Early Generation Research Articles

Long-lived paleo-uplift controls on Neoproterozoic–Cambrian black shales in the Tarim basin

Neoproterozoic–Cambrian black shales are one of the most important hydrocarbon source rocks worldwide, including in the Shunbei and Fuman regions in the Tarim Basin, China. However, the hydrocarbon generation from these shales is complex, with liquid petroleum found in reservoirs at depths of 6000–8000 m. Based on drilling, seismic, and well testing data, the ultra-deep tectonic evolution of the northern Tarim Basin, and its effects on hydrocarbon generation from black shales were investigated. During the Neoproterozoic, the northern Tarim Basin was filled with rift and passive continental margin sedimentary rocks between the north and central Tarim paleo-uplifts. A sequence of lower Cambrian black shales was developed on the slope around the paleo-uplifts over a wide area, which are thick and have high contents of total organic carbon. Even after multiple stages of tectonism, including the Caledonian, Hercynian, Indosinian, Yanshanian, and Himalayan orogenies, the north (Tabei) and central paleo-uplifts were preserved. The Caledonian, Hercynian, and Himalayan orogenies were the main periods of hydrocarbon generation. Four hydrocarbon-generation models were established, which are the Tabei-, Bachu-, Tazhong-, and Tadong-types. The current Ro values of the Tabei-type black shales are 1.0%–1.5%, whereas those of the Bachu-, Tazhong-, and Tadong-type black shales are >2.0%. Due to the long-lived paleo-uplifts and short-lived deep burial during the Himalayan Orogeny, the Tabei-type black shale is in the oil and early gas generation stage, which obviously differs from the over-mature Cambrian and Ordovician black shales in South China. Therefore, the long-lived paleo-uplifts not only affected the deposition and distribution of black shale, but also hydrocarbon generation processes and the depth limit of active source rock. The thermal evolution of black shale in the ultra-deep Tarim Basin requires further investigation.

Texting as a language tool in academic writing: A study of EFL learners’ output at Qassim University, KSA

Leaners in the EFL paradigm struggle to achieve communicative proficiency with writing being the skill most challenging to them. However, in the technologically driven generation of learners, the specialized register seen in their texting language affords them language flexibility with lack of proficiency being compensated with its features. This study verifies how far the academic writing of 48 Saudi EFL male learners across three years of undergraduate studies is affected by the text messaging (textese) register. A deep analysis of randomly selected class notes, assignments, and exam papers was underetaken. Results showed that the Saudi learners' textese is characterized by vowel dropping (48%) and phonetic replacement (32%) amongst other features. Textese was apparent higher with second year participants which occurred 580 times, followed by third year corpus which appeared 552 times. Their occurrence was least in the first year amongst the three groups. Their non-standard English occurred 549 times. Finally, the maximum occurrence of this deformed language is in the modified (and abbreviated) spelling, heightened use of phonetic spelling, abbreviated and acronymical forms amounting to free moving syntax. The absence of this in the exam papers establishes the fact that use of this truncated form of language does not adversely affect the learners’ exam performance, rather it is used much like the earlier generation used shorthand with the difference that in the former the user need not take any training. Thus, Textese is a language affiliate more than a language substitute for the Saudi EFL learners and may have beneficial learning outcomes in the long run.

Comparison of optical and geochemical thermal maturity parameters over a stratigraphically controlled natural transect

Thermal maturity is a fundamental parameter in understanding organic matter evolution during the burial of sedimentary rocks. To this end, numerous optical and geochemical thermal maturity parameters have been proposed, most commonly applied are reflectance or programmed pyrolysis Tmax. Reflectance of vitrinite macerals, or increasingly commonly of solid bitumen macerals, is the classical and well-standardized technique in thermal maturity studies. However, this technique can be influenced by operator bias in acquisition and interpretation. The low cost and wide availability of programmed pyrolysis data has led to the adoption of Tmax as a primary thermal maturity proxy, particularly in industrial studies. However, programmed pyrolysis was originally conceived as a screening tool and significant inconsistencies of Tmax with thermal maturation have been reported.Detailed comparison of maturity proxies is often hampered by the availability of suitable sets of samples from a maturity gradient along uniform facies. Since many of these proxies are influenced by formation specific parameters, the most valuable comparisons must be made using stratigraphically and lithologically controlled sample sets, which are relatively rare. This work examines a natural thermal maturity transect, integrating multiple methodologies to give a detailed discussion of the applicability of optical and geochemically based thermal maturity indicators in the immature to early generation range. This study utilizes a stratigraphically constrained sample set of Upper Cretaceous strata in western Canada taken from 10 wells ranging in thermal maturity from approximately 0.2 to 0.8 %VRo and is based on application of three independent methodological approaches: reflectance measurements, Tmax, and hopanoid and steroid based molecular maturity ratios.Data and correlation equations between major thermal maturity indicators demonstrates solid bitumen reflectance at pre-oil window maturity levels lies along a continuum. Reporting values within somewhat inconsistent classification schemes of bituminite and solid bitumen maceral, as suggested in some recent studies, diminishes the applicability and usefulness of this parameter. Comparison of microscopy and pyrolysis-based maturity proxies with the diagenetic evolution of hopanoids and steroids revealed a robust covariance. Individual molecular maturity parameters are unsuitable to cover the full range of thermal maturity but the wide array of proxies applicable in narrower maturity ranges allows for an optimized selection of those parameters within a given maturity interval. Pyrolysis-derived Tmax and optical determination of OM properties are effective covering a wide range of conditions ranging from the eogenetic to catagenetic stages. Fluorescence analysis is most robust in the eogenetic to diagenetic stages, whereas reflectance measurements provide higher confidence levels at elevated diagenetic or catagenetic stages. Given the limitations of individual thermal maturity parameters, thermal maturity investigations following an integrative, multi-disciplinary approach will limit the impact of uncertainty from any one parameter, improving the odds of achieving a more reliable maturity assessment.

Multi-trait genomic selection improves the prediction accuracy of end-use quality traits in hard winter wheat.

Improvement of end-use quality remains one of the most important goals in hard winter wheat (HWW) breeding. Nevertheless, the evaluation of end-use quality traits is confined to later development generations owing to resource-intensive phenotyping. Genomic selection (GS) has shown promise in facilitating selection for end-use quality; however, lower prediction accuracy (PA) for complex traits remains a challenge in GS implementation. Multi-trait genomic prediction (MTGP) models can improve PA for complex traits by incorporating information on correlated secondary traits, but these models remain to be optimized in HWW. A set of advanced breeding lines from 2015 to 2021 were genotyped with 8725 single-nucleotide polymorphisms and was used to evaluate MTGP to predict various end-use quality traits that are otherwise difficult to phenotype in earlier generations. The MTGP model outperformed the ST model with up to a twofold increase in PA. For instance, PA was improved from 0.38 to 0.75 for bake absorption and from 0.32 to 0.52 for loaf volume. Further, we compared MTGP models by including different combinations of easy-to-score traits as covariates to predict end-use quality traits. Incorporation of simple traits, such as flour protein (FLRPRO) and sedimentation weight value (FLRSDS), substantially improved the PA of MT models. Thus, the rapid low-cost measurement of traits like FLRPRO and FLRSDS can facilitate the use of GP to predict mixograph and baking traits in earlier generations and provide breeders an opportunity for selection on end-use quality traits by culling inferior lines to increase selection accuracy and genetic gains.

High consistency between recommendations by a pulmonary specialist and ChatGPT for the management of a patient with non-resolving pneumonia

The use of artificial intelligence in healthcare is rapidly growing, with great potential to assist medical professionals in diagnosis and treatment of complex medical conditions. In this case report, the recommendations of a pulmonary consultation are compared to the recommendations from a large language model (LLM), ChatGPT, in regards to a case of non-resolving pneumonia. The recommendations by ChatGPT were found to be consistent with the pulmonary consultation, and no recommendations given were inappropriate. As shown in this case report, early generations of LLM such as ChatGPT were able to provide appropriate recommendations for the management of a patient with a complex medical condition.

From 5G to beyond 5G: A Comprehensive Survey of Wireless Network Evolution, Challenges, and Promising Technologies

The histrionic growth of mobile subscribers, disruptive ecosystems such as IoT-based applications, and astounding channel capacity requirements to connect trillions of devices are massive challenges of the earlier mobile generations, 5G turned up the key solution. The prime objective of the 5G network is not only to maintain a 1000-fold capacity gain and 10 Giga Bits per second delivered to a single user, but it also assured quality-of-service, higher spectral efficiency, the ultra-reliable and improved battery lifetime of devices and massive machine-type communication (mMTC). The huge traffic load and high amount of resource consumption in 5G applications, augmented reality and virtual reality for magnificent virtual experience, and wireless body area networks will seriously affect the channel capacity of cellular cells and interrupt the admission and service of other users which makes compulsory new means of channel capacity and spectral efficiency enhancement techniques. In this research, we review several key emerging wireless technologies to increase channel capacity and spectral efficiency that will not only lead to improve network performance but also meets the ever-increasing user demands. We investigate various benefits and current research challenges of using these technologies. We analyze massive multi-input multi-output technology (mMIMO) an efficient technique and promising solution for the 5G and Beyond 5G (B5G) networks with several benefits and features. Moreover, this paper will be of vast help to the researchers who will involve advance investigation and also to the wireless network operator industry that is in the search for smooth development of state-of-the-art 5G and B5G networks.

Neopolyploidy causes increased nutrient requirements and a shift in plant growth strategy in Heuchera cylindrica.

Functional traits fall along a continuum from resource-conservative to acquisitive and are powerful predictors of the ecological settings necessary for a species to persist and establish. As a consequence, a major problem that functional trait analysis could address is understanding the ecological contexts necessary for the persistence of polyploid plants, because early generation polyploids, or "neopolyploids", are at a high extinction risk. Since neopolyploidy could increase nutrient limitation, growth strategies should shift to accommodate the increased need for resources, but this prediction is untested. To address this gap, we compared the functional trait responses of diploids, synthetic neotetraploids, and naturally occurring tetraploids of Heuchera cylindrica, an herbaceous perennial plant, to nutrient manipulations in a greenhouse experiment. We found strong support for the hypothesis that neotetraploidy increases nutrient requirements, as evidenced by reduced productivity and increased tissue concentrations of nitrogen and phosphorus in neotetraploids. We also found that repeated formation of independent origins of neotetraploidy led to differing responses to nutrient supply, but neotetraploidy generally shifted functional traits to be more resource-acquisitive and inefficient. Taken together, our results suggest that shifts in functional trait responses may constrain the ability of neopolyploids to establish in nutrient-poor habitats. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Newer versus Early Generation of the MitraClip for Primary Mitral Regurgitation: A Japanese Single-Center Experience.

The MitraClip G4 system is the latest version of the transcatheter edge-to-edge repair (TEER) system for mitral regurgitation (MR). We aimed to investigate the impact of the new system on routine clinical practice and patient outcomes in the treatment of primary MR. Consecutive patients with primary MR who underwent TEER with either the MitraClip G2 or G4 between 2018 and 2021 were enrolled from a single center registry. Baseline clinical and echocardiographic characteristics as well as procedural and clinical outcomes up to 1 year were compared between groups. Technical and device success were defined in accordance with the Mitral Valve Academic Research Consortium criteria. Among 71 patients with primary MR, 34 were treated with G2 and 37 were treated with G4. Patients treated with G4 had lower surgical risk (7.74 [5.04, 14.97] vs. 5.26 [3.98, 6.40]; p 0.01) than those with G2. There were no significant differences in other baseline clinical variables between groups. On baseline echocardiography, MR volume and flail gap were significantly greater in the G4 group than in the G2 group (regurgitant volume: 63 [41-76] mL vs. 68 [62-84] mL; p = 0.04, flail gap: 4.5 [3.5-5.5] mm vs. 5.4 [4.5-7.1] mm; p = 0.04). Technical success was achieved in over 95% of both groups with no significant difference (p 0.99). Device success was achieved in 61.8% of the G2 group, while in 70.3% of the G4 group (p = 0.47). Post-procedural MR severity was comparable (p = 0.42) and there was no significant difference in the occurrence of mitral stenosis (p = 0.61) between groups. Among patients who reached 1-year follow-up (n = 54), there was no significant difference between groups in a composite endpoint of death or heart failure rehospitalization (10.5% vs. 20.2%; HR 0.61; 95% CI 0.17-2.22; p = 0.45). Residual heart failure symptoms (NYHA 3) at 1 year were observed in 3.7% of the G2 group, while no patient in the G4 group (p 0.99). The MitraClip G4 system achieved comparable device outcomes to the early-generation device (G2), despite treating more severe primary MR with a larger flail gap.

Long-wave infrared signature of aircraft nose and its emissivity for low observability

High speeds have been an advantage for aircraft to fly out of the adversary’s airspace fast, to escape earlier generations of infrared (IR) guided missiles that could lock-on only from the rear aspect. Advancements in IR seekers in long-wave IR (LWIR, 8 to 12 μm) band with imaging sensors in focal plane arrays made them capable of tracking aircraft also from the frontal aspect, which is a tactical advantage. Aerodynamically heated airframe surfaces are LWIR signature hot spots that increase aircraft susceptibility from front and bottom views. The conventional belief is that IR signatures of aircraft nose is only due to temperature-based emission acquired by aerodynamic heating at high Mach number (Mamb). Our study reports the LWIR contrast of aircraft nose (with nose replaced skyshine as background) by considering: (i) aerodynamic heating (important for high εnose, Mamb) and (ii) reflected skyshine and Earthshine (important at low εnose, Mamb), where skyshine is more important relative to Earthshine. Earthshine irradiance is obtained using atmospheric transmittance and view factor between visible circular Earth-disc and nose surface. The role of a transition Mach number (Mtrans) in emissivity selection is identified as follows: for Mamb < Mtrans, LWIR contrast decreases with εnose and for Mamb > Mtrans, LW-IR contrast increases with εnose.

Early Generation and Anatomical Commitment of Stem-like CD8 T cells

Abstract Stem-like CD8 T cells sustain the CD8 T cell response during chronic viral infection and cancer, and residency in lymphoid tissues is a key aspect of their biology. We used the chronic LCMV strain, clone 13, to determine when these cells first emerge and commit to positioning in lymphoid sites. Phenotypical and transcriptional profiling of virus-specific CD8 T cells indicated that stem-like and effector fates diverge as early as day 5 after infection. PD-1+ stem-like CD8 T cells sorted from the early (day 5) and established phases (&amp;gt;day 45) of clone 13 infection showed substantial transcriptional overlap indicating that the canonical gene signature of these cells manifests early and is maintained throughout infection. Intravascular labeling and imaging showed that the spatial commitment of these cells to the splenic white pulp also began on day 5. These observations were striking as stem-like CD8 T cells are considered an adaptation to prolonged antigen exposure, yet their fate and anatomical commitments are made before the trajectory of infection is clearly acute or chronic. There were important time-related changes to these cells as well. Early stem-like cells were proliferating and expressed genes involved in the cell cycle, mTOR signaling, and anabolic metabolism. As infection progressed, they upregulated multiple inhibitory molecules and eventually became quiescent. Thus, the stem-like transcriptional and anatomical commitment occurs very early after infection. These data indicate that the CD8 T cell response is equipped for chronic antigen exposure before the trajectory of infection is clearly acute or chronic and further highlight the importance of location for stem-like CD8 T cells. Supported by grants from NIH (5R01AI030048-29)

Village Songs and the Building of Community Culture: A Talk

Village Songs and the Building of Community Culture: A Talk

RBWCI: Robust and Blind Watermarking Framework for Cultural Images

Heritage multimedia, which comprises images, audio, and videos, are precious artifacts of a region. In addition to enabling a better understanding of earlier generations, heritage media provides information about their creative approach, style of living, and diversity of historical and archaeological ideologies. Heritage is an important resource that boosts the local economy, generates sustainable communities, and improves tourism and business sectors. Once heritage images are dissipated to consumers, they may be transmitted through wire/wireless systems, where the data may be accessed by both authorized and unauthorized consumers. With the rapid advancement of technology and 5G networks, establishing an approach that protects cultural heritage media from unauthorized consumers is necessary. This study presents a robust and blind watermarking-framework for cultural images (RBWCI) utilizing the discrete cosine transform domain for ownership verification and copyright protection. The embedding scenario of our technique relies on the difference between coefficients obtained from the two channels of the YCbCr color model. The watermark bit is embedded by taking the difference between two preselected mid-frequency coefficients (Cb-Cr). Moreover, chaotic and deoxyribonucleic acid encryption are employed to ensure double-layer watermark security. The proposed algorithm demonstrates a peak signal-to-noise ratio between 42-43 dB and structural similarity index metric value of approximately 1 for different test images when not under attack. The robustness of the RBWCI was revealed by comparing it with various state-of-the-art schemes, making it suitable for different consumer applications.

Opportunity and challenges of phenotyping plant salt tolerance.

Salinity is a key factor limiting agricultural production worldwide. Recent advances in field phenotyping have enabled the recording of the environmental history and dynamic response of plants by considering both genotype × environment (G×E) interactions and envirotyping. However, only a few studies have focused on plant salt tolerance phenotyping. Therefore, we analyzed the potential opportunities and major challenges in improving plant salt tolerance using advanced field phenotyping technologies. RGB imaging and spectral and thermal sensors are the most useful and important sensing techniques for assessing key morphological and physiological traits of plant salt tolerance. However, field phenotyping faces challenges owing to its practical applications and high costs, limiting its use in early generation breeding and in developing countries.

Copywriting for Teenagers’ Personal Branding on Social Media

This article discusses the results of community service regarding the use of copywriting for personal branding. Participants in this training were 67% youth and 33% early adults. The activity was carried out online through Zoom meetings allowing participants from various regions in Indonesia to participate. Copywriting in personal branding can be done by conveying (a) reasons for staying in content, (b) interesting stories, (c) arguments, (d) invitations to follow the values being campaigned for. Based on the results of an assessment of the content uploaded by the participants, personal branding training is an interesting event for teenagers and the early adult generation. Copywriting material for personal branding can be practiced by participants in doing personal proof on social media Instagram. After completing copywriting training for personal branding, participants may find it easy to direct their content in conveying the messages or values they want to spread to the public.

Peran Orang Tua terhadap Penggunaan Gadget pada Anak Usia Dini Generasi Alpha

The alpha generation is children born between 2011-2025. Alpha generation children are very familiar with digital technology as if their lives cannot be separated from the internet or gadgets. Therefore, with the development of increasingly sophisticated and increasingly rapid technology, early childhood requires good care, supervision, and assistance from their parents while using gadgets. The purpose of this study was to find out how parents' role in using gadgets in the early childhood alpha generation. This research uses a literature study method from scientific articles, journals, books, and others previously conducted to answer this research. This study showed that parents are very important in children using their gadgets. For example, parents must accompany children when playing with their gadgets, maintain good communication withchildren, manage the time they use gadgets for children every day, and parents can use parental control applications to monitor children when using the internet. The alpha generation is children born between 2011-2025. Alpha generation children are very familiar with digital technology as if their lives cannot be separated from the internet or gadgets. Therefore, with the development of increasingly sophisticated and increasingly rapid technology, early childhood requires good care, supervision, and assistance from their parents while using gadgets. The purpose of this study was to find out how parents' role in using gadgets in the early childhood alpha generation. This research uses a literature study method from scientific articles, journals, books, and others previously conducted to answer this research. This study showed that parents are very important in children using their gadgets. For example, parents must accompany children when playing with their gadgets, maintain good communication with children, manage the time they use gadgets for children every day, and parents can use parental control applications to monitor children when using theinternet.

Propugnaculum sive Clipeus Christianitatis •

Propugnaculum sive Clipeus Christianitatis •

Fornication and adultery in the city of Debrecen (1547–1625) compared with the morality of Geneva

To be sure, the more productive field of the international research on Protestantism is related to the subject of social history. In the case of the Calvin studies, for instance, readers will see, much has been written about the operation of the Genevan civil-church administration, consistorial discipline, sexual sins, and family-marital life. Their authors’ outstanding effort was to consult with the original manuscripts of the Genevan Archives. However, the early generations of Protestant preachers not only in Western, but in Central East Europe were trying to commit everything to renew the public morality of people, still the illumination of the Hungarian pastors’ views on the new spiritual and religious dimensions of family life, is still a neglected part of the research. Consequently, it would be interesting to scrutinize, for instance, the public morality related to the sexual crimes of local townsfolk of the city of Debrecen which apparently was the center of the Hungarian Reformation since 1562/63. Doing so, the present research deals with the operation of the law court, the number of cases, the crimes, and motives represented in the Registers of the Magistracy of Debrecen during the period of 1547–1625. Figures and statistics presented by the article point out how important was the practice of forgiveness in the religious life in Debrecen. It is taken for granted that the main results of the study permit to take a brief comparison of the sexual morality of the two Calvinist towns, namely: Debrecen and Geneva.Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: This article is based on the field of systematic theology. The study offers an attempt to understand sexual sins/crimes in their 16th and 17th century theological, judicial, and historical context.

Early generation seed starter materials and approaches to seed production: Challenge for improving the potato seed system in Uganda

AbstractQuality seed is one of the key inputs for increasing potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) productivity; however, its limited availability is widely recognized as a major constraint to potato production. In Uganda, certified seed production meets approximately 1.5% of effective demand implying most farmers use home‐saved seed. This practice encourages the buildup of degenerative seed‐borne diseases which ultimately affect productivity. Consequently, a study was conducted to determine the productivity of different seed potato production starting stock: tissue culture plantlets (TC) and rooted apical cuttings. Fifty plants of two potato varieties, NAROPOT1 and NAROPOT4, and for each starter material were evaluated both in the field and screen house for two seasons at Kachwekano and Karengyere research stations. Data were collected on the number of tubers per plant and tuber weight. Highly significant differences were observed for the type of starter materials and varieties for the number of tubers per plant (p ≤ 0.001) from both the screen house and field environments. More tubers per plant were obtained from TC for both varieties and the highest recorded was (24.5) for NAROPOT4 and (15.5) for NAROPOT1 in the screen house. Tuber weight was higher from rooted apical cuttings for both varieties NAROPOT1 (153.3 g) and NAROPOT4 (167.7 g). The correlation between the number of tubers per plant and weight was highly significant at p ≤ 0.001. Tissue culture raised plants were more productive in terms of tuber, and numbers are more important in seed production than weight and mini‐tuber production can be done by farmers under affordable conditions.

Championing Social Mobility

Championing Social Mobility

Bromodomain inhibitor i-BET858 triggers a unique transcriptional response coupled to enhanced DNA damage, cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in high-grade ovarian carcinoma cells

BackgroundOvarian cancer has a specific unmet clinical need, with a persistently poor 5-year survival rate observed in women with advanced stage disease warranting continued efforts to develop new treatment options. The amplification of BRD4 in a significant subset of high-grade serous ovarian carcinomas (HGSC) has led to the development of BET inhibitors (BETi) as promising antitumour agents that have subsequently been evaluated in phase I/II clinical trials. Here, we describe the molecular effects and ex vivo preclinical activities of i-BET858, a bivalent pan-BET inhibitor with proven in vivo BRD inhibitory activity.Resultsi-BET858 demonstrates enhanced cytotoxic activity compared with earlier generation BETis both in cell lines and primary cells derived from clinical samples of HGSC. At molecular level, i-BET858 triggered a bipartite transcriptional response, comprised of a ‘core’ network of genes commonly associated with BET inhibition in solid tumours, together with a unique i-BET858 gene signature. Mechanistically, i-BET858 elicited enhanced DNA damage, cell cycle arrest and apoptotic cell death compared to its predecessor i-BET151.ConclusionsOverall, our ex vivo and in vitro studies indicate that i-BET858 represents an optimal candidate to pursue further clinical validation for the treatment of HGSC.