bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A photoelectric synapse based on optimized perovskite CH3NH3PbBr3 quantum dot film detectors
Authors: Xia Liping , Huang Jianning , Zhou E , Chen Yunkai , Wen Weikun , Zhang Xiaonan , Gao Fangliang , Wu Jiang , Zhang Yong , Khisro Said Nasir , Zha Qingbing , Ma Xuefeng , Chen Xinman
Published: July 2022

In this work, we report a high-performance photodetector based on perovskite CH3NH3PbBr3 quantum dots (QDs) films with a configuration of Au/CH3NH3PbBr3 QDs-Al2O3-indium tin oxide/Au as a bioinspired photoelectric synapse. The uniform CH3NH3PbBr3 QDs thin film is fabricated by a electrodepositing QDs solution and exhibits favorable long-term stability at ambient. By inserting an Al2O3 film, the dark current of the QDs film photodetectors is significantly suppressed as a result of the blocking effect, accompanied by the enhanced ON/OFF ratio. Furthermore, the optimal photodetector is utilized as a photoelectric synapse. Through modulating the light pulse stimuli, some underlying synaptic functions, including paired-pulse facilitation, axon-multi-synapses network function, and the transformation from short-term plasticity to long-term plasticity, are flexibly emulated on a single photoelectric synapse. These remarkable results are promising for building hardware units with neuromorphic architecture to mimic the human brain functionalities.
Meter-scale plasma waveguides for multi-GeV laser wakefield acceleration
Authors: Shrock J. E. , Miao B. , Feder L. , Milchberg H. M.
Published: July 2022

We present results from two new techniques for the generation of meter-scale, low density (∼1017 cm−3 on axis) plasma waveguides, the “two-Bessel” technique, and the “self-waveguiding” technique. Plasma waveguides of this density and length range are needed for demonstration of a ∼10 GeV laser wakefield accelerator module, key for future staging for a ∼TeV lepton collider. Both techniques require the use of high quality ultrashort pulse Bessel beams to efficiently and uniformly ionize hydrogen gas in meter-scale supersonic gas jets via optical field ionization. We review these two techniques, describe our meter-scale gas jets, and present a new method for correction of optical aberrations in Bessel beams. Finally, we briefly present results from recent experiments employing one of our techniques, demonstrating quasi-monoenergetic acceleration of ∼5 GeV electron bunches in 20 cm long, low density plasma waveguides.
On the origin of mode B instability of the wake of a square cylinder
Authors: Kokash Hussein , Agbaglah G. Gilou
Published: July 2022

Three-dimensional numerical simulations of flow passing a square cylinder are performed using a spectral element method. Reynolds numbers of 200 and 300, corresponding to modes A and B, respectively, are used to study the two- to three-dimensional transition of the wake flow. It is shown that the wake transition occurs in the early time prior to the onset of the vortex shedding event. For mode A, the spanwise instability grows exponentially downstream of the cylinder with constant wavelength in the early time dynamics and continues after the vortex separation. However, in the case of mode B, the exponential amplification reaches a saturation state before the vortex separation occurs. A splitting of the initially obtained wavelength of the spanwise instability occurs and is related to the splitting of spanwise vortical structures, which develops at the cores of the separation bubbles prior to the vortex shedding.
Switzerland and the UK are relegated to sidelines of European research framework program
Authors: Feder Toni
Published: July 2022

Scientists in those and other countries want science to be separated from politics.
A. V. Hill: The man behind the initials
Authors: Brown Andrew
Published: July 2022

The Nobel Prize winner was one of the founders of biophysics. He also helped rescue thousands of academics from Nazi-dominated Europe and contributed significantly to UK defense efforts in World War II.
Addressing the quantum measurement problem
Authors: Carroll Sean M.
Published: July 2022

Attempts to solve the problem have led to a number of well-defined competing theories. Choosing between them might be crucial for progress in fundamental physics.
Potential use of random and linked SSR markers in establishing the true heterotic pattern in maize (
Authors: Kumar Sumit , Das Abhijit Kumar , Naliath Ritu , Kumar Ramesh , Karjagi Chikkappa G. , Sekhar Javaji C. , Vayas Mukesh , Yathish K. R. , Singh Alla , Mukri Ganapati , Rakshit Sujay
Published: July 2022

Context Establishment of true heterotic pattern in maize germplasm can increase the efficiency of hybrid breeding. Heterosis is dependent on the genetic diversity of parents and the extent of dominance at different loci. Estimation of genetic diversity through use of molecular markers is routine practice in maize breeding. Aims The present study was designed to test whether simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers linked to yield-contributing traits are more reliable for heterotic grouping than random SSRs. Methods Diallel crosses developed among 19 inbred lines were evaluated at multi-locations. The genotypes were also grouped using polymorphic random (50) and linked (47) SSRs. Key results The crosses generated with lines belonging to different heterotic groups of linked SSR markers did not reveal any superiority over the crosses of the diallel set. By contrast, mean performance of inter-heterotic group crosses generated on the basis of random markers was superior to that of intra-heterotic crosses. Specific combining ability effects did not reveal any significant association with genetic distance of random or linked markers. Conclusions The lack of improved efficiency of linked markers over random markers can be attributed to factors including the quantitative nature of the trait, genotype × environment interactions, genetic background of germplasm in which the markers are expressed, and multiple alleles. Implications Markers linked to yield-contributing traits are no more reliable for heterotic grouping than random markers.
(L.) Scop maternal effects on seed dormancy under environmental variations imposed by crop canopy
Authors: Oreja Fernando H. , de la Fuente Elba B.
Published: July 2022

Context Different environmental factors occurring during seed development could be responsible for maternal effects on seed dormancy. Understanding these effects on Digitaria sanguinalis (L.) Scop seeds would help to predict it’s seedling emergence. Aims To study D. sanguinalis maternal effects on seed dormancy level under environmental variations imposed by soybean (Glycine max L.) crop, changing (1) nutrient availability, (2) radiation and (3) soybean canopy presence during different phenological stages of the weed. Methods Field plots experiments under semi-controlled conditions were established to reach these objectives. Key results Among different factors evaluated, radiation was the most important factor, mainly during the reproductive stages of the weed. The reduction in solar radiation received by the mother plant diminished seed dormancy level even in those panicles receiving full sunlight in shaded plants. Conclusions Results suggest that solar radiation and temperature operate together in the mother plants to modify seed dormancy level. Implications Crop management decisions such as long crop cycles, late sowing date and narrow inter-row distances would reduce seed dormancy level and would anticipate a concentrated seedling emergence of the weed.
An enhancer of
Agouti
contributes to parallel evolution of cryptically colored beach mice
Authors: Wooldridge T. Brock , Kautt Andreas F. , Lassance Jean-Marc , McFadden Sade , Domingues Vera S. , Mallarino Ricardo , Hoekstra Hopi E.
Published: July 2022

Identifying the genetic basis of repeatedly evolved traits provides a way to reconstruct their evolutionary history and ultimately investigate the predictability of evolution. Here, we focus on the oldfield mouse (
Peromyscus polionotus
), which occurs in the southeastern United States, where it exhibits considerable color variation. Dorsal coats range from dark brown in mainland mice to near white in mice inhabiting sandy beaches; this light pelage has evolved independently on Florida’s Gulf and Atlantic coasts as camouflage from predators. To facilitate genomic analyses, we first generated a chromosome-level genome assembly of
Peromyscus polionotus subgriseus
. Next, in a uniquely variable mainland population (
Peromyscus polionotus albifrons
), we scored 23 pigment traits and performed targeted resequencing in 168 mice. We find that pigment variation is strongly associated with an ∼2-kb region ∼5 kb upstream of the
Agouti signaling protein
coding region. Using a reporter-gene assay, we demonstrate that this regulatory region contains an enhancer that drives expression in the dermis of mouse embryos during the establishment of pigment prepatterns. Moreover, extended tracts of homozygosity in this
Agouti
region indicate that the light allele experienced recent and strong positive selection. Notably, this same light allele appears fixed in both Gulf and Atlantic coast beach mice, despite these populations being separated by >1,000 km. Together, our results suggest that this identified
Agouti
enhancer allele has been maintained in mainland populations as standing genetic variation and from there, has spread to and been selected in two independent beach mouse lineages, thereby facilitating their rapid and parallel evolution.
EGCG-coated silver nanoparticles self-assemble with selenium nanowires for treatment of drug-resistant bacterial infections by generating ROS and disrupting biofilms
Authors: Yang Chenhao , Wang Zekun , Gao Yue , Li Man , Li Yuqing , Dai Chunxue , Wang Yunsheng , Sun Dongdong
Published: July 2022

Bacterial infections pose a serious threat to human health, and the development of new antibiotics has not kept pace with the development of bacterial resistance. Therefore, there is an urgent need to design antibiotic-like nano-formulations that break through bacterial resistance mechanisms. In this work, we successfully synthesized a safe and effective antibacterial nano-formulation of Se@Ag@EGCG by self-assembly of epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG)-coated silver nanoparticles (Ag) on the surface of selenium nanowires (Se). The in vitro bacteriostatic results showed that 40 μg ml−1 Se@Ag@EGCG had significant antibacterial activity against drug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and Escherichia coli (E. coli) by destroying the formation of bacterial biofilm, promoting the production of high concentration reactive oxygen species and destroying bacterial cell wall. In addition, the results of in vivo antibacterial experiments showed that subcutaneous administration of 10 mg kg−1 of Se@Ag@EGCG could promote wound healing by reducing apoptosis and inflammatory responses in infected wounds. It is worth mentioning that the reduced and modified Se@Ag@EGCG by this natural product has negligible in vivo toxicity. This development strategy of nano-antibacterial materials, which breaks through the drug resistance mechanism, provides new ideas for the development of drugs for drug-resistant bacterial infections.
Small-world disordered lattices: spectral gaps and diffusive transport
Authors: Rosa Matheus I N , Ruzzene Massimo
Published: July 2022

We investigate the dynamic behavior of lattices with disorder introduced through non-local network connections. Inspired by the Watts–Strogatz small-world model, we employ a single parameter to determine the probability of local connections being re-wired, and to induce transitions between regular and disordered lattices. These connections are added as non-local springs to underlying periodic one-dimensional (1D) and two-dimensional (2D) square, triangular and hexagonal lattices. Eigenmode computations illustrate the emergence of spectral gaps in various representative lattices for increasing degrees of disorder. These gaps manifest themselves as frequency ranges where the modal density goes to zero, or that are populated only by localized modes. In both cases, we observe low transmission levels of vibrations across the lattice. Overall, we find that these gaps are more pronounced for lattice topologies with lower connectivity, such as the 1D lattice or the 2D hexagonal lattice. We then illustrate that the disordered lattices undergo transitions from ballistic to super-diffusive or diffusive transport for increasing levels of disorder. These properties, illustrated through numerical simulations, unveil the potential for disorder in the form of non-local connections to enable additional functionalities for metamaterials. These include the occurrence of disorder-induced spectral gaps, which is relevant to frequency filtering devices, as well as the possibility to induce diffusive-type transport which does not occur in regular periodic materials, and that may find applications in dynamic stress mitigation.
Optimization and implementation of a surface-electrode ion trap junction
Authors: Zhang Chi , Mehta Karan K , Home Jonathan P
Published: July 2022

We describe the design of a surface-electrode ion trap junction, which is a key element for large-scale ion trap arrays. A bi-objective optimization method is used for designing the electrodes, which maintains the total pseudo-potential curvature while minimizing the axial pseudo-potential gradient along the ion transport path. To facilitate the laser beam delivery for parallel operations in multiple trap zones, we implemented integrated optics on each arm of this X-junction trap. The layout of the trap chip for commercial foundry fabrication is presented. This work suggests routes to improving ion trap junction performance in scalable implementations. Together with integrated optical addressing, this contributes to modular trapped-ion quantum computing in interconnected two-dimensional arrays.
Geochemical evolution of basaltic flows from Dongargarh Supergroup, Bastar Craton, Central India
Authors: Haidar Tanveer , Misra Sagar , Vishwakarma Neeraj , Hari K. R.
Published: July 2022

Composition of basalts in magmatic arcs influenced by the subducting lithosphere, mantle wedge, dehydration of oceanic crust, and/or crustal assimilation beneath the arc. In this paper, we compiled earlier published geochemical data of Dongargarh basalts to decipher the genesis of volcanic rocks. SiO2 vs (FeO + MgO) plot of basalt suggests the volcanic rocks are tholeiitic in composition. Primitive mantle and REE normalized plots indicate either the source was enriched mantle or a possible interaction of depleted magmatic source with the Paleoarchean continental crust in the Bastar Craton. The primitive mantle normalized diagram shows a negative anomaly of Nb, Ti, and Ta indicates subduction-related magmatism. In addition to the basalt composition, variation diagrams for tectonic settings represent the continental arc-related magmatism. From the available geochemical data of basalts and earlier studies on Dongargarh volcanic, there was an oceanic ridge that was subducted beneath the continental plate. The source of Pitepani basalts was significantly enriched in HFSE and REE as compared to mid-oceanic basalts. Thus the study finds the volcanic rocks are part of enriched mantle source that formed in the subduction-related magmatism.
Channel Migration and Consequential Land Use Land Cover Changes of Subansiri River, Assam, North-Eastern India
Authors: Acharjee Shukla , Das Rajib Tarani , Shekhar Shubhendu , Singh Neelratan , Goswami Uttam , Dilini M.M.G.S. , Mawale Y.K. , Iyengar B.K. , Negi R S
Published: July 2022

Subansiri River is the largest tributary of the Brahmaputra River running through the Indian states of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh, and Tibet, the Autonomous Region of China. The Subansiri River is 442 km long with a drainage basin of 32,640 km2 and it contributes approximately 7.92% of the Brahmaputra’s total flow. Sequential Channel shifting has been witnessed as the most important characteristic of the Subansiri River of Assam. The detailed study on channel migration of the present course of the Subansiri River through the upper floodplain of Brahmaputra valley indicates that the area is under active erosion for a long time. Therefore, an attempt has been made to understand the relationship between the rate of channel migration and successive land use/land cover changes in its surrounding floodplain area. The Support Vector Machine (SVM) and the Artificial Neural Network (ANN) algorithms are applied on Landsat images of the years 1973, 1988, 2001, and 2017 for generating land use/land cover maps through supervised classification technique. The overall accuracy of the land use/land cover classification ranges between 81% (for the year 1988) and 84% (for the year 2017). The land use/land cover maps show an increase in the built-up area and a decrease in the agricultural area. The change has been observed vis-a-vis channel migration indicating that the migration directly affects the floodplain habitats which in turn affects the land use, Findings of this study highlight geomorphological instabilities of the study area and the vulnerability of the habitations residing near the Subansiri river.
Rice Leaf Disease Classification Using Cnn
Authors: Tejaswini Pallapothala , Singh Priyanshi , Ramchandani Monica , Rathore Yogesh Kumar , Janghel Rekh Ram
Published: July 2022

Rice is amongst the majorly cultivated crops in India and its leaf diseases can have a substantial impact on output and quality. The most important component is identifying rice leaf diseases, which have a direct impact on the economy and food security. Brown spot, Leaf Blast, Hispa are the most frequently occurring rice leaf diseases. To resolve this issue, we have studied various machine learning and deep learning approaches for detecting the diseases on their leaves by calculating their accuracy, recall, and precision to measure the performance. This study helps the farmers by detecting the diseases in rice leaves in order to get a healthy crop yield. The deep learning models perform well when compared with the machine learning methods. After analyzing all of the deep learning models, we found that the 5-layer convolution model had the best accuracy of 78.2 %, while others, such as VGG16, had a lower accuracy of 58.4%.
Study of effects of some metals and hydraulic retention time on performance of AMD treatment by SAPS
Authors: Patel M. D.
Published: July 2022

Acid mine drainage (AMD) is presently observed as one of the major water pollution problems in mining area throughout the world. Proper scientific management of AMD is essential for achieving the national goals for environmental norms. In this studyperformance of AMD treatment by laboratory successive alkalinity producing system (SAPS) by observing the effects of some metals and hydraulic retention time. In this study the experiments were conducted in laboratory successive alkalinity producing system (SAPS) with different synthetic AMDs for five Hydraulic retention times(HRTs). The successive alkalinity producing system shown the promising results during the AMD treatment. The effects of iron, aluminium and manganese were jointly investigated, whichshowed that Net alkalinity generation (NAG) increases with increase in influent metal contents. It was also observed thatNAG also showed increasing tendency with HRT during AMD treatment by SAPS. The obtained findings from this study can be applied for efficient design and operation of successive alkalinity producing system for AMD treatment process in mining industry.
GIS-based Industrial Land Suitability Analysis for locating Industrial Parks in Raipur and Nava Raipur
Authors: Baghel Ankur
Published: July 2022

This paper offers an integrated approach towards the preparation of a mechanism for allocation of land for the industrial parks assessing the land potential for different uses to regulate and manage the use of land and improve the surrounding environment. An Industrial land Suitability Analysis has been carried out to allocate suitable land parcels for industrial development. An Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) with the integration of Geographic Information System based Multi-criterion decision-making (MCDM) was adopted for weighing the parameters. With the pairwise comparison matrix, the establishment of the weights was carried out and based on obtained weights, overlaying was carried out in the GIS interface to generate outputs for the most suitable and least suitable areas for industrial land use with a synthesized suitability map. The final results showed that the prominent locations for future industrial development came mostly near roads and railway routes. Since the utilization of vacant and wastelands with preservation of agricultural fields were prime concerns while deciding on the ranking of the criteria, the suitability results showed lesser agricultural areas than in other areas.
InSAR Data Analysis using Deep Neural Networks
Authors: Agrawal Ayush Kumar , Verma Himanshu , Pasari Sumanta
Published: July 2022

Among all natural disasters, earthquakes cause the most severe devastation to both infrastructure as well as human lives. The pattern of surface deformation from satellite-based measures, such as interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR), helps understand crustal dynamics and associated seismic hazards in tectonically active areas. In the last few years, the exponentially rising volume of InSAR data has led to the formulation of automatic crustal deformation algorithms through data-intensive machine learning models. In this study, we propose the long-short-term memory (LSTM) architecture of deep neural networks to forecast InSAR-based line-of-sight displacement. The model suitably captures the inherent temporal variations of SAR interferograms. The method implementation on a region near Central and East Java, Indonesia shows satisfactory performance (mean absolute percentage error around 2%) of the proposed LSTM model comprising four layers, each consisting of 100 nodes. We therefore conclude that deep neural network is a promising avenue for InSAR time series analysis.
Various Types of Constructed Wetland for Wastewater Treatment-A Review
Authors: Swarnakar Arvind Kumar , Bajpai Samir , Ahmad Ishtiyaq
Published: July 2022

As per the World Health Organization 80% of wastewater is released to the environment without satisfactory treatment. Constructed Wetlands (CWs) are one of the natural wastewater (WW) treatment methods. CWs have been recommended as a low technology, low maintenance, low operation cost, and green technology wastewater treatment system. Many types of CWs are currently in use. This paper studies these different types based on the climate, area, base materials, temperature, contaminant removal efficiency, removal mechanism and physicochemical analysis of various wastewater parameters. It is found that wetlands are successful in removing organic matter–Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD5), Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) and suspended solids and nutrients–total Nitrogen (TN) and total Phosphorus (TP). CWs need to be studied as a promising solution not only for effective treatment of wastewater but also as an economical method to improve the fertility of soil. Further, the paper discusses the scope of future research in CW to further improve the wastewater treatment technology.
Retrieval of aerosols extinction coefficient from calipso satellite observations: a case study over Bhubaneswar
Authors: Sasmita Sushree , Kumar Dudam Bharath
Published: July 2022

In order to examine the effects of aerosols on climate, knowledge on vertical distribution of aerosol in the lower atmosphere is essential. We analysed aerosol extinction coefficient obtained from the Cloud-Aerosol Lidar Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observations (CALIPSO) on board Lidar at campus-3 of KIIT-DU Bhubaneswar during July 2018 to June 2019. Seasonal average (± standard deviation) of extinction coefficient for the winter (December-February: DJF), summer (March-May: MAM), monsoon (June-August: JJA) and post-monsoon (September-November: SON) are found to be 0.22±0.13, 13.08±0.07, 0.27±0.05, 0.15±0.14 km-1, respectively. To differentiate the aerosol loading between the surface and elevated layer, we averaged extinction values for below and above 1km height. At surface level, the values were found to be maximum in post monsoon (0.54±0.13 km-1) and minimum (0.14±0.03 km-1) in winter. Whereas at elevated level, the values exhibit maximum in monsoon (0.45±0.45 km-1) and minimum (0.11±0.02 km-1) in post-monsoon. The vertical profile of aerosol can be used to anticipate aerosol extinction simulations over a variety of time periods and in regions where the CALIOP cannot reach.
Statistical analysis and ANN modelling of tribological performance of aluminium hybrid composites fabricated by PM method
Authors: Hussain Mohd Azmal , Parveen Aasiya , Chauhan Nathi Ram , Suhaib Mohd , Waseem Mohammad
Published: July 2022

This study represents the wear behaviour of the aluminium hybrid composites developed through powder metallurgy. The pure Al-matrix powder was blended with Si3N4/ZrO2 ceramic powders in a high-centrifugal ball mill and then compacted at three different compaction pressure. The sintering of the composites was done in an environment-controlled tube furnace at 500 °C for 1 h. The effect of wt% of the reinforcement, compaction pressure and applied load was investigated on the wear results performed on the pin-on-disc setup. The Analysis of variance (ANOVA) and artificial neural network (ANN) was used for the wear loss results prediction. The ANOVA results revealed that load is a highly influential parameter for wear loss followed by reinforcement and compaction pressure. Furthermore, an ANN model using feed-forward backpropagation analysis was built which found that the predicted and experimental results are close.
New horizons in late-onset essential tremor: a pre-cognitive biomarker of dementia?
Authors: Wang Xinyi , St George Rebecca J , Bai Quan , Tran Son , Alty Jane
Published: July 2022

Essential tremor (ET) is the most common cause of tremor in older adults. However, it is increasingly recognised that 30–50% of ET cases are misdiagnosed. Late-onset ET, when tremor begins after the age of 60, is particularly likely to be misdiagnosed and there is mounting evidence that it may be a distinct clinical entity, perhaps better termed ‘ageing-related tremor’. Compared with older adults with early-onset ET, late-onset ET is associated with weak grip strength, cognitive decline, dementia and mortality. This raises questions around whether late-onset ET is a pre-cognitive biomarker of dementia and whether modification of dementia risk factors may be particularly important in this group. On the other hand, it is possible that the clinical manifestations of late-onset ET simply reflect markers of healthy ageing, or frailty, superimposed on typical ET. These issues are important to clarify, especially in the era of specialist neurosurgical treatments for ET being increasingly offered to older adults, and these may not be suitable in people at high risk of cognitive decline. There is a pressing need for clinicians to understand late-onset ET, but this is challenging when there are so few publications specifically focussed on this subject and no specific features to guide prognosis. More rigorous clinical follow-up and precise phenotyping of the clinical manifestations of late-onset ET using accessible computer technologies may help us delineate whether late-onset ET is a separate clinical entity and aid prognostication.
Prescribing cascades: we see only what we look for, we look for only what we know
Authors: O’Mahony Denis , Rochon Paula A
Published: July 2022

Prescribing cascades are increasingly recognized since they were described in the mid-1990s. Cascades are more likely in older people with multimorbidity and associated polypharmacy where multiple medications can induce a variety of side effects that manifest with various non-specific symptoms that may be misidentified as new geriatric syndromes such as falls, dizziness and new-onset incontinence. Geriatricians encounter medication side effects frequently and will usually consider if an older patient presenting with new symptoms could be experiencing an adverse drug reaction or event. However, most medications prescribed to multimorbid older patients are initiated and continued by prescribers without specialist geriatric training who may not detect medication-induced morbidity. Therefore, novel approaches to the detection and management of prescribing cascades in older people are needed. Currently, the knowledge base surrounding prescribing cascades in older people is evolving towards better methods for cascade detection and secondary prevention. However, the large number of cascades described in the literature, the wide-ranging symptomatology of cascades and the rapidly increasing number of multimorbid older people at risk of cascades represent major challenges for prescribers. Furthermore, prospective prevalence studies of prescribing cascades in older people are lacking. To detect and correct prescribing cascades during routine medication review in multimorbid older people, awareness of cascades is essential. Prescribing cascade awareness in turn requires novel explicit ways of defining cascades to facilitate their rapid detection and correction during medication review. Given that prescribing cascades represent another aspect of inappropriate prescribing (IP), explicit cascades criteria should be integrated with other explicit IP criteria.
Feasibility, reliability and safety of self-assessed orthostatic blood pressure at home
Authors: Gibbon Jake R , Parry Steve W , Witham Miles D , Yarnall Alison , Frith James
Published: July 2022

Background

A postural blood pressure assessment is required to diagnose Orthostatic Hypotension. With increasing remote consultations, alternative methods of performing postural blood pressure assessment are required.

Objective

Determine whether postural blood pressure measurement at home, without a clinician, is reliable, feasible and safe.

Design

Service improvement project within a falls and syncope service in Northeast England.

Subjects

Eligibility criteria: aged ≥60 years; postural blood pressure measurement is indicated and is physically and cognitively able to perform.

Exclusion criteria: nursing home residents, attending clinic in person.

Methods

Postural blood pressure measurements were performed in patients’ homes under clinical observation. Patient-led assessments were performed independent of the clinician, following written guidance. This was followed by a clinical-led assessment after 10-minute supine rest.

Outcomes

Agreement between patient and clinician derived postural blood pressure values and diagnosis of Orthostatic Hypotension; intervention safety, feasibility and acceptability.

Results

Twenty-eight patients were eligible and 25 participated (mean age 75, median Clinical Frailty Score five).

There was 95% agreement (Cohen’s kappa 0.90 (0.70, 1.00)) between patient and clinician derived readings to diagnose orthostatic hypotension.

Postural systolic blood pressure drop correlated strongly (r = 0.80), with patient derived readings overestimating by 1 (−6, 3) mmHg. Limits of agreement, determined via Bland Altman analysis, were +17 and −20 mmHg, greater than pre-determined maximum clinically important difference (±5 mmHg).

Twenty participants performed valid postural blood pressure assessments without clinical assistance.

Conclusions

Patient-led postural blood pressure assessment at home is a reliable, safe and acceptable method for diagnosing Orthostatic Hypotension.
Study of the Ca2+-dependent gene expression of EuPrt, an extracellular metalloprotease produced by the psychro-tolerant bacterium Exiguobacterium undae Su-1
Authors: Arakawa Kiyoaki , Yanai Junta , Watanabe Kunihiko
Published: July 2022

The effect of a Ca2+ ion on the gene expression of an on-demand type of metalloprotease from psychrotrophic Exiguobacterium undae Su-1 (EuPrt) was studied. We first established a modified m m9 medium for strain Su-1 to examine its effect in more detail. Then, when the strain was cultured in m m9 medium and 1.0 m m CaCl2 was added, we detected the mature EuPrt and its precursor proteins via Western blotting analysis and found the relative protease activity and its transcription increased by 50-fold and 7-fold, respectively, at the peak. Furthermore, the intracellular concentration of Ca2+ ions was analyzed using inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES) with other metal ions along the growth of strain Su-1. The intracellular concentration of Ca2+ ion was found to increase as much as 3-fold in response to the addition of an extracellular Ca2+ ions, indicating that euPrt gene expression is regulated by sensing its intracellular concentration.
Responding to Domestic and Family Violence: The Role of Non-Specialist Services and Implications for Social Work
Authors: Ablaza Christine , Kuskoff Ella , Perales Francisco , Parsell Cameron
Published: July 2022

Social workers play a critical role in responding to the needs of individuals impacted by domestic and family violence (DFV). Social work literature has long been devoted to understanding the functioning, accessibility and effectiveness of specialist DFV services. In contrast, much less is known about how non-specialist services can, and do, support victims of DFV. This study addresses this important gap by empirically examining the links between DFV and a non-specialist service designed to assist people experiencing financial hardship. To accomplish this, we draw on an expansive administrative database of assistance records (n = 305,176) from the St Vincent de Paul Society, one of the largest non-specialist support providers in Australia. Descriptive analyses of DFV-related records (n = 4,374) yield novel insights into the socio-demographic profile of clients seeking assistance due to DFV, the types of assistance they required and how non-specialist providers respond to DFV-related requests for assistance. Our results demonstrate that non-specialist services play a critical yet under-recognised role in responding to people impacted by DFV. This has significant social work practice implications, highlighting the importance of specialist DFV services working in tandem with non-specialist services to deliver the best outcomes for victims.
Lymphotoxin-alpha expression in the meninges causes lymphoid tissue formation and neurodegeneration
Authors: James Bates Rachel E , Browne Eleanor , Schalks Renee , Jacobs Heather , Tan Li , Parekh Puja , Magliozzi Roberta , Calabrese Massimiliano , Mazarakis Nicholas D , Reynolds Richard
Published: July 2022

Organized meningeal immune cell infiltrates are suggested to play an important role in cortical grey matter pathology in the multiple sclerosis brain, but the mechanisms involved are as yet unresolved. Lymphotoxin-alpha plays a key role in lymphoid organ development and cellular cytotoxicity in the immune system and its expression is increased in the CSF of naïve and progressive multiple sclerosis patients and post-mortem meningeal tissue. Here we show that persistently increased levels of lymphotoxin-alpha in the cerebral meninges can give rise to lymphoid-like structures and underlying multiple sclerosis-like cortical pathology. Stereotaxic injections of recombinant lymphotoxin-alpha into the rat meninges led to acute meningeal inflammation and subpial demyelination that resolved after 28 days, with demyelination being dependent on prior subclinical immunization with myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein. Injection of a lymphotoxin-alpha lentiviral vector into the cortical meningeal space, to produce chronic localized overexpression of the cytokine, induced extensive lymphoid-like immune cell aggregates, maintained over 3 months, including T-cell rich zones containing podoplanin + fibroblastic reticular stromal cells and B-cell rich zones with a network of follicular dendritic cells, together with expression of lymphoid chemokines and their receptors. Extensive microglial and astroglial activation, subpial demyelination and marked neuronal loss occurred in the underlying cortical parenchyma. Whereas subpial demyelination was partially dependent on previous myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein immunization, the neuronal loss was present irrespective of immunization. Conditioned medium from LTα treated microglia was able to induce a reactive phenotype in astrocytes. Our results show that chronic lymphotoxin-alpha overexpression alone is sufficient to induce formation of meningeal lymphoid-like structures and subsequent neurodegeneration, similar to that seen in the progressive multiple sclerosis brain.
Contribution of B cells to cortical damage in multiple sclerosis
Authors: Bhargava Pavan , Hartung Hans-Peter , Calabresi Peter A
Published: July 2022

Multiple sclerosis is associated with lesions not just in the white matter, but also involving the cortex. Cortical involvement has been linked to greater disease severity and hence understanding the factor underlying cortical pathology could help identify new therapeutic strategies for multiple sclerosis. The critical role of B cells in multiple sclerosis has been clarified by multiple pivotal trials of B-cell depletion in people with multiple sclerosis. The presence of B-cell rich areas of meningeal inflammation in multiple sclerosis has been identified at all stages of multiple sclerosis. Leptomeningeal inflammation is associated with greater extent of cortical demyelination and neuronal loss and with greater disease severity. Recent studies have identified several potential mechanisms by which B cells may mediate cortical injury including antibody production, extracellular vesicles containing neurotoxic substances and production of pro-inflammatory cytokines. Additionally, B cells may indirectly mediate cortical damage through effects on T cells, macrophages or microglia. Several animal models replicate the meningeal inflammation and cortical injury noted in people with multiple sclerosis. Studies in these models have identified Bruton’s tyrosine kinase inhibition and type II anti-CD20 antibodies as potential agents that can impact meningeal inflammation. Trials of anti-CD20 monoclonal antibodies in people with multiple sclerosis have unsuccessfully attempted to eliminate B cells in the leptomeninges. New strategies to target B cells in multiple sclerosis include Bruton’s tyrosine kinase inhibition and cell-based therapies aimed at B cells infected with Epstein–Barr virus. Future studies will clarify the mechanisms by which B cells mediate cortical injury and treatment strategies that can target B cells in the leptomeninges and CNS parenchyma.
Aortic stenosis in homozygous familial hypercholesterolaemia: a paradigm shift over a century
Authors: Bélanger Alexandre M , Akioyamen Leo E , Ruel Isabelle , Hales Lindsay , Genest Jacques
Published: July 2022

Aims

Homozygous familial hypercholesterolaemia (HoFH) is an orphan disease defined by extreme elevations in low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, cutaneous xanthomas, and pre-mature atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. Survival has more than doubled over the past three decades. Aortic stenosis (AS) [supravalvular aortic stenosis (SVAS) or valvular aortic stenosis (VAS)] is commonly encountered. There are no medical treatments available and complex high-risk surgeries represent the only available option in severe cases. A systematic review was performed to summarize the current evidence on AS in HoFH and to determine whether pharmacological treatment (statins) have had an impact on clinical presentation, phenotype and clinical course over the past nine decades (PROSPERO CRD42021250565).

Methods and results

MEDLINE, Embase Classic + Embase, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, PubMed, AfricaWide, and Scopus were searched from inception to 10 November 2021. Searches identified 381 publications, of which 19 were retained; they were cross-sectional or retrospective studies. Separately, 108 individual case reports were described. Within the 424 HoFH cases, AS was identified in 57% of patients in the pre-statin era vs. 35% in patients reported more recently (>2000, long-term statin period). With an increase in longevity due to statins and lipoprotein apheresis, a change in the proportion of patients with SVAS and VAS with a SVAS:VAS ratio of 47:53 and 10:90 for HoFH patients not on statin and on long-term statin, respectively, was noted.

Conclusion

These data suggest that SVAS and VAS are frequent in HoFH and that the phenotype has shifted towards calcific VAS as statins and lipoprotein apheresis improve survival in these patients.
Induced oxidative equilibrium damage and reduced toxin synthesis in Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. niveum by secondary metabolites from Bacillus velezensis WB
Authors: Wang Kexin , Wang Zhigang , Xu Weihui
Published: July 2022

In this study, the antifungal mechanism of secondary metabolites from the WB strain against Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. niveum (Fon) was investigated. The WB strain induced the accumulation of reactive oxygen species in Fon hyphae and caused morphological changes, including surface subsidence and shrinkage deformation. The cell-free supernatants (CFSs) from WB treatment caused a significant increase in superoxide dismutase, catalase, peroxidase and glutathione reductase activities and the contents of soluble protein and malondialdehyde. Additionally, CFSs from WB decreased the fusaric acid concentration in Fon. Transcriptome analysis revealed that the expression of some antioxidant-related genes was upregulated and that the expression of mycotoxin-related genes was downregulated. Four polypeptide compounds from the WB strain, including iturin A, fengycin, surfactin and bacitracin, were identified by ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography–electrospray ionization–tandem mass spectrometry analysis and complete genome mining. RT–qPCR and a quantitative analysis confirmed that the presence of Fon induced the expression of polypeptide genes and elevated polypeptide production. The combined minimum inhibitory concentration and quantitative analysis of four polypeptides revealed that iturin A, fengycin, surfactin and bacitracin might be responsible for inhibiting the growth of Fon. In conclusion, secondary metabolites from strain WB exhibited antifungal effects on Fon by triggering oxidative stress and decreasing toxin levels.
What to expect when you are expecting earthquake early warning
Authors: Minson Sarah E , Cochran Elizabeth S , Saunders Jessie K , McBride Sara K , Wu Stephen , Baltay Annemarie S , Milner Kevin R
Published: July 2022

We present a strategy for earthquake early warning (EEW) alerting that focuses on providing users with a target level of performance for their shaking level of interest (for example, ensuring that users receive warnings for at least 95 per cent of the occurrences of that shaking level). We explore the factors that can affect the accuracy of EEW shaking forecasts including site conditions (which can make shaking more or less varied), the share of earthquake hazard that comes from outlier events, and even the metric of shaking being forecast (with modified Mercalli intensity being the most uncertain quantity to forecast). To provide different locations with the same level of EEW performance, the alert issuance criteria will need to change based on these factors. Finally, we present a hierarchy of information approach with which to communicate EEW system design and performance to the public and other stakeholders, including how frequently alerts will be issued and how accurate those alerts will be.
Repair of atrioventricular disruption after mitral valve replacement utilizing commando procedure principles
Authors: Raevsky Evgeny , Kwanten Lloyd , Cullen Seamus , Stoica Serban
Published: July 2022

Atrioventricular rupture is a life-threatening complication of mitral valve replacement. We present how incising the intervalvular fibrosa critically improves exposure. The aortic valve sacrifice allows access to a large atrioventricular dissociation defect and reliable repair of the anterolateral aspect of mitral valve annulus.
BookliceLiposcelis bostrychophilaNaturally Infected byRickettsia felisCause Fever and Experimental Pneumonia in Mammals
Authors: Mediannikov Oleg , Bechah Yassina , Amanzougaghene Nadia , Lepidi Hubert , Bassene Hubert , Sambou Masse , Lienhard Charles , Benkacimi Linda , Dieme Constentin , Sokhna Cheikh , Fenollar Florence , Raoult Didier
Published: July 2022

Background

Rickettsia felis is emergent in tropical areas. Despite its high morbidity, its natural history has not yet been fully determined. We investigated the role of the common household booklouse, Liposcelis bostrychophila, recently found to harbor R. felis.

Methods

Blood samples from 372 febrile patients from Senegalese villages, as well as nasal and skin samples from 264 asymptomatic individuals, were tested for cat flea–associated and booklice-associated strains of R. felis. Dust samples from beds were collected to isolate booklice and R. felis. Mice were infected with aerosol of R. felis strain from naturally infected booklice.

Results

Forty febrile patients (11%) were infected by R. felis, including 26 (7%) by the booklice-associated strain. Nine nasal samples (3.4%) and 28 skin samples (10.6%) contained R. felis, including 7 and 24, respectively, with the booklice-associated strain. The presence of live L. bostrychophila was observed in 32 dust samples (16.8%); R. felis was identified in 62 dust samples (32.5%). Several mice samples were positive for R. felis; interstitial lymphohistiocytic infiltrates were identified in lungs.

Conclusions

Liposcelis bostrychophila may be a reservoir of R. felis. The booklice-associated strain is pathogenic in mammals, causing pneumonia. Human infection may be acquired via inhalation of infected booklice particles.