Scientific Platform Research Articles

Analysing citizen science data to address the demographic expansion of the Eurasian Magpie (Pica pica) in southern Spain

Citizen science platforms such as eBird provide essential spatiotemporal information and big data for the study of birds. The analysis of an extensive 20-year dataset of the distribution of the Eurasian Magpie Pica pica showed that the species is steadily expanding within urbanised areas in the south of the Iberian Peninsula. The occurrence of the species in the eBird checklists in the study area has an average exponential growth rate greater than 20%. The area occupied by the species has multiplied by 40 in the last 20 years, going from 25 to almost 1000 km2. In order to test potential negative impacts of this demographic expansion on potential Magpie prey species, such as other birds, a seasonal study of the Magpie’s diet through pellet analysis showed that its stable diet consists of insects, snails and seeds, while other birds or food from anthropogenic sources does not constitute a significant part of its diet. The combined use of new open-science big data technologies together with classical monitoring and laboratory study offers indispensable tools for the assessment of species distribution and potential spatial management.

MLMD: a programming-free AI platform to predict and design materials

Accelerating the discovery of advanced materials is crucial for modern industries, aerospace, biomedicine, and energy. Nevertheless, only a small fraction of materials are currently under experimental investigation within the vast chemical space. Materials scientists are plagued by time-consuming and labor-intensive experiments due to lacking efficient material discovery strategies. Artificial intelligence (AI) has emerged as a promising instrument to bridge this gap. Although numerous AI toolkits or platforms for material science have been developed, they suffer from many shortcomings. These include primarily focusing on material property prediction and being unfriendly to material scientists lacking programming experience, especially performing poorly with limited data. Here, we developed MLMD, an AI platform for materials design. It is capable of effectively discovering novel materials with high-potential advanced properties end-to-end, utilizing model inference, surrogate optimization, and even working in situations of data scarcity based on active learning. Additionally, it integrates data analysis, descriptor refactoring, hyper-parameters auto-optimizing, and properties prediction. It also provides a web-based friendly interface without need programming and can be used anywhere, anytime. MLMD is dedicated to the integration of material experiment/computation and design, and accelerate the new material discovery with desired one or multiple properties. It demonstrates the strong power to direct experiments on various materials (perovskites, steel, high-entropy alloy, etc). MLMD will be an essential tool for materials scientists and facilitate the advancement of materials informatics.

NECTAR ROBBING BY THE RED-TAILED COMET SAPPHO SPARGANURUS: THE VALUE OF CITIZEN SCIENCE TO DOCUMENT INFREQUENT BEHAVIOR IN BIRDS

Nectar robbing by hummingbirds, the extraction of nectar using perforations instead of the corolla, is seldom documented in the literature. Here, we present the first photographic record of nectar robbing by the Red-tailed Comet Sappho sparganurus in Bolivia and examine published and photographic evidence of this behavior. We found no published evidence of nectar robbing by Red-tailed Comets in peer-reviewed literature. However, we found that about 4% of the photographs of hummingbird-flower interactions involving this species on citizen science platforms showed clear nectar robbing behavior. Our results suggest that nectar robbing is not an uncommon behavior for the Red-tailed Comet and highlight the hidden, yet immense, value of citizen science photographic databases to document avian natural history and behavior.

Updated distribution of Zoropsis spinimana (Dufour, 1820; Araneae: Zoropsidae) in Germany and novel insights into its ecology based on a citizen science survey

In Germany, Zoropsis spinimana (Dufour, 1820) is an introduced, likely synanthropic spider species. Here, we report the results of a nationwide mapping appeal conducted by the citizen science platform NABU-naturgucker.de, used to assemble live distributional data for the species in Germany. With the help of media interest in this species, we gathered a valuable dataset and a large image gallery of the species. In just five weeks, we received more than 15,000 records, representing a 2.3-fold increase in occupied territory compared to previous knowledge. By analyzing the data in detail, we obtained novel insights into the ecology and eco-geography of Z. spinimana in Germany, including information on prey, coloration, potential predators, altitudinal distribution and temporal appearance, along with two cases of accidental human translocation.

Out-of-set association analysis of lung cancer drugs and symptoms based on clinical case data mining.

There are 1.8 million lung cancer deaths worldwide, accounting for 18% of global cancer deaths, including 710,000 in China, accounting for 23.8% of all cancer deaths in China. To explore the out-of-set association rules of lung cancer symptoms and drugs through text mining of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) treatment of lung cancer, and form medical case analysis to analyze the experience of TCM syndrome differentiation in its treatment. The medical records of all patients diagnosed with lung cancer in Nanjing Chest Hospital from January to December 2018 were collected, and the out-of-set association analysis was performed using the MedCase v5.2 TCM clinical scientific research auxiliary platform based on the frequent pattern growth enhanced association analysis algorithm. In terms of TCM treatment of lung cancer, the clinical symptoms with high correlation included cough, expectoration, chest distress, and white phlegm; and the drugs with high correlation included Pinellia ternata, licorice root, white Atractylodes rhizome, and Radix Ophiopogonis; with the prescriptions based on Erchen and Maimendong decoctions. This analytical study of the medical cases of TCM treatment for lung cancer was performed using data mining techniques, and the out-of-set association rules between clinical symptoms and drugs were analyzed, including the understanding of lung cancer in TCM. Moreover, the essence of experience in drug use was gathered, providing significant scientific guidance for the clinical treatment of lung cancer.

Anisotropic Growth of Covalent Inorganic Complexes to Nanoplatelets.

Colloidal II-VI semiconductor nanoplatelets (NPLs) provide a new platform in material science due to their unique growth mode and advanced optical properties. However, in contrast to the rapid development of zinc blend structured NPLs, studies on the formation of wurtzite (WZ) NPLs have been limited to the lamellar assembly of specific magic-sized nanoclusters (MSCs). Therefore, the study of new precursors is important for enriching the synthesis strategy, improving the study of two-dimensional (2D) nanocrystal growth mechanisms, and constructing complex nanostructures. Here, we demonstrated that covalent inorganic complexes (CICs), as novel functional intermediates, can be directly used to form NPLs without involving MSCs. Using in situ absorption spectra, we demonstrated that the evolution followed a pseudo-first-order kinetics (kobs = 0.02 min-1 (t1/2 = 34.7 min)). Several types of binary WZ NPLs, including CdSe, CdS, CdTe, and ZnS, have been directly prepared based on this mechanism through the anisotropic growth of CICs. In addition, CICs can also be used to prepare Mn-doped CdSe NPLs. The present study not only affords new precursors for the synthesis of WZ NPLs but also advances our understanding of the synthesis mechanism of nanocrystals.

Development and Implementation of a Dynamically Updated Big Data Intelligence Platform Using Electronic Medical Records for Secondary Hypertension.

The accurate identification and diagnosis of secondary hypertension is critical,especially while cardiovascular heart disease continues to be the leading cause of death. To develop a big data intelligence platform for secondary hypertension using electronic medical records to contribute to future basic and clinical research. Using hospital data, the platform, named Hypertension DATAbase at Urumchi (UHDATA), included patients diagnosed with hypertension at the People's Hospital of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region since December 2004. The electronic data acquisition system, the database synchronization technology, and data warehouse technology (extract-transform-load, ETL) for the scientific research big data platform were used to synchronize and extract the data from each business system in the hospital. Standard data elements were established for the platform, including demographic and medical information. To facilitate the research, the database was also linked to the sample database system, which includes blood samples, urine specimens, and tissue specimens. From December 17, 2004, to August 31, 2022, a total of 295,297 hypertensive patients were added to the platform, with 53.76% being males, with a mean age of 59 years, and 14% with secondary hypertension. However, 75,802 patients visited the Hypertension Center at our hospital, with 43% (32,595 patients) being successfully diagnosed with secondary hypertension. The database contains 1458 elements, with an average fill rate of 90%. The database can continuously include the data for new hypertensive patients and add new data for existing hypertensive patients, including post-discharge follow-up information, and the database updates every 2 weeks. Presently, some studies that are based on the platform have been published. Using computer information technology, we developed and implemented a big database of dynamically updating electronic medical records for patients with hypertension, which is helpful in promoting future research on secondary hypertension.

Diet and bird-plant interaction networks based on citizen science data in Lima, Peru: exotic and native species are important

ABSTRACT We compiled bird feeding records in Lima City (Peru) through an in-depth review of online citizen science platforms. Additionally, we analyzed bird-plant interaction networks to assess how the origin status of bird and plant species, as well as species with ornithophilous flowers, contribute to structuring those interactions. The compiled records encompassed 43 bird species and 96 food resources. The native Amazilis amazilia and the exotic Forpus coelestis were the most recorded birds, accounting for 21.5% and 9.9% of the total feeding records, respectively. Plants were the most frequent resource, making up 82.7% of feeding records, while the rest corresponded to insects, fish, and other uncommon cases. Nectarivory and frugivory were the main bird-plant interactions observed. Interaction network analyses for general bird-plant interactions and nectarivory interactions did not show significant modular or nested structures in either case and were highly disconnected. At the species level, the measure of centrality did not significantly differ between exotic and native plants, as well as birds. This suggests that these groups contribute almost equally to maintaining bird-plant interactions. However, for nectarivory interactions, plants with ornithophilous flowers had greater importance in the network, as indicated by their higher centrality values.

Progress in research of rash and fever syndrome surveillance and early warning

Objective: To introduce the progress in research of rash and fever syndrome (RFS) surveillance and early warning both at home and abroad, and provide reference for surveillance and prevention of RFS in China. Methods: The keywords "fever" "rash" and "surveillance" and others were used for a literature retrieval by using China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang Data Knowledge Service Platform, PubMed and Web of Science. The languages of literatures were limited in Chinese and English. The key information of the literatures were collected and analyzed with Excel. Results: A total of 36 study papers (21 in Chinese and 15 in English) were included. The studies mainly focused on the pathogen surveillance of RFS (n=19). The pathogens included measles virus, varicella-zoster virus, rubella virus, enterovirus, human B19 virus, dengue virus, streptococcus group A, Salmonella typhi and Salmonella paratyphoid,human herpesvirus, mumps virus and adenovirus. Eight studies were about the surveillance in major events, such as sport game, World Expo and religious gathering, or sudden natural disasters, such as earthquake and tropical storm, during 2010-2015. Eight studies focused on case or epidemic surveillance, most of which were studies from other counties. The surveillance sites were medical institutions. RFS was diagnosed according to the International Classification of Diseases, 9th (ICD-9) and symptoms descripted in chief-complaint. Only one study in Mongolia conducted RFS epidemic prediction. The analysis methods of 36 papers included simple descriptive analysis, time-based early warning models (such as regression analysis, fixed threshold method, Hugh Hart control chart method and cumulative sum control chart method) and time series analysis method. Conclusions: In the future, RFS surveillance system should cover both known pathogens and emerging pathogens. Automatic surveillance using information capture and intelligent modelling can be applied to improve the sensitivity and specificity of RFS surveillance and early warning.

A scientometric review of the growing trends in transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS).

The aim of the current study was to provide a comprehensive picture of tACS-related research in the last decade through a bibliometric approach in order to systematically analyze the current status and cutting-edge trends in this field. Articles and review articles related to tACS from 2013 to 2022 were searched on the Web of Science platform. A bibliometric analysis of authors, journals, countries, institutions, references, and keywords was performed using CiteSpace (6.2.R2), VOSviewer (1.6.19), Scimago Graphica (1.0.30), and Bibliometrix (4.2.2). A total of 602 papers were included. There was an overall increase in annual relevant publications in the last decade. The most contributing author was Christoph S. Herrmann. Brain Stimulation was the most prolific journal. The most prolific countries and institutions were Germany and Harvard University, respectively. The findings reveal the development prospects and future directions of tACS and provide valuable references for researchers in the field. In recent years, the keywords "gamma," "transcranial direct current simulation," and "Alzheimer's disease" that have erupted, as well as many references cited in the outbreak, have provided certain clues for the mining of research prefaces. This will act as a guide for future researchers in determining the path of tACS research.

The high energy X-ray probe (HEX-P): instrument and mission profile

The High Energy X-ray Probe (HEX-P) is a proposed NASA probe-class mission that combines the power of high angular resolution with a broad X-ray bandpass to provide the necessary leap in capabilities to address the important astrophysical questions of the next decade. HEX-P achieves breakthrough performance by combining technologies developed by experienced international partners. To meet the science goals, the payload consists of a suite of co-aligned X-ray telescopes designed to cover the 0.2–80 keV bandpass. The High Energy Telescope (HET) has an effective bandpass of 2–80 keV, and the Low Energy Telescope (LET) has an effective bandpass of 0.2–20 keV. HEX-P will be launched into L1 to enable high observing efficiency, and the combination of bandpass and high observing efficiency delivers a powerful platform for broad science to serve a wide community. The baseline mission is 5 years, with 30% of the observing time dedicated to the PI-led program and 70% to a General Observer (GO) program. The General Observer program will be executed along with the PI-led program.

The Triple Helix Model as a Tool for the Economic Development of the Country on the Example of the Military-Industrial Complex of the Russian Federation

Relevance. The "state-science-business" model has firmly entered the practical sphere of human and social life as a signifier of many socio-economic processes. It is a systematic integrated approach to the consideration of problems exclusively applied areas that will allow them to be solved in the most effective way and in the shortest possible time. The economic sphere has always been considered by the state as one of the priorities, since a steadily developing economy provides ample opportunities for the development of civil society. Over the past few years, the President and the Government of Russia have outlined clear guidelines for the development of the economy, one of which is the modernization of the industrial complex of the state through the inclusion of the state and scientific and technological block in the industrial system. The purpose of this study is to review and analyze the model of interaction "state – science – business" within the framework of Russia's economic development and the long-term plans established by the President of the Russian Federation concerning the modernization of the industrial complex. Objectives: to analyze the international experience of the development of the industrial complex; to consider the features of the formation and functioning of the domestic industrial complex; to study the current state and assess the prospects for the development of the economy and production on the example of the military-industrial complex of Russia. Methodology. The study was carried out on the basis of the general provisions of the system theory and interinstitutional and transinstitutional communication using the system-structural method. Results. In the conditions of the established priorities of economic development at the highest level, it is necessary to: develop internal and external R&D; generate the creation of a new type of university, the ecosystem of which moderates ideas and projects requested by society and the state, releasing them into the real sector of the economy for production and economic development; introduce the university (science) into the business community; form engineering andscientific personnel potential. Conclusions. For the economic development of the country, it is necessary to strengthen the "state-science-business" relationships not only from the perspective of the industrial complex, but also scientific and educational platforms, including through the development of external R&D and their opening on the basis of higher educational institutions.

Measuring Coupled Fire–Atmosphere Dynamics: The California Fire Dynamics Experiment (CalFiDE)

Abstract The social, economic, and ecological impacts of wildfires are increasing over much of the United States and globally, partially due to changing climate and build-up of fuels from past forest management practices. This creates a need to improve coupled fire–atmosphere forecast models. However, model performance is difficult to evaluate due to scarcity of observations for many key fire–atmosphere interactions, including updrafts and plume injection height, plume entrainment processes, fire intensity and rate-of-spread, and plume chemistry. Intensive observations of such fire–atmosphere interactions during active wildfires are rare due to the logistical challenges and scales involved. The California Fire Dynamics Experiment (CalFiDE) was designed to address these observational needs, using Doppler lidar, high-resolution multispectral imaging, and in situ air quality instruments on a NOAA Twin Otter research aircraft, and Doppler lidars, radar, and other instrumentation on multiple ground-based mobile platforms. Five wildfires were studied across northern California and southern Oregon over 16 flight days from 28 August to 25 September 2022, including a breadth of fire stages from large blow-up days to smoldering air quality observations. Missions were designed to optimize the observation of the spatial structure and temporal evolution of each fire from early afternoon until sunset during multiple consecutive days. The coordination of the mobile platforms enabled four-dimensional sampling strategies during CalFiDE that will improve understanding of fire–atmosphere dynamics, aiding in model development and prediction capability. Satellite observations contributed aerosol measurements and regional context. This article summarizes the scientific objectives, platforms and instruments deployed, coordinated sampling strategies, and presents first results.

Twenty years of research on borderline personality disorder: a scientometric analysis of hotspots, bursts, and research trends.

Borderline personality disorder (BPD), a complex and severe psychiatric disorder, has become a topic of considerable interest to current researchers due to its high incidence and severity of consequences. There is a lack of a bibliometric analysis to visualize the history and developmental trends of researches in BPD. We retrieved 7919 relevant publications on the Web of Science platform and analyzed them using software CiteSpace (6.2.R4). The results showed that there has been an overall upward trend in research interest in BPD over the past two decades. Current research trends in BPD include neuroimaging, biological mechanisms, and cognitive, behavioral, and pathological studies. Recent trends have been identified as "prevention and early intervention", "non-pharmacological treatment" and "pathogenesis". The results are like a reference program that will help determine future research directions and priorities.

Nuevos registros norteños de la mantis escudo Choeradodis rhombicollis (Latreille, 1833) (Mantidae: Choeradodinae) en México

The shield mantis Choeradodis rhombicollis (Latreille, 1833) is a neotropical species that had been recorded for Mexico in the states of Chiapas and Oaxaca. This work report for the first time its presence for the state of Veracruz via the examination of specimens deposited in scientific collections, as well as the revision of records present on the citizen science platform iNaturalist. The new records for Veracruz correspond to the northernmost distribution for the species, genus, and subfamily in America.

Web of Science’da Yer Alan Kuş Gözlemciliği Araştırmalarının Bibliyometrik Profilinin Vosviewer Yazılımı Yardımıyla Belirlenmesi

Numerous empirical studies have explored birdwatching and birding, but well-structured bibliometric research is needed to synthesize and understand the existing knowledge in this area. This paper presents a bibliometric analysis of birdwatching and birding research, evaluating 474 papers published on the Web of Science platform between 1976 and 2023. Co-authorship and keyword co-occurrence analyses were employed to assess the interdisciplinary nature of this research field. Key findings include author: birdwatching practices in tourism have experienced significant growth in the past decade; (2) Christoph Randler as the most prominent influential author; (3) the United States leads in document production, while Germany is prominent in citation count; (4) the University of Life Science ranks highest among institutions, but Eberhard Karls University leads in citation count; and (5) keyword trend network assessments indicate that birdwatching and birding are increasingly gaining attention in conservation, citizen Science tourism. In conclusion, birdwatching tourism research demonstrates considerable potential for further development and is expected to continue its upward trajectory.

A Review on Cost and Return of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants Cultivation in India

The purpose of this paper is to review the cost and return of medicinal and aromatic plants cultivation. Relevant and scholarly articles of various researchers were reviewed. The articles were searched using the keywords "medicinal and aromatic plants" along with cost and return, cultivation. Scientific platforms such as Google Scholar and Scopus were searched, along with, annual reports, magazines, newspapers, medicinal plants board websites etc. The reviews compiled collective information on cost and return, benefit cost ratio. Medicinal and aromatic plants provide a higher return compared to traditional crops. However, marketing is an important constraint in cultivation. Understanding the economics of cultivation of medicinal and aromatic plants is an important step in designing future policies. This paper tries to fill the gap and contributes literature on cost and return of cultivation of medicinal and aromatic plants, which may be helpful in improving the linkage of value chain of the sector.

Science 4.0 as a Model of Scientific Activity in an Innovative Environment of Industry 4.0

Technological innovations in the generation, storage, transmission, and processing of data have transformed traditional scientific activities and contributed to the accelerated development of the concept of “data-driven science.” The article analyzes the image of Science 4.0 in a new format since organizing and managing scientific activities with the widespread use of the Industry 4.0 technological platform has become relevant here. A four-level classification of stages in the development of science and the use of e-Science as a technological platform for Science 4.0 is proposed. The essence of Science 4.0 is revealed in the analysis of works devoted to scientific research with broad involvement of the internet of things, cyber-physical systems, artificial intelligence, cloud computing, big data analytics, and other intelligent solutions. Implementation of the proposed concept contributes to an increase in the efficiency of scientific research and supports solutions for the operational management of science.

Low-temperature diffusion in thin-film Pt-(Au-)-Co heterostructures: a structural and magnetic characterization

Formation of functional thin films for nanoelectronics and magnetic data storage via thermally induced diffusion-driven structural phase transformations in multilayer stacks is a promising technology-relevant approach. Ferromagnetic thin films based on Co Pt alloys are considered as a material science platform for the development of various applications such as spin valves, spin orbit torque devices, and high-density data storage media. Here, we study diffusion processes in Pt–Co-based stacks with the focus on the effect of layers inversion (Pt/Co/substrate versus Co/Pt/substrate) and insertion of an intermediate Au layer on the structural transitions and magnetic properties. We demonstrate that the layer stacking has a pronounced effect on the diffusion rate at temperatures, where the diffusion is dominated by grain boundaries. We quantify effective diffusion coefficients, which characterize the diffusion rate of Co and Pt through the interface and grain boundaries, providing the possibility to control the homogenization rate of the Pt–Co-based heterostructures. The obtained values are in the range of 10−16–10−13 cm2 s−1 for temperatures of 150 °C–350 °C. Heat treatment of the thin-film samples results in the coercivity enhancement, which is attributed to short-range chemical ordering effects. We show that introducing an additional Au intermediate layer leads to an increase of the coercive field of the annealed samples due to a modification of exchange coupling between the magnetic grains at the grain boundaries.

People with Disabilities, the Age of Information and Communication Technology and the Prevailing Digital Divide—A Descriptive Analysis

Technology provides a way forward to bringing improvements in every sphere of life. The issue of disabilities is common throughout the world and the practical implications of information and communication technology (ICT) help people with such disabilities to acquire basic physical and learning support. The purpose of this review is to identify the development of information and technologies for disabled people and to bring into account a broad-spectrum descriptive analysis of the prevailing technologies from a socio-economic perspective. This paper also covers the various shades of ICT practices for disabilities, including future direction related to such practices. The methodology adopted for this purpose was the gathering of the latest and updated data from the scientific platforms to bring to the readers only the relevant and up-to-date information. The results generated illuminate the potential benefits of digital technologies for disabled persons. The article discusses the way these technologies overcome the barriers among digital beneficiaries that may suffer from certain disabilities. It also illustrates how technologies are being improved from time to time as per emerging needs. Moreover, the paper is also a directive for the increasing need for inclusive information and technology spread beyond the barrier of disabilities to truly bring about the digital revolution of the world.