bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Collaboration-Based Approaches
Authors: Martin Graham , Dixon-Woods Mary
Published: August 2022

Collaboration-based approaches to healthcare improvement attract much attention. They involve networks of people coming together to cooperate around a common interest, with shared goals of improving care and mutual learning. Longstanding examples of collaborative approaches have been associated with some success in improving outcomes and reducing harm. The evidence for their effectiveness and cost-effectiveness, however, remains inconsistent and contingent on the circumstances in which they are deployed and how they are used for what purpose. Several models for collaboration have been developed, varying in structure, format, and balance between internal leadership and external control. The authors focus on two approaches: quality improvement collaboratives and communities of practice. They explore evidence of their impact on health outcomes, and evidence about how best to organise and implement collaboration-based approaches. Using examples of more and less successful collaborations, they offer guidance on the key challenges involved in using collaboration-based approaches to improve healthcare. This title is also available as Open Access on Cambridge Core.
Numerical simulation of bubble dynamics and segregation in binary heptane/dodecane mixtures
Authors: Bermudez-Graterol J.M. , Skoda R.
Published: August 2022

A mathematical model for the simulation of spherical bubble dynamics in binary alkane mixtures is presented. Detailed heat and mass transfer and phase transition are resolved, and air absorption and desorption are considered. As example mixtures, high-volatile heptane and low-volatile dodecane are investigated. The low-volatile component shows a convective counter-intuitive mass transport opposite to the diffusion flux. A staggered mass flux of heptane and dodecane is associated with a local segregation of mixture components in the surrounding liquid and a distinctive species distribution within the bubble. A comparative study with a pseudo-fluid where alkane species interdiffusion is absent and whose components cannot segregate reveals that for an oscillating bubble, the local segregation hardly affects bubble dynamics, while for a continuously growing bubble in a superheated liquid, the growth rate is considerably affected, particularly for a low heptane mixture percentage. This study demonstrates limitations of treating mixtures by a single-component surrogate fluid and may serve as a starting point for the development of multi-component cavitation models for computational fluid dynamics applications in real fluid mixtures as, e.g. fuels or hydraulic oils.
Factors Hindering Couples from Accessing Marriage Conciliation Boards in Mainland Tanzania
Authors: Alphonce Janeth , Binamungu Cyriacus , Bakta Seraphine M
Published: August 2022

To safeguard marriage, the Law of Marriage Act of Mainland Tanzania, established marriage conciliation boards (MCBs) to reconcile disputing spouses. Divorce cases are referred to MCBs before they are filed in court. The divorce rate in Mainland Tanzania is increasing and case law indicates that some parties are by-passing MCBs without good cause. The authors were motivated to study the causes of this trend. Data were collected in Morogoro and Kilimanjaro regions through documentary review and in-depth interviews. They identified six factors limiting parties’ access to MCBs: set-up of the boards; MCBs’ regulatory framework; jurisdiction; costs; choice of forum; and inadequate provisions governing the process followed by MCBs. The study concluded that the government attaches minimal significance to MCBs and recommends that the government should intervene, including by reforming the law governing MCBs.
Introducing ethanol ablation as a treatment for thyroid cysts in the emergency setting
Authors: Robb L , Hey S Y , Reid H , Nixon I J
Published: August 2022

Background

Ethanol ablation for the treatment of thyroid cysts has been well documented in the literature as a safe, effective treatment option in the elective setting. This study demonstrates the use of ethanol ablation in the emergency setting.

Methods

Three patients presenting with airway-threatening compressive symptoms secondary to a thyroid cyst were treated with ethanol ablation within 24 hours of presentation to hospital.

Results

All patients had symptom resolution at a median of nine months follow up post procedure. Sixty-six per cent of patients required only one treatment. There was a median of 100 per cent radiological resolution of the cystic component. The median Glasgow Benefit Inventory score was +27.7, similar to that for tonsillectomy.

Conclusion

Ethanol ablation is a safe, cost-effective and efficient treatment option for thyroid cysts in the acute setting.
Is it real? Science diplomacy in the Arctic states’ strategies
Authors: Everett Karen , Halašková Barbora
Published: August 2022

Dominant geopolitical narratives on the Arctic argue that the region is either edging towards conflict or international law is respected and peace is maintained through cooperation to address shared concerns. While both of these narratives are present in the Arctic states’ strategies, most of them tend to support collaborative efforts. Science diplomacy (SD) is a useful mechanism in this regard as it helps states overcome potential disagreements and can stimulate cooperation in other areas. Given the growing concerns about global risks, SD is more important now than ever before. In our study, we identify and focus on three indicators for potential SD in the Arctic strategies: i) scientific infrastructure; ii) membership in intergovernmental/interparliamentary and scientific/education organisations and networks and iii) specific areas of scientific cooperation. Considering the intensive scientific activity in the region, it is not surprising that the strategies discuss different forms of research and scientific cooperation, although none explicitly use the term “science diplomacy”. Nevertheless, our analysis reveals the Arctic states do apply the SD concept in their strategies and use three types of diplomacy – science in diplomacy, science for diplomacy or diplomacy for science – in the three indicators.
The Jew's Harp in Western Europe: Trade, Communication, and Innovation, 1150–1500
Authors: Kolltveit Gjermund
Published: August 2022

In 1999 archaeologists excavated a section of the Hellweg, a medieval road near the present city of Paderborn in northern Germany. In the rubble of the road, which was an important east–west trade route, the excavators found a Jew's harp, deposited in an archaeological context dating it to the late thirteenth century. The iron instrument was well preserved, except for the broken and partly missing lamella (figure 1). It had a distinct mark punched into its forged frame. Where did this musical instrument originate and how did it arrive at this site? Was it brought here by someone who played the Jew's harp or by a pedlar carrying this instrument among other goods for sale? Who had made it and where?
Sounds of Death and Life in Mesoamerica: The Bone Flutes of Ancient Oaxaca
Authors: Barber Sarah B. , Sánchez Gonzalo , Olvera Mireya
Published: August 2022

Music archaeology is an inherently collaborative endeavour, bringing together experts from an array of fields to draw inferences about the physical and social aspects of music in ancient societies. As several authors have noted (Hickmann 2002; D. Olsen 2007), music archaeology requires both data and expertise from scholars in fields as disparate as musicology, ethnography, archaeology, art history, epigraphy, and history. In this paper, we demonstrate the efficacy of an interdisciplinary approach to music archaeology by presenting the case study of a bone flute from Oaxaca, Mexico. Employing perspectives from anthropological archaeology, iconography, ethnomusicology, and materials conservation, we describe the entire research process: from the discovery of an ancient musical instrument to interpretations about the social context of ancient music itself.
“Aboriginal Dances Were Always in Rings“: Music and Dance as a Sign of Identity in the Argentine Chaco
Authors: Citro Silvia , Cerletti Adriana
Published: August 2022

In Argentina, aboriginal music and dance—as part of what UNESCO has called “intangible cultural heritage“—has been overlooked for a long time. During the construction of Argentina as a nation, especially in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, European-derived societies and cultures were the privileged models in our country. In that period, the national government sponsored the wave of European immigration and, at the same time, the military persecution of aboriginal peoples and their forced assimilation to “Western Christian civilization.” One of the consequences of this history, mostly in the cultural imagination of the urban middle classes, was the pervasive thought that “Argentinians are descendants of the ships”—a popular saying referring to the ships that brought “our grandparents from Europe,” mainly from Spain and Italy.
A Bibliographic Survey of Kazakh and Kyrgyz Literature on Music
Authors: Tansuğn Feza
Published: August 2022

This bibliographical survey covers books dealing with the music of Kazakhstan and the Kyrgyz Republic—two neighbouring countries with strong common historical roots and closely related musical traditions. In addition to reviewing books published in Kazakhstan and the Kyrgyz Republic, this article includes some relevant works by Russian authors. However, the extensive body of works authored by Central Asian scholars abroad was excluded from this survey. It contains references only in Kazakh, Kyrgyz, and Russian languages.
Déjà Vu? Folk Music, Education, and Institutionalization in Contemporary England
Authors: Keegan-Phipps Simon
Published: August 2022

In a nation on the periphery of Europe, in a region most distant from the capital, the country's indigenous musical traditions are undergoing a process of institutionalization. A large proportion of the nation's population fears the loss of their ancient customs and national identity to the ever rising tide of foreign cultural influences. The locality itself, however, enjoys both a strong regional identity and a unique musical repertory, a repertory that plays a central role in both the text and context of the institutionalization in question. The resultant institution is multifaceted—its activities include: the collation and publication of music recordings and transcriptions; the promotion of performances by locally and nationally revered folk musicians; the creation and direction of a folk orchestra; and, most importantly, an extensive folk music education programme, culminating in a nationally recognized qualification. The organization has been quietly accused by other folk musicians of standardizing and formalizing the music it professes to support. Nonetheless, it receives financial support from the state departments for education and culture.
Revivals on the Edge: Northumberland and Cape Breton—A Keynote
Authors: Feintuch Burt
Published: August 2022

In the mid-1980s, I began doing fieldwork in Northumberland, in the Northeast of England, interested in studying a regional musical revival. Research in Northumberland, a place that is comparatively small (although large for an English county), with a strong regional identity and a distinctive body of music, appealed to me as a way of thinking about musical revival and renewal, and I spent about a decade, on and off, doing fieldwork and historical research there. Then, nearly a decade later, I began fieldwork in Cape Breton, on the edge of North America, in eastern Canada, another regional world of music, one in which local music is burgeoning as never before. The Cape Breton situation is somewhat different—arguably, it is a revival, but, and equally arguably, it is not well described by that term. For the purposes of this essay, I will use the rubricrevivalto describe musicking in Northumberland and Cape Breton, and I will also refer to the widely influential American folk revival. When I speak, in this essay's title, of revivals “on the edge,” it is in two senses, one a matter of geography, the other one of scholarship. Northumberland and Cape Breton are both geographically on the margins, Northumberland a borderland, Cape Breton a comparatively isolated island on the edge of a continent. And in my discipline, the study of revivals has until recently been a marginal pursuit.
Applied Ethnomusicology in the Process of the Political Recognition of a Minority: A Case Study of the Austrian Roma
Authors: Hemetek Ursula
Published: August 2022

Applied ethnomusicology has a special relevance for studies on music and minorities. What constitutes this relevance in particular cases was the focus of a plenary panel discussion at the 38th World Conference of the ICTM in Sheffield in 2005, which explored cultural, social, political, and economic issues pertinent to the musical life of minority groups within the context of a larger (majority) society. Panel participants addressed the topic from the perspective of their individual research fields and the different minority groups they have worked with: Adelaida Reyes provided the example of refugee camps, Stephen Wild of the Rom ceremony of Australian Aborigines, and John O'Connell of a Song for Peace by a Kurdish singer. The aim was to contribute to discourses on applied ethnomusicology in the light of theoretical and methodological insights gained through studies of music and minorities.
The Kolijani Ritual Event on the Island of KRK, Croatia: Continuity or Revival?
Authors: Zebec Tvrtko
Published: August 2022

Continuity and revival have been subjects of scholarly discussion for quite some time (for example, see Bausinger and Brückner 1969), frequently in connection with phenomena such as tradition and innovation, identification and change, authenticity, and festivals.
Small Voices Doomed—A Keynote
Authors: Kubik Gerhard
Published: August 2022

“Small Voices Doomed” is the symbolic title of my presentation. I could have said “Soft Voices Doomed” to express the fact that we are living in an era in which loud and persistent voices tend to prevail. Technologies for the amplification and multiplication of messages were, of course, developed by “soft voices,” i.e., by a few individuals with extraordinary scientific talents. But their inventions have been hijacked by others who neither match up to the talents of the former, nor would they share their profits with them. The pertinent question therefore is how to deal with the ensuing pollution.
“Drive-Ethno-Dance” and “Hutzul Punk“: Ukrainian-Associated Popular Music and (GEO)Politics in a Post-Soviet Context
Authors: Wickström David-Emil
Published: August 2022

The style [of Ruslana's song “Wild Dances“] can be called “drive-ethno-dance,” a combination of ethnic sounds of the mountain people of the Hutsuls with modern rock, pop and dance elements. (Ruslana n.d.a)

Ruslana's winning performance of “Dyki Tantsi” (Wild Dances) at the Eurovision Song Contest 2004 opened withtrembity(plural; sing.trembita), alpine horns linked to, inter alia, the Hutsuls (a Ukrainian ethnic minority). However,trembityare not only used by Ruslana, but also incorporated into songs by other Ukrainian groups like Mad Heads XL's “Smereka” (2005) and Haydamaky's “Tini zabutykh predkiv” (2002). The use of local instruments and melodies in the music which Ruslana in the opening quote labels “drive-ethno-dance” is a way in which some groups from Ukraine anchor themselves. According to Armin Siebert, one of the directors of the Berlin Label Eastblok Music, which specializes in music from Eastern Europe, it is also an exciting element of Russian and Ukrainian popular music:

A lot of Russian and—even stronger in Ukraine—Ukrainian groups try to use the profoundness of their culture [e.g., folklore] in their modem rock music … And yeah, that's of course something which we especially think is very exciting, because we think that the Slavic culture, roughly speaking, is very profound and that one should not negate that, because it is really something special, which does not exist in the West. (interview, 19 July 2006; my translation)
Formal and Informal Methods in the Transmission of a Jewish Sephardi Liturgy
Authors: Marks Essica
Published: August 2022

This article examines contemporary methods of transmission of one Sephardi Jewish liturgy. Studies of Jewish liturgical music are scarce, and research on the transmission of Jewish liturgical music is still absent. The study described here is a first attempt to address this issue.
“Pride and Prejudice”: The Preservation of the IcelandicRímurTradition
Authors: Ólafsdóttir Ragnheiður
Published: August 2022

The Iðunn Society of Intoners and Versifiers (Kvæðamannafélagiðd Iðunn) was founded in Reykjavik in 1929. Iðunn set out to protect the practice ofrímur-'intoning and versification(kves&kapur)and immediately took very strong ownership of the means of preserving and disseminating the tradition. By nature, folk traditions are constantly fluctuating, but during the era of national romanticism it became important to preserve and “freeze” these traditions in order to serve the purposes of the formation of national identity. An example would be the Norwegian fiddle and vocal tradition which was systematically gathered from the most remote mountain areas in order to firstly save it from extinction and secondly to serve as a source for the composers of the new “national music.” The Dane Svend Grundtvig had a different agenda, wanting his collection to become a trustworthy and perfect museum of folksongs (Havåg 1997:23-33). In Finland, Elias Lönnrot gathered folksongs and compiled the Kalevala, which became the symbol of Finnish national identity (Pekkila 1994:406). Even though therímurtradition was not an element in the official identity-building taking place in Iceland around 1930, ideas of national romantic origins had a “freezing and policing” effect on it. In this paper I will demonstrate how the Iðunn Society exercised strong ownership of the oldrímurtradition. Specifically, I will show how Iðunn re-shaped and policed the form. The study also draws attention to contradictions in the way Iðunn's members took pride in their cultural roots and their childhood practice while simultaneously holding prejudices and beliefs that worked against a living tradition.
Morphometric evaluation of two-pronucleus zygote images using image-processing techniques
Authors: Sayadi Niloofar , Monji-Azad Sara , Mirroshandel Seyed Abolghasem , Ghasemian Fatemeh
Published: August 2022

Identifying embryos with a high potential for implementation remains a challenge in in vitro fertilization (IVF) cycles. Despite progress in IVF treatment, only a minority of generated embryos has the ability to implant. Another drawback of this practice is the high frequency of multiple pregnancies. This problem leads to economic and health problems. Therefore, the transfer of a single embryo with high implantation potential is the ideal strategy. Morphometric evaluation of two-pronucleus zygote images is a helpful technique when aiming to transfer a single embryo with a high implantation potential. In this study, an automated zygote morphometric evaluation algorithm, called the zygote morphology evaluation (ZME) algorithm, was created to analyze the zygote and provide morphological measurements. The first and most crucial step of the ZME algorithm is the noise reduction step, which was first applied to zygote images. After that, the proposed algorithm detects different parts of the zygote that are indicators of embryo viability and normality, that is the oolemma, perivitelline space, zona pellucida, and nucleolar precursor bodies (NPBs). In addition, a novel dataset was prepared for this task. This dataset consisted of 703 human zygote images, and called the human zygote morphometric evaluation dataset (HZME-DS). Our experimental results in the HZME-DS showed that the ZME algorithm was able to achieve 79.58% average accuracy in identifying the oolemma region, 79.40% average accuracy in determining the perivitelline space, and 79.72% accuracy in identifying the zona pellucida. To calculate the accuracy of identifying NPBs, the proposed algorithm uses Recall and Precision measures, and their harmonic average (F1 measure) reached values of 81.14% and 79.53%, respectively. These encouraging results for our proposed method, which is an automatic and very fast method, showed that the ZME algorithm could help embryologists to evaluate the best zygotes in real time and the best embryos subsequently.
Cervical cancer survivors: The experiences of the journey
Authors: Shinan-Altman Shiri , Levkovich Inbar , Hamama-Raz Yaira
Published: August 2022

Objective

Cervical cancer affects survivors’ overall coping. Yet, specifically emotional and behavioral expression patterns among cervical cancer survivors have barely been examined. In addition, no study has focused on survivors’ experiences of sequences related to coping. Understanding these perceptions can help provide a tailored response and improve psycho-social interventions. The aim of this study was to gain a better understanding of the emotional and behavioral motives involved in coping with cervical cancer recovery.

Methods

Qualitative interviews were conducted with 15 survivors of cervical cancer (stages I and II), using a semi-structured in-depth questionnaire. The interviews were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed by three researchers using thematic analysis.

Results

Six main themes emerged: (i) Reasons and benefits for keeping the disease a secret or sharing it with others; (ii) “When you get used to despair, there's also room for hope”: Despair alongside hope; (iii) Self-guilt following the disease, but also knowing how to forgive yourself; (iv) Deep loneliness alongside a significant need for support; (v) Finding the way from passivity to activity; and (vi) When meaning in life is missing, and the importance of meaning when it is present. There was a balance between negative emotions and behaviors (despair, confidentiality, guilt, loneliness, passivity, lack of meaning) and positive emotions and behaviors (hope, openness, forgiveness, significant support, activity, meaning).

Significance of the results

The study revealed that in some cases cervical cancer coping during the recovery period moves across sequences. The women's narratives portray past difficulties as the reason for present psychological health, and their experience of a healthy present is intensified by their past difficulties. Implications for practice are discussed.
Designing felt experiences with movement-based, wearable musical instruments: From inclusive practices toward participatory design
Authors: Cavdir Doga , Wang Ge
Published: August 2022

Inclusive musical instruments benefit from incorporating wearable interfaces into digital musical instrument design, creating opportunities for bodily felt experiences and movement-based interactions. In this article, we discuss the evolution of our inclusive design approach behind the design and performance practices of three wearable musical instruments. By focusing on the embodied, somatic, and tacit dimensions of movement-based musical interaction, we evaluate these case studies, combining the third and first-person perspectives. The design and implementation of the wearable sensing, utilizing the additive manufacturing techniques, are discussed for each instrument and its performer in specific cases of musical expression. This article further discusses how our approach integrates music performance as a crucial step into design and evaluation, utilizing these performance practices and such collaborative settings for improved diversity and inclusion. Finally, we examine how our design approach evolves from user-centered design to more participatory practices, offering people with diverse abilities a shared music performance space.
Accuracy and Reproducibility of Coral Sr/Ca SIMS Timeseries in Modern and Fossil Corals
Authors: Sayani Hussein R. , Cobb Kim M. , Monteleone Brian , Bridges Heather
Published: August 2022

Coral strontium‐to‐calcium ratios (Sr/Ca) provide quantitative estimates of past sea surface temperatures (SST) that allow for the reconstruction of changes in the mean state and climate variations, such as the El Nino‐Southern Oscillation, through time. However, coral Sr/Ca ratios are highly susceptible to diagenesis, which can impart artifacts of 1–2°C that are typically on par with the tropical climate signals of interest. Microscale sampling via Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (SIMS) for the sampling of primary skeletal material in altered fossil corals, providing much‐needed checks on fossil coral Sr/Ca‐based paleotemperature estimates. In this study, we employ a set modern and fossil corals from Palmyra Atoll, in the central tropical Pacific, to quantify the accuracy and reproducibility of SIMS Sr/Ca analyses relative to bulk Sr/Ca analyses. In three overlapping modern coral samples, we reproduce bulk Sr/Ca estimates within ±0.3% (1σ). We demonstrate high fidelity between 3‐month smoothed SIMS coral Sr/Ca timeseries and SST (R = −0.5 to −0.8; p < 0.5). For lightly‐altered sections of a young fossil coral from the early‐20th century, SIMS Sr/Ca timeseries reproduce bulk Sr/Ca timeseries, in line with our results from modern corals. Across a moderately‐altered section of the same fossil coral, where diagenesis yields bulk Sr/Ca estimates that are 0.6 mmol too high (roughly equivalent to −6°C artifacts in SST), SIMS Sr/Ca timeseries track instrumental SST timeseries. We conclude that 3–4 SIMS analyses per month of coral growth can provide a much‐needed quantitative check on the accuracy of fossil coral Sr/Ca‐derived estimates of paleotemperature, even in moderately altered samples.
Investigations on Concentric Gravity Wave Sources Over the Brazilian Equatorial Region
Authors: Nyassor P. K. , Wrasse C. M. , Paulino I. , Gobbi D. , Yiğit E. , Takahashi H. , Batista P. P. , Naccarato K. P. , Buriti R. A. , Paulino A. R. , Barros D. , Figueiredo C. A. O. B.
Published: August 2022

Observations of concentric gravity waves (CGWs) in the OH airglow emission over the Brazilian equatorial region are presented. An all‐sky imager installed at São João do Cariri [7.4°S, 36.5°W] was used to acquire near‐infrared OH images. Using over 19 years of observational data from 2000 to 2019, more than 1,052 clear sky nights of airglow data were acquired with a total of 25 observed CGW cases. Three CGW events were selected for this study. These waves had small‐scale characteristics and well‐defined concentric structures. The selected CGW events showed horizontal wavelengths λH ∼ 31.9, 42.5, and 30.9 km, horizontal phase speeds cH ∼ 49.2, 57.6, and 74.1 m/s, and periods τ ∼ 10.8, 12.3, and 7.0 min, respectively. The CGW structures were well defined, with coherent wave patterns expanding concentrically from the source point, with the observed events having semi‐circle or arc‐like and semi‐elliptical shapes. We found the occurrence of the CGWs to coincide with the seasons of intense tropospheric convective activity and low background winds. This suggests little or no wave breaking, critical level absorption, and filtering or reflection, thereby allowing the CGWs to propagate up to the mesosphere and lower thermosphere region. Using backward ray tracing, we also found the positions and times where and when the ray paths reached the tropopause. The tropopause positions and times of two of the CGW events coincide with active convective systems with cold cloud top temperatures. However, the tropopause position of one of the 3 CGW events did not coincide with any active convective system, suggesting that this CGW was most likely generated in‐situ.
Pulsar Planets Are Exceedingly Rare
Authors: Cartier Kimberly
Published: August 2022

A new survey of hundreds of pulsars could help solve the mystery of why planets exist around these dead stars.
Regimes of Sea‐Ice Floe Melt: Ice‐Ocean Coupling at the Submesoscales
Authors: Gupta Mukund , Thompson Andrew F.
Published: August 2022

Marginal ice zones are composed of discrete sea‐ice floes, whose dynamics are not well captured by the continuum representation of sea ice in most climate models. This study makes use of an ocean large eddy simulation (LES) model, coupled to cylindrical sea‐ice floes, to investigate thermal and mechanical interactions between melt‐induced submesoscale features and sea‐ice floes, during summer conditions. We explore the sensitivity of sea‐ice melt rates and upper‐ocean turbulence properties to floe size, ice‐ocean drag, and surface winds. Under low wind conditions, upper ocean turbulence transports warm cyclonic filaments from the open ocean toward the center of the floes and enhances their basal melt. This heat transport is partially suppressed by trapping of ice within cold anticyclonic features. When winds are stronger, melt rates are enhanced by the decoupling of floes from the cold, melt‐induced lens underneath sea ice. Distinct dynamical regimes emerge in which the influence of warm filaments on sea‐ice melt is mitigated by the strength of ice‐ocean coupling and eddy size relative to floe size. Simple scaling laws, which may help parameterize these processes in coarse continuum‐based sea‐ice models, successfully capture floe melt rates under these limiting regimes.
Analysis of the Radio Solar Telescope Network's Noon Flux Observations Over Three Solar Cycles (1988–2020)
Authors: Giersch O. , Kennewell J.
Published: August 2022

The Sun is a readily accessible source of wideband noise that can be used for the calibration of a wide variety of radio systems. Since 1979 the United States Air Force Radio Solar Telescope Network (RSTN) has performed solar flux observations around noon on eight frequencies between 245 and 15,400 MHz. These fluxes are disseminated by the National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and are used by many radio and radar system operators to perform system calibration. Little analysis has been performed on the RSTN noon flux values. Here we review the calibration procedures of RSTN and perform statistical tests between the four sites comprising RSTN. For system operators who require precise system calibration the noted variations may be large enough to cast doubt on RSTN flux values for such calibration. However, for many communication systems a calibration within one or two dB is adequate. We discuss the reported variation both in linear and logarithmic terms. When it is possible to used smoothed data the inter‐site variation becomes less of a problem, although the correlation between sites at Ku band (15,400 MHz) still appears excessively large. We update some simple empirical models for wideband solar flux based purely on the 10 cm flux at any time, as these have also been used in solar radio calibration procedures. We give practical advice on the use of solar flux for radio system calibration and make some recommendations that we believe could improve the accuracy and utility of solar radio flux reports.
A New Method for In Situ Measurement of the Erosion Threshold of River Channels
Authors: Dunne K. B. J. , Arratia P. E. , Jerolmack D. J.
Published: August 2022

The vast majority of alluvial deposits have some degree of cohesion, typically due to the presence of clays and/or organic matter. Determining the threshold fluid shear stress, τc, necessary to entrain these sediments is essential for predicting erosion rates and morphodynamics of rivers, tidal channels, and coasts. Cohesive sediments present a greater challenge than noncohesive sand and gravel beds due to the sensitivity of τc to such factors as compaction, aggregation, and particle surface chemistry. All of those factors may be altered if bed and bank sediments are extracted for later analysis in the laboratory. Environments with mixed cohesive and noncohesive materials are common, such as sand‐bedded rivers with muddy banks; it is therefore desirable to have a method for in situ measurement of τc across a very wide range. We present a novel instrument that is capable of reproducibly determining τc for submerged cohesive and noncohesive sediments in situ. The instrument has several advantages over alternative methods, including ease of implementation in the field, and a fluid shear that is more representative of natural flows. The device incorporates common and low‐cost components integrated with an Arduino microcontroller, which may receive commands from a mobile phone. We demonstrate our instrument's capabilities in gravel, sand, and clay‐sand mixtures prepared in the laboratory, and present a proof of concept field deployment in a wadeable stream. Additionally, we provide the necessary schematics, parts lists, code, and calibration procedures for the interested reader to build their own version of the instrument.
Relationships between intrauterine fetal growth trajectories and markers of adiposity and inflammation in young adults
Authors: Yadav Ashish , Beilin Lawrence J. , Huang Rae-Chi , Vlaskovsky Phil , Newnham John P. , White Scott W. , Mori Trevor A.
Published: August 2022

Background

There is now good evidence that events during gestation significantly influence the developmental well-being of an individual in later life. This study aimed to investigate the relationships between intrauterine growth trajectories determined by serial ultrasound and subsequent markers of adiposity and inflammation in the 27-year-old adult offspring from the Raine Study, an Australian longitudinal pregnancy cohort.

Methods

Ultrasound fetal biometric measurements including abdominal circumference (AC), femur length (FL), and head circumference (HC) from 1333 mother-fetal pairs (Gen1–Gen2) in the Raine Study were used to develop fetal growth trajectories using group-based trajectory modeling. Linear mixed modeling investigated the relationship between adult body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) of Gen2 at 20 (n = 485), 22 (n = 421) and 27 (n = 437) years and the fetal growth trajectory groups, adjusting for age, sex, adult lifestyle factors, and maternal factors during pregnancy.

Results

Seven AC, five FL and five HC growth trajectory groups were identified. Compared to the average-stable (reference) group, a lower adult BMI was observed in two falling AC trajectories: (β = −1.45 kg/m2, 95% CI: −2.43 to −0.46,P = 0.004) and (β = −1.01 kg/m2, 95% CI: −1.96 to −0.05,P = 0.038). Conversely, higher adult BMI (2.58 kg/m2, 95% CI: 0.98 to 4.18,P = 0.002) and hs-CRP (37%, 95% CI: 9–73%,P = 0.008) were observed in a rising FL trajectory compared to the reference group. A high-stable HC trajectory associated with 20% lower adult hs-CRP (95% CI: 5–33%,P = 0.011).

Conclusion

This study highlights the importance of understanding causes of the unique patterns of intrauterine growth. Different fetal growth trajectories from early pregnancy associate with subsequent adult adiposity and inflammation, which predispose to the risk of diabetes and cardiometabolic disease.
dock8 deficiency attenuates microglia colonization in early zebrafish larvae
Authors: Wu Linxiu , Xue Rongtao , Chen Jiahao , Xu Jin
Published: August 2022

Microglia are tissue-resident macrophages that carry out immune functions in the brain. The deficiency or dysfunction of microglia has been implicated in many neurodegenerative disorders. DOCK8, a member of the DOCK family, functions as a guanine nucleotide exchange factor and plays key roles in immune regulation and neurological diseases. The functions of DOCK8 in microglia development are not fully understood. Here, we generated zebrafish dock8 mutants by CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing and showed that dock8 mutations attenuate microglia colonization in the zebrafish midbrain at early larvae stages. In vivo time-lapse imaging revealed that the motility of macrophages was reduced in the dock8 mutant. We further found that cdc42/cdc42l, which encode the small GTPase activated by Dock8, also regulate microglia colonization in zebrafish. Collectively, our study suggests that the Dock8-Cdc42 pathway is required for microglia colonization in zebrafish larvae.
A nanoengineered topical transmucosal cisplatin delivery system induces anti-tumor response in animal models and patients with oral cancer
Authors: Goldberg Manijeh , Manzi Aaron , Birdi Amritpreet , Laporte Brandon , Conway Peter , Cantin Stefanie , Mishra Vasudha , Singh Alka , Pearson Alexander T. , Goldberg Eric R. , Goldberger Sam , Flaum Benjamin , Hasina Rifat , London Nyall R. , Gallia Gary L. , Bettegowda Chetan , Young Simon , Sandulache Vlad , Melville James , Shum Jonathan , O’Neill Sonya E. , Aydin Erkin , Zhavoronkov Alex , Vidal Anxo , Soto Atenea , Alonso Maria Jose , Rosenberg Ari J. , Lingen Mark W. , D’Cruz Anil , Agrawal Nishant , Izumchenko Evgeny
Published: August 2022

Despite therapeutic advancements, oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma (OCSCC) remains a difficult disease to treat. Systemic platinum-based chemotherapy often leads to dose-limiting toxicity (DLT), affecting quality of life. PRV111 is a nanotechnology-based system for local delivery of cisplatin loaded chitosan particles, that penetrate tumor tissue and lymphatic channels while avoiding systemic circulation and toxicity. Here we evaluate PRV111 using animal models of oral cancer, followed by a clinical trial in patients with OCSCC. In vivo, PRV111 results in elevated cisplatin retention in tumors and negligible systemic levels, compared to the intravenous, intraperitoneal or intratumoral delivery. Furthermore, PRV111 produces robust anti-tumor responses in subcutaneous and orthotopic cancer models and results in complete regression of carcinogen-induced premalignant lesions. In a phase 1/2, open-label, single-arm trial (NCT03502148), primary endpoints of efficacy (≥30% tumor volume reduction) and safety (incidence of DLTs) of neoadjuvant PRV111 were reached, with 69% tumor reduction in ~7 days and over 87% response rate. Secondary endpoints (cisplatin biodistribution, loco-regional control, and technical success) were achieved. No DLTs or drug-related serious adverse events were reported. No locoregional recurrences were evident in 6 months. Integration of PRV111 with current standard of care may improve health outcomes and survival of patients with OCSCC.
Cryo-EM structures of the channelrhodopsin ChRmine in lipid nanodiscs
Authors: Tucker Kyle , Sridharan Savitha , Adesnik Hillel , Brohawn Stephen G.
Published: August 2022

Microbial channelrhodopsins are light-gated ion channels widely used for optogenetic manipulation of neuronal activity. ChRmine is a bacteriorhodopsin-like cation channelrhodopsin (BCCR) more closely related to ion pump rhodopsins than other channelrhodopsins. ChRmine displays unique properties favorable for optogenetics including high light sensitivity, a broad, red-shifted activation spectrum, cation selectivity, and large photocurrents, while its slow closing kinetics impedes some applications. The structural basis for ChRmine function, or that of any other BCCR, is unknown. Here, we present cryo-EM structures of ChRmine in lipid nanodiscs in apo (opsin) and retinal-bound (rhodopsin) forms. The structures reveal an unprecedented trimeric architecture with a lipid filled central pore. Large electronegative cavities on either side of the membrane facilitate high conductance and selectivity for cations over protons. The retinal binding pocket structure suggests channel properties could be tuned with mutations and we identify ChRmine variants with ten-fold decreased and two-fold increased closing rates. A T119A mutant shows favorable properties relative to wild-type and previously reported ChRmine variants for optogenetics. These results provide insight into structural features that generate an ultra-potent microbial opsin and provide a platform for rational engineering of channelrhodopsins with improved properties that could expand the scale, depth, and precision of optogenetic experiments.
Terrigenous dissolved organic matter persists in the energy-limited deep groundwaters of the Fennoscandian Shield
Authors: Osterholz Helena , Turner Stephanie , Alakangas Linda J. , Tullborg Eva-Lena , Dittmar Thorsten , Kalinowski Birgitta E. , Dopson Mark
Published: August 2022

The deep terrestrial biosphere encompasses the life below the photosynthesis-fueled surface that perseveres in typically nutrient and energy depleted anoxic groundwaters. The composition and cycling of this vast dissolved organic matter (DOM) reservoir relevant to the global carbon cycle remains to be deciphered. Here we show that recent Baltic Sea-influenced to ancient pre-Holocene saline Fennoscandian Shield deep bedrock fracture waters carried DOM with a strong terrigenous signature and varying contributions from abiotic and biotic processes. Removal of easily degraded carbon at the surface-to-groundwater transition and corresponding microbial community assembly processes likely resulted in the highly similar DOM signatures across the notably different water types that selected for a core microbiome. In combination with the aliphatic character, depleted δ13C signatures in DOM indicated recent microbial production in the oldest, saline groundwater. Our study revealed the persistence of terrestrially-sourced carbon in severely energy limited deep continental groundwaters supporting deep microbial life.
Halogenation of tyrosine perturbs large-scale protein self-organization
Authors: Sun Huan , Jia Haiyang , Kendall Olivia , Dragelj Jovan , Kubyshkin Vladimir , Baumann Tobias , Mroginski Maria-Andrea , Schwille Petra , Budisa Nediljko
Published: August 2022

Protein halogenation is a common non-enzymatic post-translational modification contributing to aging, oxidative stress-related diseases and cancer. Here, we report a genetically encodable halogenation of tyrosine residues in a reconstituted prokaryotic filamentous cell-division protein (FtsZ) as a platform to elucidate the implications of halogenation that can be extrapolated to living systems of much higher complexity. We show how single halogenations can fine-tune protein structures and dynamics of FtsZ with subtle perturbations collectively amplified by the process of FtsZ self-organization. Based on experiments and theories, we have gained valuable insights into the mechanism of halogen influence. The bending of FtsZ structures occurs by affecting surface charges and internal domain distances and is reflected in the decline of GTPase activities by reducing GTP binding energy during polymerization. Our results point to a better understanding of the physiological and pathological effects of protein halogenation and may contribute to the development of potential diagnostic tools.
MARTX toxin of Vibrio vulnificus induces RBC phosphatidylserine exposure that can contribute to thrombosis
Authors: Chung Han Young , Bian Yiying , Lim Kyung-Min , Kim Byoung Sik , Choi Sang Ho
Published: August 2022

V. vulnificus-infected patients suffer from hemolytic anemia and circulatory lesions, often accompanied by venous thrombosis. However, the pathophysiological mechanism of venous thrombosis associated with V. vulnificus infection remains largely unknown. Herein, V. vulnificus infection at the sub-hemolytic level induced shape change of human red blood cells (RBCs) accompanied by phosphatidylserine exposure, and microvesicle generation, leading to the procoagulant activation of RBCs and ultimately, acquisition of prothrombotic activity. Of note, V. vulnificus exposed to RBCs substantially upregulated the rtxA gene encoding multifunctional autoprocessing repeats-in-toxin (MARTX) toxin. Mutant studies showed that V. vulnificus-induced RBC procoagulant activity was due to the pore forming region of the MARTX toxin causing intracellular Ca2+ influx in RBCs. In a rat venous thrombosis model triggered by tissue factor and stasis, the V. vulnificus wild type increased thrombosis while the ΔrtxA mutant failed to increase thrombosis, confirming that V. vulnificus induces thrombosis through the procoagulant activation of RBCs via the mediation of the MARTX toxin.
Exploration of organic superionic glassy conductors by process and materials informatics with lossless graph database
Authors: Hatakeyama-Sato Kan , Umeki Momoka , Adachi Hiroki , Kuwata Naoaki , Hasegawa Gen , Oyaizu Kenichi
Published: August 2022

Data-driven material exploration is a ground-breaking research style; however, daily experimental results are difficult to record, analyze, and share. We report a data platform that losslessly describes the relationships of structures, properties, and processes as graphs in electronic laboratory notebooks. As a model project, organic superionic glassy conductors were explored by recording over 500 different experiments. Automated data analysis revealed the essential factors for a remarkable room temperature ionic conductivity of 10−4–10−3 S cm−1 and a Li+ transference number of around 0.8. In contrast to previous materials research, everyone can access all the experimental results, including graphs, raw measurement data, and data processing systems, at a public repository. Direct data sharing will improve scientific communication and accelerate integration of material knowledge.
Understanding drivers of vaccine hesitancy among pregnant women in Nigeria: A longitudinal study
Authors: Adeyanju Gbadebo Collins , Sprengholz Philipp , Betsch Cornelia
Published: August 2022

Vaccine-preventable-diseases are major contributors to disease burden in Sub-Saharan Africa. There is dearth of knowledge on the drivers of childhood vaccine hesitancy in Nigeria and its impact on coverage. Although understudied, pregnant women are a particularly important vulnerable group and very relevant for childhood vaccination decisions. This study’s aims are to adapt Confidence, Complacency, Constraints, Calculation, and Collective Responsibility, also known as the 5C psychological antecedence scale for the Nigerian context and to measure predictors of intention to vaccinate among pregnant women (prenatal) and subsequent vaccination behavior (postnatal). It is a longitudinal study that used multi-stage sampling procedure. One healthcare facility was selected from each district in five regional clusters, from which 255 pregnant women were randomly drawn. A standardized questionnaire was used to collect relevant data, including the 5C and some additional variables. Multiple linear regression using backward elimination analysis was performed to identify intention at prenatal and behavior at postnatal. Pregnant women’s intention to vaccinate unborn children was lower if they were Muslims, had lower confidence in public health system, if husband approval was important, and if they believed in rumor. At postnatal, vaccination behavior was more likely to follow mothers’ religious beliefs, when confidence in vaccine effectiveness was high and when mothers felt responsible for the collective. However, everyday stress (constraints) related to less vaccination behavior, and intention did not predict actual vaccination behavior. The 5C scale needs revision before being widely used in Nigeria. Yet, it is a better tool for measuring vaccination behavior than intention.