67 were part of a ‘running school’ program, while the remaining 73 were individual runners who trained independently without the guidance of a coach. The Behavioral Regulation in Exercise Questionnaire (BREQ-2) and the Oslo Sports Trauma Research Center (OSTRC) Questionnaire on Health Problems, which is based on the OSTRC Overuse Injury Questionnaire, were used for the research. Results: The study found that pelvic injury was more severe in male participants, while women tended to experience serious back injuries that required them to take a break from training. All participants demonstrated high levels of intrinsic motivation. Multiple regression analysis revealed a positive correlation between injuries and intrinsic motivation in women, whereas in men, there was a negative correlation with introjected regulation. Conclusion: The ‘running school’ participants showed a negative association between injury and external regulation compared to individual runners, where amotivation and injury were positively associated.

Experimental characterization and similarity scaling of smooth-body flow separation and reattachment on a two-dimensional ramp geometry

The results of an experimental investigation of smooth-body adverse pressure gradient (APG) turbulent boundary layer flow separation and reattachment over a two-dimensional ramp are presented. These results are part of a larger archival smooth-body flow separation data set acquired in partnership with NASA Langley Research Center and archived on the NASA Turbulence Modeling Resource website. The experimental geometry provides initial canonical turbulent boundary layer growth under nominally zero pressure gradient conditions prior to encountering a smooth, two-dimensional, backward facing ramp geometry onto which a streamwise APG that is fully adjustable is imposed. Detailed surface and off-surface flow field measurements are used to fully characterize the smooth-body APG turbulent boundary layer separation and reattachment at multiple spanwise locations over the ramp geometry. Unsteady aspects of the flow separation are characterized. It is shown that the first and second spatial derivatives of the streamwise static surface pressure profile are sufficient to determine key detachment and reattachment locations. The imposed streamwise APG gives rise to inflectional mean velocity profiles and the associated formation of an embedded shear layer, which is shown to play a dominant role in the subsequent flow development. Similarity scaling is developed for both the mean velocity and turbulent stresses that is found to provide self-similar collapse of profiles for different regions of the ramp flow. Despite the highly non-equilibrium flow environment, a new similarity scaling proved capable of providing self-similar turbulent stress profiles over the full streamwise extent of flow separation and downstream reattachment.

Cancer Clinical Trial Participation: A Qualitative Study of Black/African American Communities' and Patient/Survivors' Recommendations.

Black/African Americans experience a disproportionate cancer burden and mortality rates. Racial/ethnic variation in cancer burden reflects systemic and healthcare inequities, cancer risk factors, and heredity and genomic diversity. Multiple systemic, socio-cultural, economic, and individual factors also contribute to disproportionately low Black/African American participation in cancer clinical trials. The Participatory Action for Access to Clinical Trials project utilized a community-based participatory research (CBPR) approach inclusive of Black/African American community-based organizations (CBOs), Henry Ford Health (HFH), and the University of Michigan Urban Research Center. The project aims were to understand Black/African Americans' behavioral intentions to participate in cancer clinical trials and to obtain recommendations for improving participation. Audio-recorded focus group data were transcribed, coded, and searches were conducted to identify themes and subthemes. Representative text was extracted from the transcripts. Six community focus group discussions (70 participants) and six HFH patient/survivor focus group discussions (29 participants) were completed. General themes related to trial participation were identified including: 1) systemic issues related to racism, health disparities, and trust in government, health systems, and clinical research; 2) firsthand experiences with healthcare and health systems; 3) perceived and experienced advantages and disadvantages of clinical trial participation; and 4) recruitment procedures and personal decision-making processes. Specific recommendations on how to address barriers were obtained. CBPR is effective in bringing communities equitably to the table. To build trust, health systems must provide opportunities for patients and communities to jointly identify factors affecting cancer clinical trial participation, implement recommendations, and address health disparities.

Development on Master Plan for Community Learning Centers in Public Area

Development on Master Plan for Community Learning Centers in Public Area

The Growing Phenomenon of ‘Frozen’ Virus Genome Sequences and Their Likely Origin in Research Facility Escapes

‘Frozen’ virus genome sequences are sampled from outbreaks and have unusually low sequence divergence when compared to genome sequences from historical strains. A growing number of ‘frozen’ virus genome sequences are being reported as virus genome sequencing becomes more common. Examples of ‘frozen’ sequences include the 1977 H1N1 ‘Russian’ flu; Venezuelan Equine Encephalitis Virus from Venezuela and Colombia in 1995; E71 sequences from a Hand, Foot and Mouth outbreak in 2007–2009 in China; and a polio strain isolated in 2014 from Anhui, China. The origin of these ‘frozen’ sequences has been attributed to escapes from research facilities and often appears to be associated with vaccine work. Consequently, a new paradigm for pathogen emergence appears in operation, that involves laboratory research or vaccine production which utilizes ‘live’ virus isolates of historical strains. The accidental release and re-emergence of such strains are straightforward to detect from their genome sequences and should spur the routine sequencing and publication of all known pathogenic viral strains undergoing experimentation, or being used for vaccine manufacture, in order to facilitate tracing. However, it is noted that novel pathogenic viruses accidentally released into the population from research facilities are harder to detect if their sequence has first not been made public, which should prompt the routine sequencing and reporting of all novel pathogenic viruses before experimentation.

The dual driving mechanism of financial literacy and risky financial assets on household entrepreneurial decision-making

This paper selects survey data from the China Household Finance Survey and Research Center (CHFS) in 2017, 2019, and 2021 as samples to explore the entrepreneurial decision-making mechanism jointly driven by financial literacy and risky financial assets. The study finds that financial literacy has a significant positive impact on individual households' entrepreneurial decisions. Additionally, risky financial assets partially mediate the relationship between financial literacy and individual households' entrepreneurial decisions.

An innovative combination of extra trees within adaboost for accurate prediction of agricultural water quality indices

The management of water quality plays a pivotal role in fostering sustainable development, especially in areas where groundwater serves as a vital resource for agricultural purposes. This study investigates methods to predict water quality indicators like potential salinity (PS) and sodium adsorption ratio (SAR) using data-driven techniques. It explores the AdaBoost algorithm and a hybrid model that combines AdaBoost with Extra Trees (ET). The research centers on the Sarayan region in southern Khorasan, Iran, involving the collection and analysis of groundwater quality data, which includes both physical and chemical parameters, spanning a period of four years. Pearson correlation analysis is utilized in this study to determine the critical input variables for predicting Sodium Adsorption Ratio (SAR) and Potential Salinity (PS). Significant performance improvements are demonstrated through the optimization of AdaBoost and the hybrid AdaBoost-Extra Trees (ET) models, achieved via grid search and Bayesian optimization. The results indicate that the hybrid model surpasses AdaBoost in performance. Specifically, the optimized AdaBoost model achieves a Test MSE of 3.57 and a Test R² of 0.87 for SAR prediction, whereas the hybrid model obtains a significantly better Test MSE of 0.87 and Test R² of 0.97. For the prediction of PS, the optimized AdaBoost model yields a Test MSE of 0.223 and a Test R² of 0.976, while the hybrid model delivers a significantly improved Test MSE of 0.018 and Test R² of 0.998. Feature importance analysis identifies critical patterns in the relevance of input parameters. This study underscores the efficacy of hybrid data-driven models in water quality prediction, showcasing their superior accuracy.