bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Three learning stages and accuracy–efficiency tradeoff of restricted Boltzmann machines
Authors: Dabelow Lennart , Ueda Masahito
Published: September 2022

Restricted Boltzmann Machines (RBMs) offer a versatile architecture for unsupervised machine learning that can in principle approximate any target probability distribution with arbitrary accuracy. However, the RBM model is usually not directly accessible due to its computational complexity, and Markov-chain sampling is invoked to analyze the learned probability distribution. For training and eventual applications, it is thus desirable to have a sampler that is both accurate and efficient. We highlight that these two goals generally compete with each other and cannot be achieved simultaneously. More specifically, we identify and quantitatively characterize three regimes of RBM learning: independent learning, where the accuracy improves without losing efficiency; correlation learning, where higher accuracy entails lower efficiency; and degradation, where both accuracy and efficiency no longer improve or even deteriorate. These findings are based on numerical experiments and heuristic arguments.
Infralimbic medial prefrontal cortex signalling to calbindin 1 positive neurons in posterior basolateral amygdala suppresses anxiety- and depression-like behaviours
Authors: Yu Huiling , Chen Liping , Lei Huiyang , Pi Guilin , Xiong Rui , Jiang Tao , Wu Dongqin , Sun Fei , Gao Yang , Li Yuanhao , Peng Wenju , Huang Bingyu , Song Guoda , Wang Xin , Lv Jingru , Jin Zetao , Ke Dan , Yang Ying , Wang Jian-Zhi
Published: September 2022

Generalization is a fundamental cognitive ability of organisms to deal with the uncertainty in real-world situations. Excessive fear generalization and impaired reward generalization are closely related to many psychiatric disorders. However, the neural circuit mechanism for reward generalization and its role in anxiety-like behaviours remain elusive. Here, we found a robust activation of calbindin 1-neurons (Calb 1) in the posterior basolateral amygdala (pBLA), simultaneous with reward generalization to an ambiguous cue after reward conditioning in mice. We identify the infralimbic medial prefrontal cortex (IL) to the pBLACalb1 (Calb 1 neurons in the pBLA) pathway as being involved in reward generalization for the ambiguity. Activating IL–pBLA inputs strengthens reward generalization and reduces chronic unpredictable mild stress-induced anxiety- and depression-like behaviours in a manner dependent on pBLACalb1 neuron activation. These findings suggest that the IL–pBLACalb1 circuit could be a target to promote stress resilience via reward generalization and consequently ameliorate anxiety- and depression-like behaviours.
Oncogenic RAS commandeers amino acid sensing machinery to aberrantly activate mTORC1 in multiple myeloma
Authors: Yang Yandan , Bolomsky Arnold , Oellerich Thomas , Chen Ping , Ceribelli Michele , Häupl Björn , Wright George W. , Phelan James D. , Huang Da Wei , Lord James W. , Van Winkle Callie K. , Yu Xin , Wisniewski Jan , Wang James Q. , Tosto Frances A. , Beck Erin , Wilson Kelli , McKnight Crystal , Travers Jameson , Klumpp-Thomas Carleen , Smith Grace A. , Pittaluga Stefania , Maric Irina , Kazandjian Dickran , Thomas Craig J. , Young Ryan M.
Published: September 2022

Oncogenic RAS mutations are common in multiple myeloma (MM), an incurable malignancy of plasma cells. However, the mechanisms of pathogenic RAS signaling in this disease remain enigmatic and difficult to inhibit therapeutically. We employ an unbiased proteogenomic approach to dissect RAS signaling in MM. We discover that mutant isoforms of RAS organize a signaling complex with the amino acid transporter, SLC3A2, and MTOR on endolysosomes, which directly activates mTORC1 by co-opting amino acid sensing pathways. MM tumors with high expression of mTORC1-dependent genes are more aggressive and enriched in RAS mutations, and we detect interactions between RAS and MTOR in MM patient tumors harboring mutant RAS isoforms. Inhibition of RAS-dependent mTORC1 activity synergizes with MEK and ERK inhibitors to quench pathogenic RAS signaling in MM cells. This study redefines the RAS pathway in MM and provides a mechanistic and rational basis to target this mode of RAS signaling.
Insight into the transient inactivation effect on Au/TiO2 catalyst by in-situ DRIFT and UV–vis spectroscopy
Authors: Wang Xianwei , Rosspeintner Arnulf , Ziarati Abolfazl , Zhao Jiangtao , Bürgi Thomas
Published: September 2022

Au catalysts have drawn broad attention for catalytic CO oxidation. However, a molecular-level understanding of the reaction mechanism on a fast time-resolved scale is still lacking. Herein, we apply in situ DRIFTS and UV-Vis spectroscopy to monitor the rapid dynamic changes during CO oxidation over Au/TiO2. A pronounced transient inactivation effect likely due to a structural change of Au/TiO2 induced by the reactants (CO and O2) is observed at the beginning of the reaction. The transient inactivation effect is affected by the ratio of CO and O2 concentrations. More importantly, during the unstable state, the electronic properties of the Au particles change, as indicated by the shift of the CO stretching vibration. UV-Vis spectroscopy corroborates the structure change of Au/TiO2 surface induced by the reactants, which leads to a weakening of the Au catalyst’s ability to be oxidized (less O2 adsorption), resulting in the transient inactivation effect.
Main-chain engineering of polymer photocatalysts with hydrophilic non-conjugated segments for visible-light-driven hydrogen evolution
Authors: Chang Chih-Li , Lin Wei-Cheng , Ting Li-Yu , Shih Chin-Hsuan , Chen Shih-Yuan , Huang Tse-Fu , Tateno Hiroyuki , Jayakumar Jayachandran , Jao Wen-Yang , Tai Chen-Wei , Chu Che-Yi , Chen Chin-Wen , Yu Chi-Hua , Lu Yu-Jung , Hu Chi-Chang , Elewa Ahmed M. , Mochizuki Takehisa , Chou Ho-Hsiu
Published: September 2022

Photocatalytic water splitting is attracting considerable interest because it enables the conversion of solar energy into hydrogen for use as a zero-emission fuel or chemical feedstock. Herein, we present a universal approach for inserting hydrophilic non-conjugated segments into the main-chain of conjugated polymers to produce a series of discontinuously conjugated polymer photocatalysts. Water can effectively be brought into the interior through these hydrophilic non-conjugated segments, resulting in effective water/polymer interfaces inside the bulk discontinuously conjugated polymers in both thin-film and solution. Discontinuously conjugated polymer with 10 mol% hexaethylene glycol-based hydrophilic segments achieves an apparent quantum yield of 17.82% under 460 nm monochromatic light irradiation in solution and a hydrogen evolution rate of 16.8 mmol m−2 h−1 in thin-film. Molecular dynamics simulations show a trend similar to that in experiments, corroborating that main-chain engineering increases the possibility of a water/polymer interaction. By introducing non-conjugated hydrophilic segments, the effective conjugation length is not altered, allowing discontinuously conjugated polymers to remain efficient photocatalysis.
Dislocation exhaustion and ultra-hardening of nanograined metals by phase transformation at grain boundaries
Authors: Wu Shangshu , Kou Zongde , Lai Qingquan , Lan Si , Katnagallu Shyam Swaroop , Hahn Horst , Taheriniya Shabnam , Wilde Gerhard , Gleiter Herbert , Feng Tao
Published: September 2022

The development of high-strength metals has driven the endeavor of pushing the limit of grain size (d) reduction according to the Hall-Petch law. But the continuous grain refinement is particularly challenging, raising also the problem of inverse Hall-Petch effect. Here, we show that the nanograined metals (NMs) with d of tens of nanometers could be strengthened to the level comparable to or even beyond that of the extremely-fine NMs (d ~ 5 nm) attributing to the dislocation exhaustion. We design the Fe-Ni NM with intergranular Ni enrichment. The results show triggering of structural transformation at grain boundaries (GBs) at low temperature, which consumes lattice dislocations significantly. Therefore, the plasticity in the dislocation-exhausted NMs is suggested to be dominated by the activation of GB dislocation sources, leading to the ultra-hardening effect. This approach demonstrates a new pathway to explore NMs with desired properties by tailoring phase transformations via GB physico-chemical engineering.
World carbon pricing database: sources and methods
Authors: Dolphin Geoffroy , Xiahou Qinrui
Published: September 2022

This note describes the sources and methods used to construct the World Carbon Pricing Database (WCPD). This database contains a harmonized record of the sectoral coverage and prices associated with carbon pricing mechanisms implemented worldwide at the national and subnational levels over the period 1990–2020. The dataset follows IPCC 2006 sectoral disaggregation, which allows for a straightforward integration with other datasets following the same structure.
Recursive integration of synergised graph representations of multi-omics data for cancer subtypes identification
Authors: Madhumita  , Dwivedi Archit , Paul Sushmita
Published: September 2022

Cancer subtypes identification is one of the critical steps toward advancing personalized anti-cancerous therapies. Accumulation of a massive amount of multi-platform omics data measured across the same set of samples provides an opportunity to look into this deadly disease from several views simultaneously. Few integrative clustering approaches are developed to capture shared information from all the views to identify cancer subtypes. However, they have certain limitations. The challenge here is identifying the most relevant feature space from each omic view and systematically integrating them. Both the steps should lead toward a global clustering solution with biological significance. In this respect, a novel multi-omics clustering algorithm named RISynG (Recursive Integration of Synergised Graph-representations) is presented in this study. RISynG represents each omic view as two representation matrices that are Gramian and Laplacian. A parameterised combination function is defined to obtain a synergy matrix from these representation matrices. Then a recursive multi-kernel approach is applied to integrate the most relevant, shared, and complementary information captured via the respective synergy matrices. At last, clustering is applied to the integrated subspace. RISynG is benchmarked on five multi-omics cancer datasets taken from The Cancer Genome Atlas. The experimental results demonstrate RISynG’s efficiency over the other approaches in this domain.
A theory-based model of cumulative activity
Authors: Phillips Kole , Stanley Kevin , Fuller Daniel
Published: September 2022

Energy expenditure can be used to examine the health of individuals and the impact of environmental factors on physical activity. One of the more common ways to quantify energy expenditure is to process accelerometer data into some unit of measurement for this expenditure, such as Actigraph activity counts, and bin those measures into physical activity levels. However, accepted thresholds can vary between demographics, and some units of energy measurements do not currently have agreed upon thresholds. We present an approach which computes unique thresholds for each individual, using piecewise exponential functions to model the characteristics of their overall physical activity patterns corresponding to well established sedentary, light, moderate and vigorous activity levels from the literature. Models are fit using existing piecewise fitting techniques and software. Most participants’ activity intensity profile is exceptionally well modeled as piecewise exponential decay. Using this model, we find emergent groupings of participant behavior and categorize individuals into non-vigorous, consistent, moderately active, or extremely active activity intensity profiles. In the supplemental materials, we demonstrate that the parameters of the model correlate with demographics of age, household size, and level of education, inform behavior change under COVID lockdown, and are reasonably robust to signal frequency.
Determination of reference genes as a quantitative standard for gene expression analysis in mouse mesangial cells stimulated with TGF-β
Authors: dos Santos Bronel Bruno Aristides , Anauate Ana Carolina , Maquigussa Edgar , Boim Mirian Aparecida , da Silva Novaes Antônio
Published: September 2022

Reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) is the gold standard technique for gene expression analysis, but the choice of quantitative reference genes (housekeeping genes, HKG) remains challenging. Identify the best HKG is essential for estimating the expression level of target genes. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine the best HKG for an in vitro model with mouse mesangial cells (MMCs) stimulated with 5 ng/mL of TGF-β. Five candidates HKG were selected: Actb, Hprt, Gapdh, 18S and Ppia. After quantitative expression, the best combination of these genes was analyzed in silico using six software programs. To validate the results, the best genes were used to normalize the expression levels of fibronectin, vimentin and α-SMA. In silico analysis revealed that Ppia, Gapdh and 18S were the most stable genes between the groups. GenEX software and Spearman's correlation determined Ppia and Gapdh as the best HKG pair, and validation of the HKG by normalizing fibronectin, vimentin and α-SMA were consistent with results from the literature. Our results established the combination of Ppia and Gapdh as the best HKG pair for gene expression analysis by RT-PCR in this in vitro model using MMCs treated with TGF-β.
Regulation of human cortical interneuron development by the chromatin remodeling protein CHD2
Authors: Lewis E. M. A. , Chapman G. , Kaushik K. , Determan J. , Antony I. , Meganathan K. , Narasimhan M. , Gontarz P. , Zhang B. , Kroll K. L.
Published: September 2022

Mutations in the chromodomain helicase DNA binding protein 2 (CHD2) gene are associated with neurodevelopmental disorders. However, mechanisms by which CHD2 regulates human brain development remain largely uncharacterized. Here, we used a human embryonic stem cell model of cortical interneuron (hcIN) development to elucidate its roles in this process. We identified genome-wide CHD2 binding profiles during hcIN differentiation, defining direct CHD2 targets related to neurogenesis in hcIN progenitors and to neuronal function in hcINs. CHD2 bound sites were frequently coenriched with histone H3 lysine 27 acetylation (H3K27ac) and associated with high gene expression, indicating roles for CHD2 in promoting gene expression during hcIN development. Binding sites for different classes of transcription factors were enriched at CHD2 bound regions during differentiation, suggesting transcription factors that may cooperatively regulate stage-specific gene expression with CHD2. We also demonstrated that CHD2 haploinsufficiency altered CHD2 and H3K27ac coenrichment on chromatin and expression of associated genes, decreasing acetylation and expression of cell cycle genes while increasing acetylation and expression of neuronal genes, to cause precocious differentiation. Together, these data describe CHD2 direct targets and mechanisms by which CHD2 prevents precocious hcIN differentiation, which are likely to be disrupted by pathogenic CHD2 mutation to cause neurodevelopmental disorders.
Antigenic drift and epidemiological severity of seasonal influenza in Canada
Authors: Chen Zishu , Bancej Christina , Lee Liza , Champredon David
Published: September 2022

Seasonal influenza epidemics circulate globally every year with varying levels of severity. One of the major drivers of this seasonal variation is thought to be the antigenic drift of influenza viruses, resulting from the accumulation of mutations in viral surface proteins. In this study, we aimed to investigate the association between the genetic drift of seasonal influenza viruses (A/H1N1, A/H3N2 and B) and the epidemiological severity of seasonal epidemics within a Canadian context. We obtained hemagglutinin protein sequences collected in Canada between the 2006/2007 and 2019/2020 flu seasons from GISAID and calculated Hamming distances in a sequence-based approach to estimating inter-seasonal antigenic differences. We also gathered epidemiological data on cases, hospitalizations and deaths from national surveillance systems and other official sources, as well as vaccine effectiveness estimates to address potential effect modification. These aggregate measures of disease severity were integrated into a single seasonal severity index. We performed linear regressions of our severity index with respect to the inter-seasonal antigenic distances, controlling for vaccine effectiveness. We did not find any evidence of a statistical relationship between antigenic distance and seasonal influenza severity in Canada. Future studies may need to account for additional factors, such as co-circulation of other respiratory pathogens, population imprinting, cohort effects and environmental parameters, which may drive seasonal influenza severity.
Fisher discriminant model based on LASSO logistic regression for computed tomography imaging diagnosis of pelvic rhabdomyosarcoma in children
Authors: Tian Lu , Li Xiaomeng , Zheng Helin , Wang Longlun , Qin Yong , Cai Jinhua
Published: September 2022

Computed tomography (CT) has been widely used for the diagnosis of pelvic rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) in children. However, it is difficult to differentiate pelvic RMS from other pelvic malignancies. This study aimed to analyze and select CT features by using least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) logistic regression and established a Fisher discriminant analysis (FDA) model for the quantitative diagnosis of pediatric pelvic RMS. A total of 121 pediatric patients who were diagnosed with pelvic neoplasms were included in this study. The patients were assigned to an RMS group (n = 36) and a non-RMS group (n = 85) according to the pathological results. LASSO logistic regression was used to select characteristic features, and an FDA model was constructed for quantitative diagnosis. Leave-one-out cross-validation and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis were used to evaluate the diagnostic ability of the FDA model. Six characteristic variables were selected by LASSO logistic regression, all of which were CT morphological features. Using these CT features, the following diagnostic models were established: (RMS group)$${G}_{1}=-14.283+6.613{x}_{1}+5.333{x}_{2}+5.753{x}_{3}+12.361{x}_{4}+8.095{x}_{5}-0.715{x}_{6}$$

G
1

=
-
14.283
+
6.613

x
1

+
5.333

x
2

+
5.753

x
3

+
12.361

x
4

+
8.095

x
5

-
0.715

x
6

; (Non-RMS group)$${G}_{2}=-2.008+3.539{x}_{1}+1.080{x}_{2}+1.154{x}_{3}+2.307{x}_{4}+1.656{x}_{5}+1.380{x}_{6}$$

G
2

=
-
2.008
+
3.539

x
1

+
1.080

x
2

+
1.154

x
3

+
2.307

x
4

+
1.656

x
5

+
1.380

x
6

, where $${x}_{1}$$

x
1

, $${x}_{2}$$

x
2

, … and $${x}_{6}$$

x
6

are lower than normal muscle density (1 = yes; 0 = no), multinodular fusion (1 = yes; 0 = no), enhancement at surrounding blood vessels (1 = yes; 0 = no), heterogeneous progressive centripetal enhancement (1 = yes; 0 = no), ring enhancement (1 = yes; 0 = no), and hemorrhage (1 = yes; 0 = no), respectively. The calculated area under the ROC curve (AUC) of the model was 0.992 (0.982–1.000), with a sensitivity of 94.4%, a specificity of 96.5%, and an accuracy of 95.9%. The calculated sensitivity, specificity and accuracy values were consistent with those from cross-validation. An FDA model based on the CT morphological features of pelvic RMS was established and could provide an easy and efficient method for the diagnosis and differential diagnosis of pelvic RMS in children.
Latent class analysis of behavior across dog breeds reveal underlying temperament profiles
Authors: Zapata Isain , Eyre Alexander W. , Alvarez Carlos E. , Serpell James A.
Published: September 2022

Latent class analysis (LCA) is a type of modeling analysis approach that has been used to identify unobserved groups or subgroups within multivariate categorical data. LCA has been used for a wide array of psychological evaluations in humans, including the identification of depression subtypes or PTSD comorbidity patterns. However, it has never been used for the assessment of animal behavior. Our objective here is to identify behavioral profile-types of dogs using LCA. The LCA was performed on a C-BARQ behavioral questionnaire dataset from 57,454 participants representing over 350 pure breeds and mixed breed dogs. Two, three, and four class LCA models were developed using C-BARQ trait scores and environmental covariates. In our study, LCA is shown as an effective and flexible tool to classify behavioral assessments. By evaluating the traits that carry the strongest relevance, it was possible to define the basis of these grouping differences. Groupings can be ranked and used as levels for simplified comparisons of complex constructs, such as temperament, that could be further exploited in downstream applications such as genomic association analyses. We propose this approach will facilitate dissection of physiological and environmental factors associated with psychopathology in dogs, humans, and mammals in general.
Evaluation of animal and plant diversity suggests Greenland’s thaw hastens the biodiversity crisis
Authors: Ureta Carolina , Ramírez-Barahona Santiago , Calderón-Bustamante Óscar , Cruz-Santiago Pedro , Gay-García Carlos , Swingedouw Didier , Defrance Dimitri , Cuervo-Robayo Angela P.
Published: September 2022

Rising temperatures can lead to the occurrence of a large-scale climatic event, such as the melting of Greenland ice sheet, weakening the AMOC and further increasing dissimilarities between current and future climate. The impacts of such an event are still poorly assessed. Here, we evaluate those impacts across megadiverse countries on 21,146 species of tetrapods and vascular plants using the pessimistic climate change scenario (RCP 8.5) and four different scenarios of Greenland’s ice sheet melting. We show that RCP 8.5 emission scenario would lead to a widespread reduction in species’ geographic ranges (28–48%), which is projected to be magnified (58–99%) with any added contribution from the melting of Greenland. Also, declines in the potential geographical extent of species hotspots (12–89%) and alterations of species composition (19–91%) will be intensified. These results imply that the influence of a strong and rapid Greenland ice sheet melting, resulting in a large AMOC weakening, can lead to a faster collapse of biodiversity across the globe.
Prediction of a full scale WWTP activated sludge SVI test using an LSTM neural network
Authors: Kohen Efrat , Farhi Nitzan , Shavitt Yuval , Mamane Hadas
Published: September 2022

The two key parameters to control and prevent sludge separation problems in activated sludge are SVI test and microscopic observations. To predict SVI we propose a bidirectional LSTM model which shows an accuracy rate of 89% and an F1-score of 82%.
Aminated and amidated structures introduced by ethylenediamine pretreatment endow lignin with bright fluorescence
Authors: Shi Tao , Xu Li , Wang Ya-Nan , Liu Shi-Chang , Liu Zhi-Hua , Zhao Guang-Jiu , Li Bing-Zhi , Yuan Ying-Jin
Published: September 2022

Compared to traditional lignin, ethylenediamine-treated lignin shows remarkable bright fluorescence in aqueous solutions due to through space and through bond interactions.
Unravelling the potential of disposable and modifiable pencils as catalyst supports for hydrogen evolution reaction
Authors: Paudel Mohan , Daniels Braydan , Arts Amanda M. , Gupta Alexander , Kalbfleisch Theodore , Hofsommer Dillon T. , Grapperhaus Craig A. , Buchanan Robert M. , Gupta Gautam
Published: September 2022

Pencil substrates are promising ideal durable carbon support also amenable for post characterization for evaluation of hydrogen evolution reaction catalysts.
Low power design of explicit‐pulsed dual‐edge‐triggered level‐converting flip‐flop based on carbon nanotubes field‐effect transistors
Authors: Dai Yanyun , Yang Yanfei , Jiang Lurong , Tong Jijun , Gao Faqin
Published: September 2022

Power consumption and performance are the two main concerns in designing pulse‐triggered level‐converting flip‐flops (LCFF). In this letter, through the research on the level conversion circuits, an explicit‐pulsed dual‐edge triggered LCFF based on the carbon nanotubes field‐effect transistors (CNTFETs) is proposed by using the multi‐source voltage technology. The proposed flip‐flop increases the speed by reducing the number of transistors in the charge/discharge path. The characteristics of the CNTFETs are used to obtain transistors with different threshold voltages by changing the chiral vector to optimize the circuit structure and further reduce the power consumption. In addition, the power consumption is further reduced due to the small on‐current of the CNTFETs. The proposed novel structure is simulated in HSPICE using the Stanford model. Simulation results indicate that our proposed flip‐flop reduces 62.9% to 72.4% of power consumption and 73.6% to 89.1% of delay in comparison with other flip‐flops proposed in the references at 50% data switching activity.
A transformer‐less high‐boosting common‐grounded multi‐phase DC–DC converter with continuous input‐current favourable for low‐power applications
Authors: Varesi Kazem , Padmanaban Sanjeevikumar
Published: September 2022

The traditional dc–dc converters have limited boosting ability. Significant voltage gains can be accomplished only at extreme duty ratios, where the high voltage/current stress and losses occur on semiconductors. This work proposes a common‐ground multi‐phase boost dc–dc converter that benefits from high boosting factor at low duty ratios, continuous input‐current and minimum operational modes (only two at CCM) regardless of number of phases. Due to the presence of common‐ground point, the proposed converter can efficiently remove the leakage current while using the PV as the input source. Also, because of multi‐phase nature, the proposed converter has low current stress on its input devices, which leads to lower voltage drops and better efficiencies. The number of phases can freely be selected based on required boosting factor or converter efficiency. To assure of proper performance of proposed converter, the three‐phase (n = 3) version has been investigated in detail and its steady‐state analysis as well as real‐gain and loss calculations have been presented. The competitiveness of the suggested converter has been verified by performing comprehensive comparative analysis. The experimental results (for n = 3) have also been provided to certify the correct performance of suggested converter.
Three-dimensional Volume Changes of the Reconstructed Breast Following DIEP Flap Breast Reconstruction
Authors: Lee Mi Kyung , Park Hae Yeon , Park Jin-Woo , Mun Goo-Hyun , Woo Kyong-Je
Published: September 2022

Background This study aimed to assess whether the reconstructed breast volume changed postoperatively following a deep inferior epigastric artery perforator (DIEP) flap.

Methods Patients were included if they had undergone unilateral breast reconstruction with a DIEP flap at the two selected centers between April 2017 and September 2019. Serial 3-D surface imaging of both breasts was taken at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months postoperatively. The primary outcome was a volume ratio of the reconstructed to the contralateral breast. A linear mixed-effect model was used to evaluate whether the DIEP flap volume changed according to the postoperative time.

Results A total of 74 patients were included in the analysis. The mean volume ratio of the reconstructed side compared with the contralateral breast at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months postoperatively were 106.9%, 105.9%, 108.7%, and 107.6%, respectively. In the linear mixed effect model, the volume ratio of the reconstructed breast did not change over time for immediate reconstructions (p = 0.376). However, there was an increase over time in delayed reconstructions (p = 0.043). Adjuvant radiation, chemotherapy, and hormone therapy did not influence the volume ratio of the reconstruced breast. Correlation analysis using repeatedly measured values showed that both reconstruced and healthy breast volumes had positive correlation with the patient's body weight (p < 0.001). On the other hand, volume ratio of the breasts was not influenced by the patient's body weight (p = 0.493). The volume ratio of the reconstructed breast significantly decreased in the upper inner (p = 0.003) and the upper outer (p = 0.006) quadrants, while increasing in the lower outer (p = 0.002) quadrant throughout the first-year postoperative period.

Conclusion The volume ratio of the reconstructed to the contralateral breast does not decrease postoperatively following DIEP flap breast reconstruction.
On the response of neutrally stable flows to oscillatory forcing with application to liquid sheets
Authors: Huber Colin M. , Barlow Nathaniel S. , Weinstein Steven J.
Published: September 2022

Industrial coating processes create thin liquid films with tight thickness tolerances, and thus, models that predict the response to inevitable disturbances are essential. The mathematical modeling complexities are reduced through linearization as even small thickness variations in films can render a product unsaleable. The signaling problem, considered in this paper, is perhaps the simplest model that incorporates the effects of repetitive (oscillatory) disturbances that are initiated, for example, by room vibrations and pump drives. In prior work, Gordillo and Pérez [“Transient effects in the signaling problem,” Phys. Fluids 14, 4329 (2002)] examined the structure of the signaling response for linear operators that admit exponentially growing or damped solutions; that is, the medium is classified as unstable or stable via classical stability analysis. The signaling problem admits two portions of the solution, the transient behavior due to the start-up of the disturbance and the long-time behavior that is continually forced; the superposition reveals how the forced solution evolves through the passage of a transient. In this paper, we examine signaling for the linear operator examined by King et al. [“Stability of algebraically unstable dispersive flows,” Phys. Rev. Fluids 1, 073604 (2016)] that governs varicose waves in a thin liquid sheet and that can admit solutions having algebraic growth although the underlying medium is classified as being neutrally stable. Long-time asymptotic methods are used to extract critical velocities that partition the response into distinct regions having markedly different location-dependent responses, and the amplitudes of oscillatory responses in these regions are determined. Together, these characterize the magnitude and breadth of the solution response. Results indicate that the signaling response in neutrally stable flows (that admit algebraic growth) is significantly different from that in exponentially unstable systems.
Temporal instability of confined three-dimensional liquid jet with heat and mass transfer under longitudinal acoustic oscillations
Authors: Deng Xiang-dong , Wang Huan-ran , Cui Xiao , Xie Luo , Jia Bo-qi
Published: September 2022

The temporal instability of a confined viscous liquid jet surrounded by high-speed co-flowing viscous gas phase is studied in this work. The effect of the longitudinal acoustic oscillations, which is regarded as gas axial velocity oscillations, is also considered. The heat and mass transfer is characterized by the ratio between conduction heat flux and the evaporation heat flux; then, an explicit dispersion relation equation is obtained. The results suggest that more than one unstable region appears because of the gas velocity oscillations, including Kelvin–Helmholtz (K–H) instability and parametric instability regions. Increasing the forcing frequency enhances the K–H instability, while it has a stabilizing effect on the parametric instability. In addition, the liquid jet tends to be more unstable in non-axisymmetric modes when the gas rotating strength is strong. Although the gas viscosity has a destabilizing effect on the gas–liquid interface, the destabilizing effect is weak due to the low viscosity of the gas phase. According to the linear instability theory, the dominant wavenumber will locate in the most unstable region. Moreover, the parametric instability in non-axisymmetric modes may be observable when the Weber number is large.
Extended reaction kinetics model for non-thermal argon plasmas and its test against experimental data
Authors: Stankov M , Becker M M , Hoder T , Loffhagen D
Published: September 2022

An extended reaction kinetics model (RKM) suitable for the analysis of weakly ionised, non-thermal argon plasmas with gas temperatures around 300 K at sub-atmospheric and atmospheric pressures is presented. It considers 23 different species including electrons as well as the ground state atom, an atomic and molecular ion, four excited molecular states, and 15 excited atomic states of argon, where all individual 1s and 2p states (in Paschen notation) are included as a separate species. This 23-species RKM involves 409 collision processes and radiative transitions and recent electron collision cross section data. It is evaluated by means of results of time- and space-dependent fluid modelling of argon discharges and their comparison with measured data for two different dielectric barrier discharge configurations as well as a micro-scaled atmospheric-pressure plasma jet setup. The results are also compared with those obtained by use of a previously established 15-species RKM involving only the two lumped 2p states 2p10…5 and

2

p

4
…
1

′

. It is found that the 23-species RKM shows generally better agreement with experimental data and provides more options for direct comparison with measurements than the frequently used 15-species RKM.
The intricate geometry of zero-determinant strategies underlying evolutionary adaptation from extortion to generosity
Authors: Chen Xingru , Wang Long , Fu Feng
Published: September 2022

The advent of zero-determinant (ZD) strategies has reshaped the study of reciprocity and cooperation in the iterated prisoner’s dilemma games. The ramification of ZD strategies has been demonstrated through their ability to unilaterally enforce a linear relationship between their own average payoff and that of their co-player. Common practice conveniently represents this relationship by a straight line in the parametric plot of pairwise payoffs. Yet little attention has been paid to studying the actual geometry of the strategy space of all admissible ZD strategies. Here, our work offers intuitive geometric relationships between different classes of ZD strategies as well as nontrivial geometric interpretations of their specific parameterizations. Adaptive dynamics of ZD strategies further reveals the unforeseen connection between general ZD strategies and the so-called equalizers that can set any co-player’s payoff to a fixed value. We show that the class of equalizers forming a hyperplane is the critical equilibrium manifold, only part of which is stable. The same hyperplane is also a separatrix of the cooperation-enhancing region where the optimum response is to increase cooperation for each of the four payoff outcomes. Our results shed light on the simple but elegant geometry of ZD strategies that is previously overlooked.
Simulation study of the influence of upstream density and power in the scrape-off layer on the double-peaked density profile at the divertor target
Authors: Guo Jin , Mao Shifeng , Jia Guozhang , Meng Lingyi , Li Ang , Xu Jichan , Xu Guosheng , Ye Minyou
Published: September 2022

The double-peaked distribution of particle deposition at divertor targets has been observed in various tokamaks, and is considered a potential approach for mitigating divertor particles and heat load in future fusion reactors. Recently, the systematical analysis of the double-peaked distribution behavior during EAST experiments shows that the appearance of the double-peaked profile is related to the line-average density and heating power. In order to understand general trends and related mechanisms, the influences of the upstream density (n
e,sep) and power in the scrape-off layer (P
SOL) on the double-peaked density profile are investigated by SOLPS-ITER simulations with full drifts and currents. It is found that the n
e peak near the strike point is mainly contributed by the strong ionization source close to the target, and the n
e peak in the far-SOL region is caused by the synergetic effects of poloidal and radial E × B drifts along the SOL. The double-peaked distribution is affected by the P
SOL and impurity seeding by increasing or decreasing the whole profile of the electron temperature at the target (T
et). When the peak value of T
et (T
et,peak) is fixed, the density peak in the far-SOL is increased for higher n
e,sep by reducing the T
et in the far-SOL region on the lower-field side under unfavorable B
T and by the upstream-extended ionization source due to the geometry effect on the high-field side under favorable B
T. Statistical analysis of the simulated results shows that the scaling expression of the peak ratio is ∼

T

e
t
,
p
e
a
k

−

(

1.4
∼
2.1

)

n

e
,
s
e
p

1.6
∼
1.8

. In addition to the upper boundary found in the analysis of EAST experiments, a lower boundary of the region where the double-peaked feature appears on the P
SOL-n
e,sep plane is identified by simulations and preliminarily confirmed according to the measurements in several EAST discharges.
Understanding Break Needs, Break Experiences and Break Outcomes over the Care-giving Career: A Narrative Approach
Authors: Caulfield Maria , Seddon Diane , Williams Sion , Hedd Jones Catrin
Published: September 2022

UK social care policy recognises the importance of short breaks for sustaining care-giving relationships; however, there is limited understanding of how unpaid carers’ break needs evolve in response to the degenerative course of dementia and how these are supported. Using narrative analysis, the stories of thirteen spousal carers for people living with dementia were used to construct an experiential description of the care-giving career, in which spousal carers evolving break needs, experience of accessing breaks and desired break outcomes were explored. The care-giving career was marked by the continual adaptation and acceptance of acute and gradual changes to the care-giving relationship which influenced breaks needs. Irrespective of when in the care-giving career, the process of deciding upon a meaningful break was relational and emotive, emphasising the relevance of relational support to aid transitions to breaks of mutual value. With the deepening cognitive impairment of the person living with dementia, spousal carers encountered difficulties in achieving breaks due to relational and service factors. The conceptualisation of care-giving as a series of shifting configurations underlines the necessity for ongoing and skilful practitioner engagement to help unpaid carers consider ‘what matters’ to them, and proactively respond to changes in ‘what matters’.
“I totally didn’t need to be there in person”: New York women’s preferences for telehealth consultations for sexual and reproductive healthcare in primary care
Authors: Srinivasulu Silpa , Manze Meredith G , Jones Heidi E
Published: September 2022

Background

Expanding telehealth in the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic supported patients with needed sexual and reproductive healthcare (SRH) for continuity of care and reproductive autonomy. While telehealth for SRH is feasible and acceptable, studies have not explored patient preferences towards telehealth SRH from primary care settings.

Objective

We explore New York women’s preferences for telehealth SRH in primary care.

Methods

In 2021, we conducted 5 focus groups and 8 interviews with New York women of reproductive age who had a consultation with a primary care provider in the last year as part of a larger study on assessing SRH quality in primary care. We queried on experiences with telehealth for SRH and perceptions of measuring SRH quality in primary care telehealth consultations. We employed reflexive thematic analysis.

Results

We recruited 30 participants. They preferred telehealth for “basic” SRH conversations, such as contraceptive counselling, and desired in-person consultations for “complex” topics, like pregnancy and preconception, especially if nulliparous. Telehealth benefits included convenience, simplicity of some SRH needs, and alleviating power dynamics in patient–provider relationships. Challenges included lack of one-on-one connection, seriousness of pregnancy discussions, privacy, and internet access. Measuring quality of telehealth SRH should include fostering positive and engaging environments.

Conclusion

Participants find telehealth SRH in primary care preferable, underscoring the importance of offering and expanding this care. As telehealth SRH expands, providers should strengthen quality by building rapport to facilitate conversations on “serious” topics and their ability to help patients remotely.
Alternative quinolone-resistance pathway caused by simultaneous horizontal gene transfer in Haemophilus influenzae
Authors: Tanaka Emi , Wajima Takeaki , Nakaminami Hidemasa , Uchiya Kei-ichi
Published: September 2022

Background

Quinolone-resistant bacteria are known to emerge via the accumulation of mutations in a stepwise manner. Recent studies reported the emergence of quinolone low-susceptible Haemophilus influenzae ST422 isolates harbouring two relevant mutations, although ST422 isolates harbouring one mutation were never identified.

Objectives

To investigate if GyrA and ParC from quinolone low-susceptible isolates can be transferred horizontally and simultaneously to susceptible isolates.

Methods

Genomic DNA was extracted from an H. influenzae isolate harbouring amino acid substitutions in both gyrA and parC and mixed with clinical isolates. The emergence of resistant isolates was compared, and WGS analysis was performed.

Results

By adding the genomic DNA harbouring both mutated gyrA and parC, resistant bacteria exhibiting recombination at gyrA only or both gyrA and parC loci were obtained on nalidixic acid and pipemidic acid plates, and the frequency was found to increase with the amount of DNA. Recombination events in gyrA only and in both gyrA and parC occurred with at least 1 and 1–100 ng of DNA, respectively. The genome sequence of a representative strain showed recombination events throughout the genome. The MIC of quinolone for the resulting strains was found to be similar to that of the donor. Although the recombination efficacy was different among the various strains, all strains used in this study obtained multiple genes simultaneously.

Conclusions

These findings indicate that H. influenzae can simultaneously obtain more than two mutated genes. This mechanism of horizontal transfer could be an alternative pathway for attaining quinolone resistance.
Systematic review of surveillance systems for AMR in Africa
Authors: Okolie Obiageli Jovita , Igwe Uzoma , Ismail Sanda Umar , Ighodalo Uzairue Leonard , Adukwu Emmanuel C
Published: September 2022

Aims

Surveillance is a useful tool for tracking antimicrobial resistance (AMR) trends, patterns, therapeutic and policy interventions. Proper correlation of surveillance data gives meaningful insight into the underlying epidemiology and facilitates development of rational interventions. This comprehensive review aims to identify, classify and assess gaps in Global Antimicrobial Resistance and Use Surveillance System (GLASS) reporting and national action plan (NAP) implementation in Africa.

Methods

Articles published in English were searched across five electronic databases (PubMed, Scopus, Embase, AJOL and Cochrane) and grey literature. Articles were screened against inclusion/exclusion criteria and data from eligible studies were retrieved and analysed. This systematic review was registered in the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO) on 31 July 2020 under protocol CRD42020192165.

Results

Of the 4304 records found, only 32 met the initial inclusion criteria (4 peer reviews and 28 were grey literature). From these records, 41 surveillance systems were identified (30 national and 11 transnational). After final review of reported outcomes, only 23 national surveillance systems met the inclusion criteria. Indicators recorded from these systems shows lack of external quality assessment (EQA) in some systems and limited reporting of parameters such as infection origin, patient population and pathogen types.

Conclusions

The outcome of the review shows that although AMR surveillance has been implemented in 23 out of the 47 countries in the region, a number of limitations exist in the surveillance methods and reporting protocols that can impair the usefulness, validity and trustworthiness of data generated from these surveillance systems.
Addressing Health Disparities in Public Health Through the Application of Data Science Software in the Last 5 Years
Authors: Huerta Jose , Senn William , Prybutok Gayle , Prybutok Victor R.
Published: September 2022

The application of data science resources can enhance our ability to reduce health disparities affecting communities across the country. In this paper, we use the Preferred Reporting Items for Structured Review and Meta-Analyses methodology to conduct a thematic analysis of selected studies and identify micro and macro themes within the literature. The authors of this analysis reviewed articles that included data science software applications and their role in focusing efforts to address health disparities affecting the health of citizens in specific communities across the country. Abstracts were reviewed for research relevance after duplicates were removed, and documents were eliminated from consideration during the screening based on the exclusion criteria. At the conclusion of the structured literature review, the results emphasized the strong utility of geographically directed assessment. This highlights the need for the integration of geo- and statistical methodologies in the use of data science software for healthcare applications, which can be a useful means to identify locations where health disparities are present and can focus efforts to resolve these health disparities. Nurses, physicians, and health educators can be dispatched to the geographical areas where health disparities are most prevalent.