The Collatz conjecture declares that every positive integer will eventually reach 1 when subjected to a simple iterative process: if the number is even, it is divided by 2, and if it is odd, it is multiplied by 3 and then increased by 1. Despite the straightforward nature of these rules, a general proof of the conjecture remains elusive. For the above, this study introduces an alternative interpretation of the conjecture. This approach involves multiplying an odd integer N1 by 3 and subsequently adding the largest power-of-2 factor within N1. Repeated iterations of this alternative process show that any initial odd integer N1 will eventually convert into a power of 2, leading the sequence towards convergence. The behavior of the sequence was studied by representing integers as a power of 2 multiplied by an odd component. Using this representation under the modified rules, we developed a structured proof framework that demonstrates the consistent reduction of the odd component’s relative value after each iteration, the accelerated increase of the power-of-2 factor’s relative value, and the absence of any divergent cycles or alternative behaviors. This analysis provides insights into the mechanics of convergence in the Collatz sequence and proposes a new perspective for understanding the conjecture’s underlying dynamics.

Large language models have changed the field of natural language processing by enabling sophisticated language generation tasks, yet there remains a persistent challenge in enhancing their performance through autonomous learning. Introducing Process Reward Guided Tree Search to the GPT-Neo architecture offers a novel and significant advancement by enabling the model to self-train and optimize its performance without extensive human intervention. The modified model demonstrated substantial improvements across various metrics, including reduced perplexity scores, higher BLEU scores for translation accuracy, and superior ROUGE scores for text summarization quality. The incorporation of a dual reward system ensured a comprehensive evaluation of generated text, promoting balanced enhancements in coherence, relevance, and lexical diversity. Extensive experiments validated the effectiveness of the proposed methodology, with the modified GPT-Neo exhibiting robust performance across diverse NLP tasks and benchmarks. The findings underscore the potential of autonomous learning mechanisms to significantly advance the capabilities of large language models, paving the way for future innovations in the field of natural language processing.

A document by Kamal Acharya. Click on the document to view its contents.

IntroductionNormal Pressure Hydrocephalus (NPH) is one of the causes of potentially treatable dementia and presents with characteristic triad of gait apraxia, cognitive impairment \RL and urinary incontinence. Typically, it is associated with normal cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) pressure and ventriculomegaly that is disproportionate to amount of cerebral atrophy. Relkin et al. proposed the diagnostic criteria for idiopathic NPH (iNPH) which was classified into probable, possible, and unlikely categories (1).There is a transient improvement in symptoms after a large-volume lumbar tap or a short-term lumbar drain. In clinical point of view, this technique is applied for prediction of patient who may respond to shunt surgery. Furthermore, serial lumbar tap may be as a therapeutic option for patients with NPH who are not good candidate for surgery.CSF leak have been classified into traumatic and spontaneous (2). Spontaneous (non traumatic) CSF leak is an uncommon, but well documented presenting feature of a wide variety of intracranial pathologies including hydrocephalus, tumor, increased intracranial pressure, congenital anomalies or unknown causes (2, 3). Rarely, it may be a presenting feature of NPH, which was reported previously in the context of aqueductal stenosis (4, 5).Here, we report an adult patient with NPH suffering from dementia and gait disturbance who developed spontaneous CSF leakage from his nose that led to dramatic improvement in gait and cognitive function. To our best knowledge, it is the first report of spontaneous CSF rhinorrhea in patients with NPH.

Recent advances in perovskite solar cells (PSCs) have been significantly propelled by innovations in surface defect passivation. In this study, we introduce a novel method termed thermal imprinting-assisted ion exchange passivation (TIAIEP), which offers an alternative to traditional solution processing. TIAIEP specifically targets surface defects within solid-state films by employing a passivator, effectively enabling ion exchange directly at the defect sites of the perovskite film. By optimizing both the temperature and the duration of the TIAIEP process, we significantly enhance the formation of a gradient composition within the films. This adjustment markedly reduces the cooling rate of hot carriers, thereby decreasing charge recombination and enhancing device performance. As a result, devices treated with TIAIEP exhibit a marked increase in power conversion efficiency from 21.05% to 22.29%. Furthermore, unencapsulated PSCs based on TIAIEP retained 98% of their initial efficiency after 2300 hours of nitrogen storage and 92% after 800 hours of continuous light exposure. Our findings demonstrate that TIAIEP is not only effective in reducing surface defects but also enhances both the photoelectric performance and stability of PSCs, showing great promise for the passivation of large-scale perovskite films and advancing the commercialization of this technology.

Total syntheses of the title prenylated indole alkaloids together with seven others are reported. Biogenetic considerations have been employed in devising the reaction sequences leading to these targets with, in the opening stages, the electrochemically-derived indole-3-carboxaldehyde 15 being subject to an aldol-type condensation reaction involving the diketopiperazine derivative 19. This led, after prototopic shifts, intramolecular Diels-Alder (IMDA) cycloaddition and hydrolysis/deprotection steps, to the racemic forms of the bicyclo[2.2.2]diazaoctane-containing natural product stephacidin A (2) and its C6-epimer 3. Epoxidation of the last compound afforded, following rearrangement of the primary oxidation product, a mixture of (±)-taichunamide A [(±)-4] and (±)-versicolamide B [(±)-7]. Related protocols allowed for the conversion of (±)-stephacidin A [(±)-2] into (±)-notoamide B [(±)-5]. Analogous aldol-condensation, nucleophilic reduction and epoxidation steps allowed for the formation of (–)-notoamide E and its conversion into notoamide C as well as the indole fragmentation product amoenamide E. A late-stage nuclear chlorination reaction applied to (±)-stephacidin A provided access to the spirocyclic oxindole (±)-notoamide N.

Introduction:The Taliban play a significant role in the changing dynamics of global and regional politics. From August 2021 till date, the focal point of Taliban politics and international relations lies on counter-terrorism efforts and border security, mainly with its Muslim neighbour Pakistan. Both countries share a comprehensive history that has registered ups and downs. The historically porous and tumultuous Afghanistan-Pakistan border, characterised by its rugged terrain and tribal regions with limited state control, has long been a hotbed for militant activities and cross-border insurgencies.This paper will highlight the challenges and opportunities opened by the Taliban takeover in border security and counterterrorism efforts. Historically speaking, the 2,670-kilometer border between Pakistan and Afghanistan has been a hotbed of political insurgencies, with terrorists and pressure groups exploiting both governments amid the rugged and uncontrollable landscape. In recent times, the Pakistani government and the Afghani Taliban government have been in a salt talk over the alleged terrorist attacks that take place between both sides.A recent attack that took place on Chinese nationals in Pakistan was a significant example of the implications of terrorism efforts in border areas. This attack affected Pakistan-Afghanistan relations due to Pakistans alleged blame that Afghanistan is a haven for terrorist organisations like Tehreek e Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), and the Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP,) which own a common goal of hampering down relations between Pakistan and China (1)

The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted healthcare systems globally, significantly impacting the continuum of care for diseases such as lung cancer (LC), which is the deadliest cancer worldwide. Preliminary evidence suggests shifts toward more advanced LC stages at diagnosis during the pandemic, with potential changes in treatment and survival outcomes. This study provides a comprehensive nationwide analysis of these trends.This retrospective cohort study analyzes data from the November 2022 update of the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database, focusing on LC patients diagnosed between 2018 and 2020. The analysis compares diagnostic stages, treatment delays, and survival outcomes before and during the pandemic, employing logistic regression, Cox proportional hazards, and Fine-Gray competing risks regression models.The study included 106,226 LC patients, with findings indicating more advanced stages at diagnosis and shorter treatment delays in 2020 compared to the previous two years. The overall incidence of LC decreased significantly in 2020, with variations across different demographics and histologic subtypes. Despite these changes, no significant differences were observed in overall survival (OS) or lung cancer-specific survival (LC-SS) between the groups. The COVID-19 pandemic has led to later-stage LC diagnoses and somewhat quicker initiation of treatment, although it did not significantly impact short-term survival outcomes. These findings underscore the resilience of LC management under pandemic constraints and highlight the need for ongoing vigilance to mitigate long-term impacts on patient care and outcomes.

Risk-based auditing is crucial for efficient tax management and significantly reduces audit costs and duration. This study aims to design, implement, assess, and compare the accuracy of various predictive models—Logit 1, MPL-ANN 2, SVM 3, LSVM 4, and two DTA 5 (C5.0 and RFA 6), in predicting corporate taxpayers’ risk within the Iranian tax system. The study focuses on a sample of 156 manufacturing companies listed on the Tehran Stock Exchange from 2010 to 2021. Initially, 160 influential variables were identified using meta-synthesis and Delphi techniques, which were then refined to 57 critical variables through four rounds of expert panel discussions. Data were subsequently gathered from the Tehran Stock Exchange website and tax records. The results reveal the varying degrees of accuracy of the models in predicting low, moderate, and high-risk taxpayers. C5.0 and RFA consistently outperformed other models suggesting their superior capability in detecting different risk categories. Specifically, C5.0 ranked highest for high-risk predictions, followed by Logit, RFA, SVM, MLP-ANN, and LSVM. For moderate-risk, the order was C5.0, RFA, SVM, LSVM, MLP-ANN, and Logit. While, for low-risk, RFA led, followed by C5.0, SVM, MLP-ANN, LSVM, and Logit. These findings highlight the importance of selecting tailored models and advocating using a combination of models based on taxpayers’ risk categories in tax audits. The paper concludes followed by recommendations for future research and study limitations.

Objective(s): To evaluate the impact of epinephrine and terbutaline use on ventilatory support in children admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) with critical asthma. Methods: Data were obtained with the Pediatric Health Information System (PHIS) database for children aged 2 to 18 years admitted to the ICU with a diagnosis of asthma exacerbation from January 1, 2016 to December 31, 2023. Primary outcomes included non-invasive ventilation (NIV) and/or invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV) use one day after receipt of terbutaline and/or epinephrine. Secondary outcomes included adverse events from systemic beta-agonists, including arrhythmias and elevated troponins. Results: Our study population included 53,328 patient encounters. Terbutaline and epinephrine were associated with decreased odds of NIV (terbutaline: OR: 0.52, 95% CI: 0.44-0.63; epinephrine: OR: 0.49, 95% CI: 0.43-0.55) and IMV (terbutaline: OR: 0.51, 95% CI: 0.42-0.61; epinephrine: OR: 0.34, 95% CI: 0.29-0.41). There were no differences in adverse events in the terbutaline group when compared to the epinephrine group for both arrhythmia and elevated troponins (arrhythmia: terbutaline = 1.9%, epinephrine = 1.7%, p = 0.6; elevated troponins: terbutaline = 0.1%, epinephrine = 0.1%, p > 0.9). Conclusions: Systemic beta-agonist use was associated with decreased odds of receiving both NIV and IMV in pediatric critical asthma. There were low rates of arrhythmia and elevated troponin overall, with no differences found between those who received epinephrine or terbutaline. Our findings should inform future clinical trials to evaluate the use of systemic beta-agonists and implementation of guidelines in escalation in critical asthma.

The treatment of skin diseases has entered a new era, and several biologics have been approved to treat dermatosis. However, biologics are expensive and inconvenient to preserve and inject. Therefore, safe, effective, and inexpensive treatments have never stopped being developed. Metformin is the most commonly used drug in treating type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (DM), which has a wide range of pharmacological effects. In recent years, studies on metformin’s anti-inflammatory and anti-tumor effects have become more promising. Metformin is efficacious against inflammatory skin disorders such as psoriasis, acne, hidradenitis suppurativa, and allergic contact dermatitis. It also demonstrated anti-tumor properties in keratinocyte carcinoma and melanoma. In addition, metformin has displayed therapeutic efficacy in cutaneous disorders associated with endocrine, including hirsutism, acanthosis nigricans, and eruptive xanthomas. Finally, metformin is expected to contribute to the improvement of skin pigmentation, uvb-induced skin damage, alopecia and wound healing This paper presents a narrative review through PubMed to determine the role of metformin in skin diseases. We also offer an outlook on nanoparticles combined with conventional drugs such as metformin for precisely targeted therapy.

Introduction: Pediatric respiratory monitoring, crucial for assessing children’s health, particularly those with respiratory diseases, often relies on invasive or cumbersome methods. Here, we propose a non-invasive approach using a video depth camera to measure breathing parameters in children, offering innovation and promise. Aims: We aim to introduce and validate a straightforward remote procedure for measuring crucial breathing parameters in children. These include respiratory rate, volumetric changes during inhalation and exhalation, and the phase angle between chest and abdomen expansions. Methods: The proposed method involves detecting three feature points – nipples and navel – using a video depth camera. A 30 to 60-second video is recorded to track chest and abdomen movements. Analysis of feature point locations, distances between them, and signal frequencies is conducted to estimate respiratory parameters. To validate the accuracy of our method, we employed mechanical lung simulators within dolls for procedure testing and measurement accuracy verification. Additionally, recordings of pediatric patients, both healthy and with respiratory diseases, were analyzed to correlate computational parameter estimations with physician assessments, ensuring the reliability and effectiveness of our approach. Results: Our results show a strong correlation between simulator inputs and algorithm estimations, validating our method’s accuracy. Additionally, applying the procedure to pediatric patient recordings significantly correlates with physician assessments, notably marking the first remote measurement of the respiratory phase angle. Conclusions: This remote procedure presents a promising alternative for pediatric respiratory monitoring, offering accurate measurements without invasive techniques or extensive equipment. The robust correlation between computational estimations and physician assessments underscores its reliability, suggesting potential for broader clinical applications and advancements in pediatric respiratory care.

Gu et al. \cite{Gu_2022} reported on transmission of Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 in a quarantine hotel involving two infected individuals from the same floor with no history of direct contact. Airborne transmission across the corridor was suggested as a likely mode of transmission. Interestingly, Taiwan has recently reported several clusters of infections in quarantine hotels with similar suggested routes of transmission.In one instance, a cluster of seven cases was identified in a Taoyuan quarantine hotel; all cases had matched S gene sequence \cite{control,jessica-marlowtaiwan-covid-hoteloutbreak-dec2021}. Except for a single case with 1 vaccine dose, all others were fully vaccinated (2 with a high-end mRNA vaccine). No evidence of direct contact between cases was identified. six cases stayed in neighboring rooms on the same floor; one case stayed two floors above. The presumptive index case first experienced symptoms on date of arrival and was admitted to the hospital 2 days later. The dates of the first episode for all other cases were ≥3 days apart. Moreover, though they were tested later, higher Ct values were exposed.The subsequent epidemiological investigation suggested environmental exposure as a source of infection with several possible routes of transmission. Food collection was suggested as one risk factor similarly to \cite{Gu_2022}. However, the commonly shared ventilation system was suspected as another risk factor as one case was identified on a different floor.Though all recent clusters reported in Taiwan have been attributed to the Delta variant, and outbreaks of Omicron variant are yet to be encountered, the described situation has already prompted higher alert from the government: Taiwan has strengthened measures for operation of quarantine facilities and instructed more frequent testing of inbound travelers, increasing the number of required tests from 3–4 to 6–8 over a 21-day observation period \cite{hotels}.Conflicts of interestThe authors declare no conflicts of interests.

Pirfenidone has evinced noteworthy anti-inflammatory and antifibrotic efficacy in both animal models and in some clinical trials. Its pronounced potential for antifibrotic activity makes pirfenidone a compelling prospect for the treatment of various fibrotic diseases. Pirfenidone has several pleiotropic and anti-inflammatory mechanism of action through different molecular pathways. Consequently, it attenuates multiple inflammatory processes, including the secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines, apoptosis, and fibroblast activation. Extensively studied for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, pirfenidone has exhibited a favorable impact, and represents part of the current treatment for this disease. In similar fibrotic diseases such as interstitial lung disease, myocardial fibrosis, glomerulopathies, aberrant skin scarring, chronic liver disease, and other fibrotic disorders, pirfenidone seems to exert a beneficial effect. Given the growing incidence of chronic fibrotic conditions, pirfenidone emerges as a potential therapeutic option for the management of these patients. Nonetheless, more clinical trials are needed to confirm its therapeutic effect. In this review, we aim to expose the current evidence of pirfenidone's effect in several fibrotic diseases.

The increasing demand on synchronized measurements obtained from Phasor Measurement Units (PMUs) has further increased potential threats, including data spoofing attacks. Such attacks on the synchronized measurements might greatly undermine the dynamic state estimation and important power system applications. In this work, an integrated framework consisting of Cyber Physical (CPS) testbed and multidimensional Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) simulation framework is proposed to classify the data spoofing attacks on the generated real world synchrophasor data. This work uses a source authentication-based detection technique by extracting the spatial fingerprint information from PMU data. This information is provided as inputs to the Multi-Dimensional CNN (MD CNN) simulation framework. Finally, a robust correction algorithm using Generative Adversarial Network (GAN) for reconstruction of spoofed PMU signal is proposed to eliminate bad measurements and enhance the integrity and reliability of synchrophasor data. Finally, the results of the proposed MD CNN classification framework and GAN based signal reconstruction algorithm are validated against the results obtained using traditional methods to validate the effectiveness of the proposed approach. Thus, the proposed framework aims at ensuring the cyber resilience of power grids to ensure its safe and reliable operation.

The study explores perfume encapsulation and release from micellar solutions, emphasizing the impact of perfume-surfactant interactions and micelle geometry. Examining two mixed-micelle systems with branched-tail (ST2S/CAPB) and linear-tail (SLE1S/CAPB) surfactants, the research systematically investigates the effects of time, perfume concentration, and dilution on micelle geometry and headspace release. Utilizing SANS, GC-MS, and statistical analyses, the study reveals stable systems over time, with increased perfume content causing micelle growth and dilution leading to micelle shrinkage. Both systems exhibit consistent trends in micelle geometry, except the branched-tail system forming a lamellar phase with added perfume. GC-MS headspace concentration correlates with micelle geometry, influenced by tail group structure. The findings contribute insights into the intricate dynamics of perfume-micelle interactions, crucial for formulations in material science and actives delivery.

IntroductionHerpes simplex virus (HSV), is a member of an enveloped, double-stranded DNA virus family named Herpesviridae, this virus causes latent infection of neural ganglia(1). It has a worldwide distribution and a wide range of clinical presentations depending on the host’s immune status and the infection site. In immunocompetent individuals, the most common presentation includes painful vesicles and erosions on an erythematous base, which can evolve into pustules and/or ulcerations (2, 3). In immunocompromised individuals such as solid organ or bone marrow transplant recipients, patients with hematologic malignancies, and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), HSV infection can have atypical manifestations, including chronic non-healing ulcers, verrucous plaques, and large protruding tumors. In the case of immunosuppressed patients, the lesions may disseminate and occur at multiple sites, including atypical locations such as the buttocks, abdomen, and lower back. Depending on the level of immunosuppression, HSV infection can have a variable duration, severity, and outcome. It can affect multiple or atypical sites, such as the abdominal, and thoracic regions, or even become disseminated(4, 5). In this article, we report a case of cutaneous perianal infection that presented as warty skin-colored papules and plaques underline the challenges in the morphologic and clinical diagnosis of this entity, and review the literature on verrucous HSV lesions in non-HIV patients.

Purpose: Due to its increased volume, polycystic ovarian tissue is more prone to torsion than normal ovarian tissue. In treating ovarian torsion, detorsion is applied to ensure oxygenation of hypoxic tissues. However, the resulting oxygen radicals cause tissue damage. Bromelain is a substance obtained from pineapple, and studies in the literature show it is used as an antioxidant. This study aimed to evaluate the damage caused by ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) in the torsion-detorsion model created in normal and polycystic ovarian tissue and investigate the role of bromelain in this damage.Methods: Polycystic ovarian tissue was created by applying dihydroepiandrosterostenodione sulfate to a group of rats. Afterward, a torsion-detorsion model was created in all rats. Bromelain was administered to a group of rats, and its effect on I/R injury was evaluated. After the procedure, tissues were taken, histopathological examination was performed, and MDA, TUNEL, and NF-κB levels were measured.Results: This study detected significant decreases in MDA and NF-κB levels and the percentage of apoptotic cells evaluated by TUNEL staining in rats with IR damage and given bromelain, compared to the control group. It has also been shown that I/R damage is more pronounced in polycystic ovarian tissue than in normal ovarian tissue.Conclusion: Ischemia perfusion damage may be more pronounced in polycystic ovarian tissue than in normal ovarian tissue. Bromelain may be preferred to prevent I/R injury caused by ovarian torsion. It is also thought that bromelain may function in treating polycystic ovaries, and further studies can be conducted on this subject.Keywords: Bromelain, ischemia‒reperfusion, ovarian torsion, polycystic ovary.

Soil erosion poses a significant environmental concern and threatens natural resources, resulting in decreased productivity and quality of soil. In Nepal, soil erosion arises from both natural factors such as excessive rainfall, weak geology, earthquakes, and human activities including deforestation, overgrazing, intensive agriculture, and unplanned infrastructure construction. A research study titled ”Soil Erosion Assessment using the Revised Morgan, Morgan Finney (RMMF) Model in a GIS Framework” was conducted in the Manahari Khola Sub-watershed of the Makwanpur district. The primary objective of the study was to evaluate the extent of soil erosion under the current Land Use and Land Cover (LULC) conditions. To perform the model, essential databases such as LULC parameters, soil parameters, rainfall parameters, and Digital Elevation Model (DEM) were generated using Landsat Images, landform maps based on FAO guidelines, data from the Hydrology Department, and Google Earth. The software tools ArcGIS 10.8 and ILWIS 3.3 Academic were utilized. The results of the RMMF soil erosion modeling indicated varying levels of soil erosion risk, ranging from Very Low to Very High. It was observed that forest and bush areas experienced lower rates of soil erosion, while barren land showed higher erosion rates. Additionally, the erosion susceptibility map illustrated that forested regions had a very low risk of soil erosion, followed by low to moderate risk in agricultural areas. Barren areas exhibited moderate to very high susceptibility to soil erosion. The study emphasized the need for proper conservation of cutting and cliff areas as well as barren land within the watershed due to their high to very high potential for soil erosion risk. Recommendations for the future included afforestation in barren areas, implementation of conservation farming practices in agricultural regions, and adoption of appropriate road stabilization measures.

Holger Robert Maier1, Firouzeh Rosa Taghikhah2, Ehsan Nabavi3, Saman Razavi4, Hoshin Gupta5, Wenyan Wu6, Douglas A. G. Radford1, Jiajia Huang61 School of Architecture and Civil Engineering, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, 5005, Australia.2 Business School, University of Sydney, Sydney, 2000, Australia.3 Responsible Innovation Lab, Australian National Centre for Public Awareness of Science, The Australian National University, Canberra, 0200, Australia.4 School of Environment and Sustainability, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, S7N 5A1, Canada.5 Department of Hydrology and Atmospheric Sciences, The University of Arizona, 85721, The United States.6 Department of Infrastructure Engineering, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, 3010, Australia.Corresponding author: Holger Robert Maier (holger.maier@adelaide.edu.au)IntroductionThe field of hydrological modelling has, in recent years, seen a resurgence in the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI), with Explainable AI (XAI) methods leading the way (Fan et al., 2023; Fleming et al., 2021; Papacharalampous et al., 2023). As these methods are the ”new kid on the block ”, they can easily capture the imagination of water experts, due to their perceived novelty and presumed promise to be able to explain complex phenomena. Unfortunately, the hype surrounding such methods can also hinder our understanding of their actual capabilities and limitations, as they are often viewed from overly optimistic perspectives. We caution that there is a need for objective and transparent assessment of their utility to understand the conditions under which they add value and those under which they cannot. To this end, this Perspective paper provides a brief explanation of how XAI methods work in comparison with classical methods (Section 2), attempts to articulate the shifts in mindset that must occur for the power of XAI to be leveraged in a responsible fashion (Section 3), and makes suggestions about the path forward (Section 4).How does XAI work?In XAI literature, methods for explanation generally follow one of three approaches (Ghaffarian et al., 2023), depending on whether their purpose is to identify decisive features, quantify feature contributions, or assess the robustness of a model to perturbations in features (see Table 1). Below, we briefly describe each of these methods and offer insights from a geoscientific (e.g., hydrologic) modelling perspective.Identification of decisive featuresXAI approaches that focus on identifying decisive features (i.e. the model inputs that have the biggest influence on model outputs) are referred to as “anchor explanations ” (see Table 1). Such explanations provide a form of “interpretability ” by identifying which subset of features (referred to as ”anchors ”) is sufficient to guarantee a specific prediction outcome. The core idea is that, while other features may vary, the prediction will not change as long as these anchor features remain the same. In other words, anchor explanations seek to identify which features ”anchor ” the prediction, such that changes to other features will not affect the modelling outcome, and are typically used for their ability to explain individual predictions in a transparent way, rather than for their role in model development per se.From a geoscientific modeller’s perspective, the fact that it is acceptable for AI models to include features that have very little influence on model performance is somewhat surprising, as this would most likely be considered questionable practice in hydrological modelling (see Maier et al. (2023a); Maier et al. (2010)). This highlights some of the cultural differences between computer scientists and geoscientists, where the former may often be concerned solely with maximising predictive performance, whereas the latter typically try to ensure that models tend to “give the right answers for the right reasons ”. Consequently, when developing AI models in the geosciences, it is general practice to identify “decisive features ” as part of the process of “parsimonious ” model development, using well-established Input Variable Selection (IVS) algorithms (e.g., PMIS, PCIS, IIS) (Bowden et al., 2005; Galelli et al., 2014; Sharma, 2000) to help ensure that only non-redundant features that have significant influence on model performance are incorporated into the model (Maier et al., 2023a; Wu et al., 2014). Adopting this practice as standard prioritizes overall model stability and generalizability, whereas anchors can only be useful when investigating the precise reason behind a specific decision/observation.Table 1. Details of common XAI methods.

A document by Ranjan Sapkota. Click on the document to view its contents.

A simple wideband magneto-electric (ME) dipole antenna is presented in this letter. In particular, two pairs of L-shaped slots with different sizes are successively etched out of the pair of horizontal patches of electric dipole, which can enlarge the bandwidth of ME dipole antenna without increasing the antenna size. Two new resonant frequency points are generated respectively at the lower and upper frequency region. To improve the impedance matching characteristics, two vertical rectangular patches are loaded in the middle of the horizontal portion of the Г-shaped feed structure. A prototype is fabricated and measured, and an overlapped bandwidth of 101.3% (from 1.36 GHz to 4.15 GHz) in terms of VSWR≤2 is achieved, which can simultaneously cover the n50 (1.432GHz-1.517GHz), n51(1.427GHz-1.432GHz), and n78 (3.300GHz to 3.800GHz) bands of sub-6G. It should be highlighted that other excellent properties of ME dipole antenna, such as stable radiation pattern, high gain, and low cross-polarization level (CRPL), are maintained, which makes the proposed ME dipole antenna a good candidate for sub-6G applications.

There has been a pressing necessity to tax Sugar-Sweetened Beverages (SSB) taxation in Indonesia. Despite the rising prevalence of obesity and diabetes, past attempts at introducing SSB excise taxes have been repeatedly rejected or delayed. Reflecting on other similar policies in other countries, this commentary highlights the potential of SSB taxation as a public health intervention to curb consumption and mitigate associated health risks. It examines historical legislative efforts, current challenges, and the pivotal role of political commitment in overcoming industry lobbying. The commentary outlines strategic steps for advancing SSB taxation policy, including policy design, stakeholder engagement, and robust enforcement mechanisms. Emphasis is placed on evidence-based policymaking, cross-sector collaboration, and the allocation of excise revenue towards public health initiatives. The article concludes with a call for decisive action to address Indonesia’s burgeoning public health crisis through effective SSB taxation implementation.

Lumbar degenerative disc disease (LDDD) poses a significant health challenge, affecting a vast portion of the adult population and leading to a range of symptoms. This condition, associated with aging and injury, not only impacts quality of life but also exerts substantial economic burdens on society. The pathophysiology of LDDD is multifaceted and influenced by mechanical, genetic, and molecular factors. It is the significant role of oxidative stress in disc degeneration, affecting cellular structures and molecular mechanisms. This study investigates the expression of antioxidant proteins, thioredoxin (TRX) and Peroxiredoxin (PRDX1/PAG), in lumbar intervertebral discs at different stages of degeneration, shedding light on their potential therapeutic relevance. By enhancing our understanding of the complexities of LDDD, this research paves the way for more effective treatment strategies, from lifestyle modifications to targeted therapies aimed at addressing the molecular aspects of the disease, ultimately offering improved outcomes for patients with LDDD.