bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Prevention of maternal and neonatal death/infections with a single oral dose of azithromycin in women in labour in low-income and middle-income countries (A-PLUS): a study protocol for a multinational, randomised placebo-controlled clinical trial
Authors: Hemingway-Foday Jennifer , Tita Alan , Chomba Elwyn , Mwenechanya Musaku , Mweemba Trecious , Nolen Tracy , Lokangaka Adrien , Tshefu Kitoto Antoinette , Lomendje Gustave , Hibberd Patricia L , Patel Archana , Das Prabir Kumar , Kurhe Kunal , Goudar Shivaprasad S , Kavi Avinash , Metgud Mrityunjay , Saleem Sarah , Tikmani Shiyam S , Esamai Fabian , Nyongesa Paul , Sagwe Amos , Figueroa Lester , Mazariegos Manolo , Billah Sk Masum , Haque Rashidul , Shahjahan Siraj Md , Goldenberg Robert L , Bauserman Melissa , Bose Carl , Liechty Edward A , Ekhaguere Osayame A , Krebs Nancy F , Derman Richard , Petri William A , Koso-Thomas Marion , McClure Elizabeth , Carlo Waldemar A
Published: August 2023

Introduction

Maternal and neonatal infections are among the most frequent causes of maternal and neonatal mortality, and current antibiotic strategies have been ineffective in preventing many of these deaths. A randomised clinical trial conducted in a single site in The Gambia showed that treatment with an oral dose of 2 g azithromycin versus placebo for all women in labour reduced certain maternal and neonatal infections. However, it is unknown if this therapy reduces maternal and neonatal sepsis and mortality. In a large, multinational randomised trial, we will evaluate the impact of azithromycin given in labour to improve maternal and newborn outcomes.

Methods and analysis

This randomised, placebo-controlled, multicentre clinical trial includes two primary hypotheses, one maternal and one neonatal. The maternal hypothesis is to test whether a single, prophylactic intrapartum oral dose of 2 g azithromycin given to women in labour will reduce maternal death or sepsis. The neonatal hypothesis will test whether this intervention will reduce intrapartum/neonatal death or sepsis. The intervention is a single, prophylactic intrapartum oral dose of 2 g azithromycin, compared with a single intrapartum oral dose of an identical appearing placebo. A total of 34 000 labouring women from 8 research sites in sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia and Latin America will be randomised with a one-to-one ratio to intervention/placebo. In addition, we will assess antimicrobial resistance in a sample of women and their newborns.

Ethics and dissemination

The study protocol has been reviewed and ethics approval obtained from all the relevant ethical review boards at each research site. The results will be disseminated via peer-reviewed journals and national and international scientific forums.

Trial registration number

NCT03871491(https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03871491?term=NCT03871491&draw=2&rank=1).
Effects of empagliflozin on cardiac structure, function and biomarkers in patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction: study protocol for a randomised, placebo-controlled prospective trial
Authors: Chai Ke , Luo Yao , Zhang Min , Liu Yujia , Li Yingying , Cheng Yalin , Zhu Wanrong , Meng Chen , Yang Jiefu , Wang Hua
Published: August 2023

Introduction

Heart failure (HF) with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) has become the main type of HF worldwide. Although large randomised controlled studies have demonstrated the beneficial effects of sodium–glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors among patients with HFpEF, the mechanisms remain unclear. Basic research suggests that empagliflozin inhibits myocardial fibrosis. Myocardial extracellular volume (ECV) can be calculated using cardiac MRI (CMRI), which can reflect the degree of diffuse myocardial fibrosis. Studies show that empagliflozin can reduce ECV and left ventricular mass (LVM) assessed by CMRI in patients with diabetes with coronary heart disease and patients without diabetes with HF with reduced ejection fraction. However, whether empagliflozin reduces ECV and LVM among patients with HFpEF is unclear. This study intends to use CMRI to evaluate ECV and LVM, combined with echocardiography and an assessment of related biomarkers, to determine whether empagliflozin can improve myocardial fibrosis and left ventricular remodelling in patients with HFpEF.

Methods and analysis

This report describes the study design of a prospective, multicentre, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled and parallel-group clinical study. A total of 180 participants with HFpEF aged 40–80 years old who meet the inclusion and exclusion criteria will be randomly divided into an empagliflozin treatment group or a placebo control group. The empagliflozin treatment group will receive 10 mg of empagliflozin per day for 6 months in addition to guideline-directed medical treatment, while the control group will receive placebo oral administration with guideline-directed medical therapy for 6 months. The primary outcomes are ECV and LVM changes measured by CMRI after 6 months of treatment.

Ethics and dissemination

The study design is approved by the ethical committee of Beijing Hospital (2022BJYYEC-070-02). The trial is registered at the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (http://www.chictr.org.cn). The trial results will be published in peer-reviewed journals and conferences.

Trial registration number

Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (ChiCTR2200060862).
Development and content of a community-based reablement programme (I-MANAGE): a co-creation study
Authors: Mouchaers Ines , Verbeek Hilde , Kempen Gertrudis I J M , van Haastregt Jolanda C M , Vlaeyen Ellen , Goderis Geert , Metzelthin Silke F
Published: August 2023

Objectives

As age increases, people generally start experiencing problems related to independent living, resulting in an increased need for long-term care services. Investing in sustainable solutions to promote independent living is therefore essential. Subsequently, reablement is a concept attracting growing interest. Reablement is a person-centred, holistic approach promoting older adults’ active participation through daily, social, leisure and physical activities. The aim of this paper is to describe the development and content of I-MANAGE, a model for a reablement programme for community-dwelling older adults.

Design

The development of the programme was performed according to the Medical Research Council framework as part of the TRANS-SENIOR international training and research network. A co-creation design was used, including literature research, observations, interviews, and working group sessions with stakeholders.

Setting and participants

The interviews and working group sessions took place in the Dutch long-term home care context. Stakeholders invited to the individual interviews and working group sessions included care professionals, policymakers, client representatives, informal caregiver representatives, informal caregivers, and scientific experts.

Results

The co-creation process resulted in a 5-phase interdisciplinary primary care programme, called I-MANAGE. The programme focuses on improving the self-management and well-being of older adults by working towards their meaningful goals. During the programme, the person’s physical and social environment will be put to optimal use, and sufficient support will be provided to informal caregivers to reduce their burden. Lastly, the programme aims for continuity of care and better communication and coordination.

Conclusion

The I-MANAGE programme can be tailored to the local practices and resources and is therefore suitable for the use in different settings, nationally and internationally. If the programme is implemented as described, it is important to closely monitor the process and results.
Exploring usual care for patients with low back pain in primary care: a cross-sectional study of general practitioners, physiotherapists and chiropractors
Authors: Madsen Simon Dyrløv , Morsø Lars , Vach Werner , Andersen Merethe Kirstine , Lykkegaard Jesper , Schiøttz-Christensen Berit , Stochkendahl Mette Jensen
Published: August 2023

Objectives

To explore the elements and composition of care provided by general practitioners (GPs), physiotherapists (PTs) and chiropractors (DCs) to patients with low back pain (LBP).

Design

Observational study.

Setting

Primary care setting, Denmark.

Participants

Primary care clinicians (GPs, PTs and DCs) in the Region of Southern Denmark were invited to register consecutive adult patient visits with LBP as the primary complaint.

Primary outcome measures

Clinicians reported care elements provided to patients with LBP. Elements varied due to professional differences (eg, prescriptive rights). Data were descriptively analysed, on group and individual levels, for frequency and combination of care elements, and practice patterns were explored with latent class analysis.

Results

The clinicians (33 GPs, 67 PTs and 43 DCs with a median experience of 15 years and 59% were females) registered 3500 patient visits. On average, the visits involved patients aged 51 years, and 51% were with females. The frequencies of common care elements across professions were information (42%–56% of visits between professions) and advice (56%–81%), while other common elements for GPs were pain medication (40%) and referrals to PTs (36%), for PTs, use of exercises (81%) and for DCs, use of manual therapy (96%). Substantial variation was observed within professions and distinct practice patterns, with different focuses of attention to information and advice versus exercise and manual therapy, were identified for PTs and DCs.

Conclusions

These data indicate substantial variation in the care elements provided by GPs, PTs and DCs to LBP patients. The compositions of care and practice patterns identified challenge the understanding of usual care as a uniform concept and professions as homogeneous groups. Strategic use of particular care elements in different parts of treatment courses is indicated. Longitudinal data and qualitative enquiry are needed to assess if or how care is tailored to individual patients.
Health risk perceptions of household air pollution and perceived benefits of improved stoves among pregnant women in rural Ethiopia: a mixed method study
Authors: Habtamu Demelash , Abebe Beyene , Seid Tiku
Published: August 2023

Objective

Since community perceptions of the risk of biomass smoke and the benefits of improved stoves play a critical role in behaviour change to the uptake and sustainable utilisation of improved stoves, we aimed to assess the level of health risk perception on kitchen smoke and benefits of using improved stoves among pregnant women.

Design

A community-based cross-sectional mixed method study.

Setting

In six kebeles of a low-income rural community of South Gondar Zone, Northwestern Ethiopia.

Participants

All 455 households with pregnant women aged 18–38 years, in their first-trimester or second-trimester gestation, exclusively use traditional biomass-fuelled or locally modified mud stoves, and the primary cook in her household were included. But completed data were obtained only from 422 households.

Result

From 422 completed data, more than half, 63% (95% CI 58% to 68%) had high-level health risk perception of household air pollution, and nearly three-fourths, 74% (95% CI 70% to 79%) of the respondents perceived that using improved stove had benefits for their families. Participants in the 32–38 years age group, rich in asset index, presence of under-five children, being a member of any women group and large family size were positively associated with high-level health risk perception. Whereas respondents in the 18–24 years age group, presence of under-five children, husbands of primary or higher education, high health risk perception and not happy with the current stove were positively associated with perceived benefits of using an improved stove.

Conclusion

The observed level of health risk perception of biomass smoke and the benefits of using improved stoves may help to adopt effective intervention measures. This study also suggests that for successful intervention, clean cooking programmes and policies must consider many local factors influencing health risk perception and benefits of using improved stoves.

Trial registration number

ACTR202111534227089.
Trends in renal function in Northern Sweden 1986–2014: data from the seven cross-sectional surveys within the Northern Sweden MONICA study
Authors: de Man Lapidoth Julia , Hultdin Johan , Jonsson P Andreas , Eriksson Svensson Maria , Wennberg Maria , Zeller Tanja , Söderberg Stefan
Published: August 2023

Objective

The prevalence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) is increasing globally, and CKD is closely related to cardiovascular disease (CVD). CKD and CVD share several risk factors (RF), such as diabetes, hypertension, obesity and smoking, and the prevalence of these RF has changed during the last decades, and we aimed to study the effect on renal function over time.

Design

Repeated cross-sectional population-based studies.

Setting

The two Northern counties (Norr- and Västerbotten) in Sweden.

Participants

Within the MONitoring Trends and Determinants of CArdiovascular Disease (MONICA) study, seven surveys were performed between 1986 and 2014, including participants aged 25–64 years (n=10 185).

Interventions

None.

Measures

Information on anthropometry, blood pressure and cardiovascular risk factors was collected. Creatinine and cystatin C were analysed in stored blood samples and the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) calculated using the creatinine-based Lund–Malmö revised and Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration (eGFRcrea) equations as well as the cystatin C-based Caucasian, Asian, Paediatric and Adult cohort (CAPA) equation (eGFRcysC). Renal function over time was analysed using univariable and multivariable linear regression models.

Results

Renal function, both eGFRcreaand eGFRcysC, decreased over time (both p<0.001) and differed between counties and sexes. In a multivariable analysis, study year remained inversely associated with both eGFRcreaand eGFRcysC(both p<0.001) after adjustment for classical cardiovascular RF.

Conclusion

Renal function has deteriorated in Northern Sweden between 1986 and 2014.
Prevalence of Chinese pregnant women meeting physical activity recommendation and its influencing factors: a protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Zhang Wei , Zhang Le , Wang Xiaojuan , Xu Ping , Guo Pingping , Mao Minna , Zhao Rujia , Feng Suwen
Published: August 2023

Introduction

Regular physical activity during pregnancy is effective in preventing diseases and promoting the health outcomes of mothers and babies. However, the level of physical activity among them is not ideal. Especially in China, the proportion of pregnant women who meet the recommendation of physical activity in the guidelines is even lower. Thus, we aim to evaluate the prevalence of meeting physical activity recommendation and its influencing factors during pregnancy in China.

Methods and analysis

This protocol is developed according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Protocols guidelines. PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, CINAHL, MEDLINE, PsycINFO, EMBASE, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), China Science and Technology Journal Database (Weipu) and WanFang Data will be comprehensively searched by two reviewers. Studies that report the prevalence of Chinese pregnant women meeting physical activity recommendation will be included. Two reviewers will independently assess eligibility, extract data and evaluate methodological quality. Data including authors, publication years, language, geographical region, tools, trimesters, prevalence and influence factors will be extracted. Data will be analysed by Stata V.11 statistical software.

Ethics and dissemination

No formal ethics approval is required for this protocol and no primary data are to be collected. Findings from this review may be useful to develop interventions for the physical activity of pregnant women in China. The results will be disseminated through peer-reviewed journals, conference presentations and public events.

PROSPERO registration number

CRD42022372722
Optimal antiplatelet strategy following coronary artery bypass grafting: a meta-analysis
Authors: Agrawal Ankit , Kumar Ashwin , Majid Muhammad , Badwan Osamah , Arockiam Aro Daniela , El Dahdah Joseph , Syed Alveena B , Schleicher Mary , Reed Grant W , Cremer Paul C , Griffin Brian P , Menon Venu , Wang Tom Kai Ming
Published: August 2023

Objective

Coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) is an established revascularisation strategy for multivessel and left main coronary artery disease. Although aspirin is routinely recommended for patients with CABG, the optimal antiplatelet regimen after CABG remains unclear. We evaluated the efficacies and risks of different antiplatelet regimens (dual (DAPT) versus single (SAPT), and dual with clopidogrel (DAPT-C) versus dual with ticagrelor or prasugrel (DAPT-T/P)) after CABG.

Methods

We followed Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines and performed a comprehensive literature search using PubMed, Ovid Medline, Ovid Embase and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials. Data were extracted and pooled using random-effects models and Review Manager (V.5.4).

Results

Among the 2970 article abstracts screened, 215 full-text articles were reviewed and 38 studies totaling 77 447 CABG patients were included for analyses. DAPT compared with SAPT was associated with significantly lower all-cause mortality (OR 0.65 with 95% CI 0.50 to 0.86; p=0.002), cardiovascular mortality (OR 0.53, 95% CI 0.33 to 0.84; p=0.008), and major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events (MACCE) (OR 0.68, 95% CI 0.51 to 0.91; p=0.01), but higher rates of major (OR 1.30, 95% CI 1.08 to 1.56; p=0.007) and minor bleeding (OR 1.87, 95% CI 1.28 to 2.74; p=0.001) after CABG. DAPT-T/P compared with DAPT-C was associated with significantly lower all-cause (OR 0.43, 95% CI 0.29 to 0.65; p≤0.0001) and cardiovascular mortality (OR 0.44, 95% CI 0.24 to 0.80; p=0.008), and no differences on other cardiovascular or bleeding outcomes after CABG.

Conclusion

In patients with CABG, DAPT compared with SAPT and DAPT-T/P compared with DAPT-C were associated with reduction in all-cause and cardiovascular mortality, especially in patients with acute coronary syndrome. Additionally, DAPT was associated with reduction in MACCE, but higher rates of major and minor bleeding. An individualised approach to choosing antiplatelet regimen is necessary for patients with CABG based on ischaemic and bleeding risks.
Interrupted time series analysis of drug overdose fatalities in service-related industries versus non-service-related industries during the COVID-19 pandemic, 2018–2021
Authors: Bunn Terry L , Costich Julia F , Mirzaian Mira , Daniels Lara K , Wang Dandan , Quesinberry Dana
Published: August 2023

Background

Variation among industries in the association between COVID-19-related closing or reopening orders and drug overdose deaths is unknown. The objectives of this study were to compare drug overdose decedent demographics, annual drug overdose fatality rates and monthly drug overdose fatality rates by specific industry within the service-related industry sector, and to perform an interrupted time series analysis comparing weekly drug overdose mortality counts in service-related and non-service-related industries, examining the COVID-19 pre-pandemic and pandemic phases by Kentucky closing and reopening orders.

Methods

Kentucky drug overdose death certificate and toxicology testing data for years 2018–2021 were analysed using Χ2and interrupted time series methods.

Results

Before the pandemic, annual drug overdose fatality rates in service-related industries were higher than in non-service-related industries. However, these trends reversed during the pandemic. Both service-related and non-service-related industry groups experienced increased fatal drug overdoses at change points associated with the gubernatorial business closure orders, although the magnitude of the increase differed between the two groups. Young, female and black workers in service-related industries had higher frequencies of drug overdose deaths compared with decedents in the non-service-related industries.

Conclusion

Spikes in drug overdose mortality in both service-related and non-service-related industries during the pandemic highlight the need to consider and include industries and occupations, as well as worker populations vulnerable to infectious diseases, as integral stakeholder groups when developing and implementing drug overdose prevention interventions, and implementing infectious disease surveillance systems.
Should a borderline negative HER2 result in a core biopsy of invasive carcinoma of the breast have HER2 assessment repeated in the excision specimen?
Authors: Lee Andrew H S , Hodi Zsolt , Abbas Areeg , Wencyk Peter , Ellis Ian O , Rakha Emad
Published: August 2023

Aim

The 2015 UK guidelines for HER2 assessment in breast cancer recommended repeat assessment if the core biopsy was scored as 2+ on HER2 immunohistochemistry (IHC) with borderline negative in situ hybridisation (ratio of number of HER2 to chromosome 17 centromere copies of 1.8–1.99). This case series aimed to assess the value of such repeat assessment in the surgical specimen, in particular the proportion that were HER2 positive.

Methods

Details of biopsies with 2+ IHC and borderline negative in situ hybridisation were extracted from a database. The results of repeat HER2 testing in the surgical specimen for this cohort study were then obtained.

Results

112 patients with no preoperative treatment had repeat assessment: 4 were 3+ and 16 were 2+ amplified. Of 14 with preoperative chemotherapy, 1 was 3+ and 4 were 2+ amplified. All the 2+ amplified carcinomas had a HER2 to chromosome 17 ratio less than 4, in 50% the ratio was between 2.0 and 2.2, and in 50% the HER2 copy number was less than 4.

Conclusions

Repeat assessment yielded 4% 3+ results and 14% 2+ amplified carcinomas but with low level amplification. These results suggest that retesting of borderline negative HER2 cases should be optional and no longer mandatory.
Triple jump for the optimal management of psoriatic arthritis: diet, sleep and exercise – a review
Authors: Lubrano Ennio , Scriffignano Silvia , de Vlam Kurt , Ronga Mario , Perrotta Fabio Massimo , Lories Rik
Published: August 2023

Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is a complex, multiform and chronic inflammatory disease characterised by the association of arthritis and psoriasis combined with other related conditions and comorbidities. Treatment of PsA has rapidly evolved by the introduction of new biological drugs and small molecules which allow to achieve disease remission or low disease activity in most of the patients. However, unmet treatment needs still persist for those patients with persistent disease activity or symptoms, impaired function, reduced quality of life or comorbidities. In this context, non-pharmacological approaches, including diet modifications, an adequate sleep quality and physical activity could provide additional benefits. In recent years, diet modifications, improvement of sleep quality and physical activity became an area of interest for researchers and some studies showed how a holistic non-pharmacological approach may ameliorate the quality of life of patients with PsA.

The aim of this manuscript was to review the current evidence on the intriguing link and potential effects of diet, sleep and exercise in PsA patients. In particular, we reviewed the literature focusing on the possible benefits of a holistic approach to PsA patients considering lifestyle modifications.
Theoretical framework for predicting accumulation of soil berms and peak sliding resistance for tolerably mobile foundations
Authors: Jia T. , Stanier S. , Watson P. , Feng X. , Gourvenec S.
Published: August 2023

Tolerably mobile subsea foundations are designed to slide on the seabed to accommodate flowline thermal expansion and contraction, and are a potential alternative to conventional (fixed) foundations. During the periodic sliding events that occur during operation, soil berms form at the extremities of the foundation footprint. The size of the berm increases throughout the life-cycle of the foundation, leading to increasing peak sliding resistance. This may hinder mobility of the foundation and overstress the pipeline connections that the foundation is designed to support. Equally, the berms may be relied on to reduce sliding and thus minimize settlement of the foundation, which can also overstress pipeline connections. This paper analyses the mechanism leading to berm accumulation and its mobilisation, also addressing periodic remoulding and reconsolidation of the sediment in the berm. A framework is proposed to predict the accumulation of soil berms and the resulting peak sliding resistance, and is validated by eight centrifuge model tests performed on a kaolin clay and a calcareous silt.
A comparative methodological approach to studying the diet of a recovering marine predator, the grey seal (Halichoerus grypus)
Authors: McCosker Christina M. , Olson Zachary H. , Ono Kathryn A.
Published: August 2023

Anthropogenic influences caused depletion and subsequent recovery of marine predators, but ecological consequences of altered predator abundance are not well understood. Although many methods are used to study predator diets, methodological biases and logistical challenges preclude robust sampling schemes. We aimed to compare two non-invasive methods: metabarcoding scat-derived deoxyribonucleic acid and hard parts analysis of scat for the Northwest Atlantic grey seal ( Halichoerus grypus (Fabricius, 1791)), a species that rebounded after near extirpation. We hypothesized that metabarcoding would detect a greater diversity and frequency of prey, and that notable differences in diet will be detected since prior studies. Grey seal scat samples ( N = 247) were collected between 2018 and 2019 from Monomoy Island, Massachusetts, USA. Metabarcoding detected greater prey richness on average, with more frequent detections of clupeids (Clupeidae) and flatfish (Pleuronectiformes), whereas hard parts analysis more frequently detected phycid hakes ( Urophycis spp. Gill, 1863). Combining methods increased detections of 13 prey taxa, with 32 prey taxa identified overall. Skates (Rajidae), flatfish, clupeids, and sand lance ( Ammodytes spp. Linnaeus, 1758) were top-occurring prey. Our study highlights the importance of using multiple methods to characterize generalist predator diets using non-invasive techniques and suggests grey seal diet has changed since the early 2000s.
EVALUATION OF SHALE GAS EXPLORATION BY MICROSTRUCTURE BEHAVIOR AND SHALE PERMEABILITY BASED ON FRACTAL THEORY AND UNDER MULTI-FIELD EFFECTS
Authors: YE DAYU , LIU GUANNAN , YU BOMING , ZHANG XUTONG , GAO FENG
Published: August 2023

The key to shale gas exploration is the characterization of gas migration under the combination of multiple factors. To address the long-standing energy challenge of rapidly and accurately quantifying the behavior of natural fractures and matrix pores in shale at an engineering scale in interaction with gas migration. This study proposes an interdisciplinary model for shale gas extraction by adopting fractal theory. Five innovative microstructural parameters are developed to characterize the size and scale of natural matrix pores/fractures in shale, so as to investigate the contributions of fractal distributed pores and fractal power-law distributed fractures to shale gas extraction. The present results of the proposed model are consistent with the exploitation state of the UK Bowland Shale #114 well. The evolution of the shale microstructure will lead to changes in gas migration behavior throughout the reservoir and in turn affect shale stress, temperature and gas adsorption–desorption effect, and finally have a significant impact on permeability. It is found that in the present analysis of the entire Bowland Shale, the overall permeability changes by 10.8% with the evolution of fractal distributed pores and by 41.3% with the evolution of fractal power-law fractures. This work provides a new approach for rapidly exploring the behavior of shale fractures and matrix pores at engineering scales. This work also offers a new and practical baseline for shale gas extraction assessment and fossil energy management.
Physics-Inspired Optimization in the QUBO Framework: Key Concepts and Approaches
Authors: Yu Lien-Po , Nien Chin-Fu
Published: August 2023

Quantum computing promises to have a tremendous advantage over its classical counterpart for solving computationally hard problems, yet remains in a relatively early stage for practical applications owing to the limited capabilities of today’s quantum computers. The approach to the special purposes of quantum computers by exploiting the special-purpose physics-inspired or quantum-inspired computers is emerging as a novel alternative to its quantum counterpart in tackling hard problems in high-performance computing. Inspired by physics, the Ising machine — a type of special-purpose computer that implements or emulates physics or quantum effects of the Ising model to speed up finding solutions to optimization problems — has recently become an active research area in the field of combinatorial optimization. This paper is to address the key enabling software and hardware technology underlying physics-inspired optimization using Ising machines in the unified quadratic unconstrained binary optimization (QUBO) framework for modeling and solving computationally hard combinatorial optimization problems, and with an aim to shed some light on the challenges and opportunities associated with the ever-growing landscape of this novel high-performance computing.
Modelling and optimization of shallow underground thermal energy storage
Authors: Klemetsdal Øystein , Andersen Odd , Krogstad Stein , Nilsen Halvor Møll , Bastesen Eivind
Published: August 2023

Shallow geothermal reservoirs are excellent candidates for low-enthalpy energy storage, and can serve as heat batteries providing constant discharge of base heat, as well as rapid discharge of heat in periods of high demand. Recharging can be done by pumping down hot water, heated using excess heat from e.g. waste incinerators. In addition to having a very low carbon footprint, such systems also require limited surface infrastructure, and can easily be placed near or under the end-user, such as below residential buildings. The geological setting is typically complex, with horizons, faults, and intertwined patterns of natural fractures, and the nearwell region is often hydraulically fractured to enhance inter-well communication. Therefore, in order to fully utilize the potential of shallow geothermal heat storage, numerical simulations are imperative. In this work, we show how to practically model such systems, including generation of computational grids with a large number of wells and fractures, numerical discretizations with discrete fractures, and complex storage strategies with multiple wells working together under common group targets. We also discuss how adjoint-based methods can be used to tune model parameters (e.g. well injectivities, rock properties, and hydraulic fracture conductivities) so that the model fits observed data, and to find well controls (e.g. rates and temperatures) that optimize storage operations. The methodology is demonstrated using one artificial and two real underground thermal energy storage projects currently under development, and we highlight important challenges and our suggested solutions related to each of them.

Thematic collection:
This article is part of the Earth as a thermal battery: future directions in subsurface thermal energy storage systems collection available at:
https://www.lyellcollection.org/topic/collections/thermal-energy
RACE: An Efficient Redundancy-aware Accelerator for Dynamic Graph Neural Network
Authors: Yu Hui , Zhang Yu , Zhao Jin , Liao Yujian , Huang Zhiying , He Donghao , Gu Lin , Jin Hai , Liao Xiaofei , Liu Haikun , He Bingsheng , Yue Jianhui
Published: August 2023

Dynamic Graph Neural Network
(DGNN) has recently attracted a significant amount of research attention from various domains, because most real-world graphs are inherently dynamic. Despite many research efforts, for DGNN, existing hardware/software solutions still suffer significantly from redundant computation and memory access overhead, because they need to irregularly access and recompute all graph data of each graph snapshot. To address these issues, we propose an efficient redundancy-aware accelerator,
RACE
, which enables energy-efficient execution of DGNN models. Specifically, we propose a
redundancy-aware incremental execution approach
into the accelerator design for DGNN to instantly achieve the output features of the latest graph snapshot by correctly and incrementally refining the output features of the previous graph snapshot and also enable regular accesses of vertices’ input features. Through traversing the graph on the fly, RACE identifies the vertices that are not affected by graph updates between successive snapshots to reuse these vertices’ states (i.e., their output features) of the previous snapshot for the processing of the latest snapshot. The vertices affected by graph updates are also tracked to incrementally recompute their new states using their neighbors’ input features of the latest snapshot for correctness. In this way, the processing and accessing of many graph data that are not affected by graph updates can be correctly eliminated, enabling smaller redundant computation and memory access overhead. Besides, the input features, which are accessed more frequently, are dynamically identified according to graph topology and are preferentially resident in the on-chip memory for less off-chip communications. Experimental results show that RACE achieves on average 1139× and 84.7× speedups for DGNN inference, with average 2242× and 234.2× energy savings, in comparison with the state-of-the-art software DGNN running on Intel Xeon CPU and NVIDIA A100 GPU, respectively. Moreover, for DGNN inference, RACE obtains on average 13.1×, 11.7×, 10.4×, and 7.9× speedup and 14.8×, 12.9×, 11.5×, and 8.9× energy savings over the state-of-the-art Graph Neural Network accelerators, i.e., AWB-GCN, GCNAX, ReGNN, and I-GCN, respectively.
Desistance as an Intergenerational Process
Authors: Wildeman Christopher , Sampson Robert J.
Published: August 2023

Nearly 35 years ago, Sampson and Laub popularized the concept of desistance from crime and isolated core factors that promote and inhibit this process. In this article, we introduce the concept of intergenerational desistance and provide guidance on measuring and explaining this process, encouraging researchers to think of the life-course of crime in terms of both individuals and generations. We first review research on the intergenerational transmission of family criminality and criminal justice contact, relying also on research outside of criminology to highlight how using broader conceptions of the family, including social parents, entire generations, and three (or more) generations could enliven this area. Bridging these literatures allows us to then introduce the concept of intergenerational desistance and elaborate on the concept of intergenerational escalation and demonstrate how they can be measured using data from the Project on Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods (PHDCN). We close by developing a research agenda for considering intergenerational desistance and escalation in ways that enhance our understanding of how the life-course of crime, criminal justice contact, and other troubles in life (e.g., with alcohol, drugs, and mental health) progress through families.
Code of the Street25 Years Later: Lasting Legacies, Empirical Status, and Future Directions
Authors: Fader Jamie J. , León Kenneth Sebastian
Published: August 2023

This review, published on the twenty-fifth anniversary of the publication of Code of the Street (1999), considers the legacies of Elijah Anderson's groundbreaking analysis of the interactional rules for negotiating street violence within the context of racism and structural disadvantage in Philadelphia. Empirical testing has yielded substantial support for Code of the Street’s key arguments. In the process of assessing its generalizability, such scholarship has inadvertently flattened and decontextualized the theory by, for example, reducing it to attitudinal scales. We identify a more politically conscious analysis in the original text than it is generally credited with, which we use to argue that “code of the street” has outgrown its reductive categorization as a subcultural theory. We conclude that the pressing issue of urban gun violence makes now an ideal time to refresh the theory by resituating it within the contemporary structural and cultural landscape of urban violence, analyzing the social-ecological features that shape the normative underpinnings of interpersonal violence, and studying the prosocial and adaptive features of the code.
Phaeocystis: A Global Enigma
Authors: Smith Walker O. , Trimborn Scarlett
Published: August 2023

The genus Phaeocystis is globally distributed, with blooms commonly occurring on continental shelves. This unusual phytoplankter has two major morphologies: solitary cells and cells embedded in a gelatinous matrix. Only colonies form blooms. Their large size (commonly 2 mm but up to 3 cm) and mucilaginous envelope allow the colonies to escape predation, but data are inconsistent as to whether colonies are grazed. Cultured Phaeocystis can also inhibit the growth of co-occurring phytoplankton or the feeding of potential grazers. Colonies and solitary cells use nitrate as a nitrogen source, although solitary cells can also grow on ammonium. Phaeocystis colonies might be a major contributor to carbon flux to depth, but in most cases, colonies are rapidly remineralized in the upper 300 m. The occurrence of large Phaeocystis blooms is often associated with environments with low and highly variable light and high nitrate levels, with Phaeocystis antarctica blooms being linked additionally to high iron availability. Emerging results indicate that different clones of Phaeocystis have substantial genetic plasticity, which may explain its appearance in a variety of environments. Given the evidence of Phaeocystis appearing in new systems, this trend will likely continue in the near future.
Expectation Maximization Algorithm for a Battery State of Health Model with Missing Data
Authors: Han Dongqi
Published: August 2023

With the popularity of lithium-ion batteries, battery state of health (SOH) estimation has become one of the current research hotspots. Due to network congestion, collected data usually encounter time-delay or packet loss. In this paper, an expectation maximization (EM) algorithm is proposed for the SOH model which is approximated by a polynomial model. Based on the EM method, the missing data are computed in the E step, and the parameters are updated in the M step. Compared with the least square method, the proposed algorithm has more accurate estimation accuracy. The simulation example shows the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm.
MOF-Derived Copper Selenides Implanted in Octahedral Carbon Matrix for Efficient Hydrogen Evolution Reaction
Authors: Do Ha Huu , Hui Kwun Nam , Vu Pham Gia , Hui Kwan San , Dinh Duc Anh
Published: August 2023

The development of durable, efficient catalysts is vital in electrochemical water dissociation. Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) based nanomaterials have been explored due to their well-distribution metal nodes and stability, but the shortage of efficient cathode compounds for electrochemical hydrogen evolving restricted their industrial applications. Herein, Cu2Se nanocrystals embedded in the octahedral carbon frameworks (Cu2Se/C) were fabricated using a copper-related MOF template through a one-step selenization technique. Interestingly, the catalytic efficacy of Cu2Se/C is better than that of Cu/C and Cu-MOF as catalysts for hydrogen generation in an acidic medium. In particular, Cu2Se/C shows a moderate overpotential of 220 mV at a current density of 10 mA cm−2 and a low Tafel slope of 54.5 mV dec−1. Also, this catalyst presents outstanding durability with 2000 cycling operations and 12 h of testing by chronoamperometry. The high efficiency is assigned to the synergistic effect of Cu2Se nanoparticles and carbon frameworks, which play essential roles in increasing exposed catalytic sites and protected active centers. The results may open potential direction to prepare economical hydrogen-evolving electrocatalysts.
Effect of Hydrogen on the Dissolution of Uranium Dioxide in Peroxide-Containing Environments
Authors: Badley Martin D. M. , Shoesmith David W. , Noёl James J.
Published: August 2023

The ability of hydrogen (H2) to scavenge hydroxy radicals (OH•) created by the dissociation of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) on the surface of uranium dioxide (UIVO2) has been studied in a chloride/bicarbonate (pH = 9.5) solution. The oxidation/reduction of the oxide surface was monitored by measuring the corrosion potential as a function of time in this solution, containing various concentrations of H2O2 sparged with either Ar or an Ar/H2 mixture. The surface oxidation was subsequently determined using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. In the absence of H2, the peroxide oxidized the surface to UIV
1–2xUV
2xO2+x with x varying with H2O2 concentration and eventually achieved a composition of UIV
0.34UV
0.66O2.33. At this surface composition, the surface becomes unstable with respect to dissolution, but the dominant reaction is H2O2 decomposition. In the presence of H2, the initial oxidation of the UIVO2 when H2O2 was added was reversed by the ability of H2 to scavenge the OH• with the H• radicals formed. This led to a reduction of the oxidized surface. The efficiency of this process is determined by the relative concentrations of H2O2 and H2.
A robust and compact population code for competing sounds in auditory cortex
Authors: Nocon Jian Carlo , Witter Jake , Gritton Howard , Han Xue , Houghton Conor , Sen Kamal
Published: August 2023

Little is known about how populations of neurons within cortical circuits encode sensory stimuli in the presence of competing stimuli at other spatial locations. Here, we investigate this problem in auditory cortex using a recently proposed information-theoretic approach. We find a small subset of neurons nearly maximizes information about target sounds in the presence of competing maskers, approaching information levels for isolated stimuli, and provides a noise-robust code for sounds in a complex auditory scene.
Unleashing the Casual Impact of House Prices on Air Quality: Evidence from Chinese Cities
Authors: Zeng Bing , Fahad Shah , Wang Gang , Nassani Abdelmohsen A. , Binsaeed Rima H.
Published: August 2023

With the rapid development of the real estate industry in China, urban air quality is inevitably affected. By using data of Chinese cities located in the Yangtze River Delta from 2009 to 2018, this paper is aim at examining the casual impact of house prices on air quality. By considering the endogenous problems, in this study, first, the birth rate of the previous six years and the area of state-owned land supply per capita in the previous year are taken as instrumental variables of house price. Second, the two-stage least squares method is used to assess the causal impact of house price on air quality. The findings of this study show that there is no significant relationship between urban house prices and air quality, and these results are obtained without considering the endogenous problem. While, after considering the endogenous problem, urban house prices showed a significant negative effect on overall air quality, especially for low administrative level cities. The increase in house prices has hindered the improvement of air quality mainly through the blind-scale expansion of real estate development investments and the inhibitory effect of innovation.
The Relationships of Leaders’ Narcissistic Admiration and Rivalry with Nurses’ Organizational Citizenship Behavior towards Leaders: A Cross-Sectional Survey
Authors: Zhu Yanghao , Zhang Yannan , Qin Feng , Li Yang
Published: August 2023

Aim. The aim of this study is to investigate the unique contributions of two distinct dimensions of leaders’ narcissism—admiration and rivalry—to nurses’ organizational citizenship behavior towards the leader and the mediating role of nurses’ challenge appraisal and hindrance appraisal based on the transactional stress theory. Background. Leaders’ narcissism is widespread in hospitals, so whether nurses will show organizational citizenship behavior to narcissistic leaders is related to the harmony and stability of the team. Thus, clarifying the positive or negative relationship between leaders’ narcissism and nurses’ organizational citizenship behavior towards leaders has become a priority. Methods. A cross-sectional survey was conducted at two-time points with 280 Chinese nurses. We used the structural equation model to analyze our data. Results. We found that leaders’ narcissistic admiration was positively correlated with nurses’ organizational citizenship behavior towards the leader; however, leaders’ narcissistic rivalry was negatively correlated with nurses’ organizational citizenship behavior towards the leader. Furthermore, mediation analyses revealed that leaders’ narcissistic admiration had a significant indirect effect on nurses’ organizational citizenship behavior towards leaders via challenge appraisal, and leaders’ narcissistic rivalry had a significant indirect effect on nurses’ organizational citizenship behavior towards leaders via hindrance appraisal. Conclusion. By introducing two dimensions of narcissistic admiration and rivalry, we resolve previous contradictory findings about the relationship between leader narcissism and organizational citizenship behavior towards the leader. Implications for Nursing Management. Nursing managers need to understand that there are both positive and negative relationships between leaders’ narcissism and nurses’ organizational citizenship behavior towards the leader, and we can promote the positive effects of leaders’ narcissistic admiration and curb the negative consequences of leaders’ narcissistic rivalry by taking some specific steps, such as promoting the loving cooperative atmosphere and punishing disruptive behaviors.