bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Advanced Modeling and Simulation Methods for Evaluation of Thermal Neutron Scattering Materials
Authors: Chapman Chris W. , Arbanas Goran , Brown Jesse , Ramić Kemal , Cheng Yongqiang , Lin Jiao , Abernathy Douglas L. , Kolesnikov Alexander I. , Stone Matthew B. , Daemen Luke , Cuesta Anibal Ramirez , Hu Xunxiang
Published: May 2023

With the rise of interest in thermal neutron scattering data for advanced reactor, criticality safety, and shielding applications, new experimental data are required for evaluation of new materials or for re-evaluation (or validations) of previously evaluated materials. New experimental data are evaluated in a three-step process: (1) computing the phonon characteristics, (2) computing the dynamic structure factor (DSF) from the data, and (3) using the experimental setup to simulate the experimental data. All three steps have challenges, ranging from the need for a suffciently general material simulation code—a processing code that can compute the corresponding DSF—to having a detailed layout of the instrument/beamline/facility where the data were measured. Whereas phonon characteristics of materials can be computed using various methods (molecular dynamics, density functional theory, etc.), a high-fidelity computation of the DSF and the simulation of the experiment based on the DSF is vital to the accuracy of the evaluation. The latter two steps can be achieved by using the two corresponding code systems developed by instrument scientists at the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) at Oak Ridge National Laboratory: (1) OCLIMAX, a program that calculates the dynamic structure factor from DFT and MD simulation results, and (2) MCViNE, a Monte Carlo neutron ray-tracing program designed to simulate neutron scattering experiments. Recently, polyethylene and yttrium hydride were measured at the Wide Angular-Range Chopper (ARCS) and SEQUOIA instrument stations of the SNS. These experiments are simulated using the density functional theory code, the Cambridge Serial Total Energy Package (CASTEP), to compute its phonon characteristics (eigenvalues/vectors and PDOS), which is then processed using OCLIMAX to yield the DSF, and finally the data at each instrument station are simulated by the MCViNE for comparison to the measured data for evaluation. For comparison to conventional evaluation methods, the scattering data processed from OCLIMAX are compared against those processed from the LEAPR module of NJOY, and the results from MCViNE simulations are compared against previously used simplified beamline models implemented in the Monte Carlo N-Particle (MCNP) code.
Thermal scattering libraries for cold and very-cold neutron reflector materials
Authors: Dijulio Douglas D. , Marquez Damian Jose Ignacio , Bernasconi Marco , Campi Davide , Gorini Giuseppe , Kittelmann Thomas , Klinkby Esben , Muhrer Gunter , Ramic Kemal , Rizzi Nicola , Santoro Valentina
Published: May 2023

We present recent developments of improved modelling methods for simulating neutron transport in reflector materials of interest for neutron source applications. These include materials to be used as traditional reflectors around the neutron moderator, such as beryllium, and also novel materials, such as nanodiamond particles, to be used as a reflector for very-cold neutrons in the neutron beam extraction area of a neutron scattering instrument. Of particular interest is the inclusion of physical effects that are not modelled in standard thermal scattering libraries used for Monte-Carlo simulations, such as extinction in beryllium reflectors and effects of small-angle neutron scattering from nanodiamond particles.
Ultraschallgeführte lokalablative Verfahren zur Behandlung von Schilddrüsenläsionen
Authors: Richter Johannes-Paul , Richter Carl-Philip , Gröner Daniel
Published: May 2023

Ultraschallgeführte lokalablative Verfahren kommen als Ergänzung zur chirurgischen Therapie und Radiojodtherapie zunehmend in der Routinebehandlung von Schilddrüsenknoten zur Anwendung. Bei rein zystischen und überwiegend zystischen Herdbefunden liegen gute Erfahrungen mit der Instillationstherapie (Ethanol-/Polidocanol-Ablation) vor. Die neueren thermoablativen Techniken, zu denen die Radiofrequenzablation (RFA), die Mikrowellenablation (MWA), die Laserablation (LA) und der hochintensive fokussierte Ultraschall (HIFU) zählen, erreichen mittels Temperaturen von über 60 °C eine lokale Proteindenaturierung im Zielareal. Unter permanenter Ultraschallkontrolle kann so selektiv die Volumenreduktion lokal symptomatischer oder fokal hyperfunktioneller Befunde zur Erlangung von Beschwerdefreiheit induziert werden. Während bereits vielfältige Evidenz für die effektive und sichere Anwendung verschiedener lokalablativer Techniken geschaffen werden konnte, liegen künftige Herausforderungen in der Initiierung komparativer prospektiver Studien sowie standardisierter Curricula zur Schulung und kontinuierlichen Qualitätssicherung. Ferner wird es zukünftig angezeigt sein, die in Deutschland bei Patienten mitunter noch wenig bekannten lokalablativen Techniken im Aufklärungsgespräch als etablierte Alternative oder Ergänzung zu bestehenden Therapieformen anzuführen.
Ticket to Germany
Authors: Jäger Simon , Herlach Stephanie
Published: May 2023

Pflegekräfte aus dem Ausland sind für viele Einrichtungen existenzsichernde Bausteine in der Gesamtstrategie geworden, um dem Fachkräftemangel zu begegnen. Erfahren Sie hier, wie ein zeitgemäßes und erfolgreiches Anwerben im Ausland funktionieren kann.
Gefangen im Default Mode Network?
Authors: Hertlein Margit
Published: May 2023

Das Gehirn funktioniert nicht immer so, wie wir es uns wünschen. Kopfkino und die innere Stimme funken manchmal unpassend dazwischen. Aber: Wir haben es selbst in der Hand, das richtige neuronale Netwerk zu aktivieren und so entspannt und leistungsfähig zu sein.
Trainingsziele und Risikokategorisierung im Spannungsfeld
körperliches Training und Frakturprophylaxe: Ansatzpunkte für
individualisierte Trainingsprogramme
Authors: Mohebbi Ramin , von Stengel Simon , Kohl Matthias , Jakob Franz , Kerschan-Schindl Katharina , Lange Uwe , Peters Stefan , Schöne Daniel , Thomasius Friederike , Becker Clemens , Kladny Bernd , Kemmler Wolfgang
Published: May 2023

Die Definition von relevanten Trainingszielen und deren weitgehend
individualisierte Allokation zu Gruppen unterschiedlicher Anforderungen sollte
der erste Schritt einer jeden Trainingsstrategie zur optimierten
Trainingsplanung und sicheren Trainingsdurchführung sein. Die Festlegung
der Trainingsziele im Bereich der Frakturprophylaxe orientiert sich eng an den
Frakturdeterminanten „Knochenfestigkeit“,
„Sturzhäufigkeit“ und „Sturzimpact“, die
für die unterschiedlichen (Fraktur-)Risikokollektive jeweils
unterschiedliche Relevanz aufweisen. Für (1) Personen mit
erhöhtem Knochenumbau oder mässiggradiger Verringerung
(Osteopenie) sowie (2) Personen deutlicher Verringerung der Knochendichte
(Osteoporose) ohne Frakturen und ohne relevant erhöhtes Sturzrisiko sind
Erhalt/Erhöhung der Knochenfestigkeit das primäre
Trainingsziel. Bei (3) Personen mit Osteoporose, ohne einschlägige
Frakturen aber mit relevant erhöhtem Sturzrisiko und (4) Personen mit
Osteoporose-assoziierten Frakturen und multiplen Sturzrisikofaktoren gewinnen
die Trainingsziele „Reduktion der Sturzhäufigkeit“ und
„Verbesserung des Sturzablaufes“ zunehmend an Bedeutung. Bei (5)
Personen mit multiplen Osteoporose-assoziierten Frakturen, hohem Sturzrisiko und
sehr geringer körperlicher Leistungsfähigkeit ist die Bedeutung
der Knochenfestigkeit als Trainingsziel vernachlässigbar, nicht zuletzt
da die unmittelbare Verordnungsfähigkeit einer pharmakologischen
Therapie besteht. Zusammenfassend ist eine individualisierte Zuweisung von
Trainingszielen hochrelevant und leistet einen entscheidenden Beitrag zur
Erstellung optimierter Trainingsprotokolle zur Frakturprävention.
Ductus Arteriosus Aneurysm and Pulmonary Artery Thromboses in a Protein S-Deficient Newborn
Authors: Shirozu Hiromitsu , Ichiyama Masako , Ishimura Masataka , Ayako Kuraoka , Egami Naoki , Dongchon Kang , Nakano Toshihide , Sagawa Koichi , Ohga Shouichi
Published: May 2023

Ductus arteriosus aneurysm (DAA) asymptomatically occurs in newborn infants and resolves spontaneously. High-risk DAA with compression, rupture, and thrombosis requires early surgical intervention. Newborn infants have the highest risk of thrombosis among pediatric patients, but the genetic predisposition is difficult to determine in infancy. We herein report a neonatal case of massive thromboses in DAA and pulmonary artery. Desaturation occurred in an active full-term infant 2 days after birth. Echocardiography and contrast-enhanced computed tomography indicated thrombotic occlusion of the DAA and pulmonary artery thrombus. Urgent thrombectomy and ductus resection were successfully performed. After 6 months of anticoagulant therapy, the dissociated low plasma activity levels of protein S from protein C suggested protein S deficiency. A genetic study of PROS1 identified a heterozygous variant of protein S K196E, a low-risk variant of thrombophilia in Japanese populations. There have been seven reported cases with neonatal-onset symptomatic thromboses of DAA involving the pulmonary artery. All survived without recurrence after surgical intervention in five and anticoagulant therapy alone in two. Two newborns had a heterozygous methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) variant, but information on thrombophilia was not available for any other cases. A genetic predisposition may raise the risk of DAA thrombosis, leading to rapid progression.
Optimal trajectory planning of a small UAV using solar energy and wind energy
Authors: Chen Jie , Shi Zhiwei , Geng Xi , Sun Qijie , Sun Quanbing , Yin Zhenquan
Published: May 2023

Due to size limitations and the working environment near the ground, small low-altitude unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) cannot carry large-area solar cells and energy storage devices. Solar energy alone has only a limited effect on the improvement of their endurance. To solve this problem, this study proposes the combination of solar energy technology and dynamic soaring technology to improve the endurance of small UAVs. Then, the optimal energy acquisition strategy based on the combination of solar energy and dynamic soaring technology is analyzed in terms of energy. The motion equations and energy acquisition and consumption models of a small solar UAV based on horizontal wind shear are established. Moreover, an optimal trajectory planning problem with the maximum charging power of rechargeable batteries as the optimization objective is proposed. The optimal trajectory is solved based on the hp adaptive pseudo-spectral method, and the optimal trajectory combining the two technologies is simulated and compared with the constant-altitude constant-velocity (CACV) trajectory of the UAV using only solar technology. The simulation results show that under the flight background of tmission = 6:00 (summer sunrise) and β = 0.125 s−1 (wind gradient of the wind shear), the optimized O-type trajectory decreased the energy consumption power by 39.86% and increased the solar energy acquisition power by 86.34% compared to the CACV trajectory. Consequently, the small UAV stores more energy in the rechargeable batteries to improve the endurance performance. Compared to the environment where the sun is located on the leeward side of the wind shear, the environment where the sun is located on the windward side of the wind shear can enable the UAV to acquire more energy through the optimized O-type trajectory.
Decoding the hydrodynamic properties of microscale helical propellers from Brownian fluctuations
Authors: Djutanta Franky , Brown Peter T. , Nainggolan Bonfilio , Coullomb Alexis , Radhakrishnan Sritharini , Sentosa Jason , Yurke Bernard , Hariadi Rizal F. , Shepherd Douglas P.
Published: May 2023

The complex motility of bacteria, ranging from single-swimmer behaviors such as chemotaxis to collective dynamics, including biofilm formation and active matter phenomena, is driven by their microscale propellers. Despite extensive study of swimming flagellated bacteria, the hydrodynamic properties of their helical-shaped propellers have never been directly measured. The primary challenges to directly studying microscale propellers are 1) their small size and fast, correlated motion, 2) the necessity of controlling fluid flow at the microscale, and 3) isolating the influence of a single propeller from a propeller bundle. To solve the outstanding problem of characterizing the hydrodynamic properties of these propellers, we adopt a dual statistical viewpoint that connects to the hydrodynamics through the fluctuation–dissipation theorem (FDT). We regard the propellers as colloidal particles and characterize their Brownian fluctuations, described by 21 diffusion coefficients for translation, rotation, and correlated translation–rotation in a static fluid. To perform this measurement, we applied recent advances in high-resolution oblique plane microscopy to generate high-speed volumetric movies of fluorophore-labeled, freely diffusing
Escherichia coli
flagella. Analyzing these movies with a bespoke helical single-particle tracking algorithm, we extracted trajectories, calculated the full set of diffusion coefficients, and inferred the average propulsion matrix using a generalized Einstein relation. Our results provide a direct measurement of a microhelix’s propulsion matrix and validate proposals that the flagella are highly inefficient propellers, with a maximum propulsion efficiency of less than 3%. Our approach opens broad avenues for studying the motility of particles in complex environments where direct hydrodynamic approaches are not feasible.
From the personal and private to the community and public
Authors: Dreyfus Shoshana
Published: May 2023

This paper reports on the adaptation of Sydney School genre pedagogy’s Teaching Learning Cycle for the design of a workshop that aims to encourage disability support workers and their managers to think more expansively about the people with intellectual disabilities they work with and support. The paper introduces the pedagogy and its theoretical underpinnings as well as the two fields of knowledge that are drawn on in the workshop: person-centred care and positive behaviour support. It then details the design and implementation of the workshops and finishes with some evidence of the workshop’s initial impact on workers and the disability organisation’s support of people living with disability.
Structure markers
Authors: Martin J. R. , Doran Y. J.
Published: May 2023

In this paper we revisit the association of types of structure with modes of meaning in systemic functional
linguistics (SFL). Focusing mainly on nominal group grammar, we argue that the association of experiential structure with
non-recursive systems realised by multivariate structures and logical structure with recursive systems realised by univariate
structures needs to be relaxed – in recognition of dependency structures consisting of two elements in a head/dependent relation.
We refer to such structures as subjacency duplexes and explore their potential for the analysis of what are often dismissed in SFL
as structure markers – adpositions, linkers and binders in particular.
Recent advances in nanostructured substrates for surface-enhanced infrared absorption spectroscopy
Authors: Wang Jikai , Zeng Pengfei , Xiao Xilin , Zhou Cheng , Wei Hua , Yu Cuiyun
Published: May 2023

Surface-enhanced infrared absorption (SEIRA) spectroscopy is an emerging research field that has received much attention from the research community. Unlike conventional infrared absorption spectroscopy, SEIRA spectroscopy is a surface sensitive technique that exploits the electromagnetic properties of nanostructured substrates to amplify the vibrational signals of adsorbed molecules. Unique advantages like high sensitivity, wide adaptability, and convenient operation allow SEIRA spectroscopy to be applied in qualitative and quantitative analyses for traces of gases, biomolecules, polymers, and so on. In this review, we summarize recent advances in nanostructured substrates for SEIRA spectroscopy, including the developing history and widely accepted SEIRA mechanisms of SEIRA spectroscopy. Most importantly, characteristics and preparation methods of representative SEIRA-active substrates are introduced. In addition, current deficiencies and prospects in the field of SEIRA spectroscopy are discussed.
Obtaining, crystal structure and nanostructure of Ba2NdFeNb4O15 heteroepitaxial films fabricated by RF sputtering on MgO(001) substrates
Authors: Stryukov D V , Pavlenko A V , Matyash Ya Yu , Nazarenko A V
Published: May 2023

The high quality Ba2NdFeNb4O15 epitaxial films with thicknesses varying from 10 nm to 1 μm have been fabricated by RF cathode sputtering. The films were characterized by the formation of orientational domains with 18.4° in-plane rotation and tetragonal unit cell. The films have a smooth surface, while the presence of orientational domains does not manifest itself in any way on the surface relief. The obtained films have no magnetic response due to the absence of magnetic inclusions of barium hexaferrite. The absence of any impurities has been confirmed by x-ray diffraction, atomic force microscopy and energy dispersive elemental analysis.
Inflation and dark matter in the Z
5 model
Authors: Qi XinXin , Sun Hao
Published: May 2023

We discuss the possibility of unifying dark matter physics and inflation in the Z
5 
model of the two-component dark matter. Inflation driven by the two-component dark matter fields
can be divided into two cases, singlet dark matter inflation and mixed dark matter inflation,
where both two-component play the role of inflaton in the latter case. For dark matter, we focus
on the mixed dark matter inflation case. We show a viable parameter space that satisfies the
theoretical and dark matter relic density constraint in the case of successful inflation. It turns
out that the dark matter density is dominated by the light component, which is consistent with the
feature of the Z
5 model of the two-component dark matter.
Updated constraints on primordial black hole evaporation
Authors: Korwar Mrunal , Profumo Stefano
Published: May 2023

The Hawking evaporation process, leading to the production of detectable particle species, constrains the abundance of light black holes, presumably of primordial origin. Here, we reconsider and correct constraints from soft gamma-ray observations, including of the gamma-ray line, at 511 keV, produced by electron-positron pair-annihilation, where positrons originate from black hole evaporation. First, we point out that the INTEGRAL detection of the Large Magellanic Cloud provides one of the strongest bounds attainable with present observations; and that future MeV gamma-ray telescopes, such as GECCO, will greatly enhance such constraints. Second, we discuss issues with previous limits from the isotropic flux at 511 keV and we provide updated, robust constraints from recent measurements of the diffuse Galactic soft gamma-ray emission and from the isotropic soft gamma-ray background.
LDER: a classification framework based on ERP enhancement in RSVP task
Authors: Cui Yujie , Xie Songyun , Xie Xinzhou , Zheng Dalu , Tang Hao , Duan Keyi , Chen Xiaotao , Jiang Yiye
Published: May 2023

Objective. Rapid serial visual presentation (RSVP) based on electroencephalography (EEG) has been widely used in the target detection field, which distinguishes target and non-target by detecting event-related potential (ERP) components. However, the classification performance of the RSVP task is limited by the variability of ERP components, which is a great challenge in developing RSVP for real-life applications. Approach. To tackle this issue, a classification framework based on the ERP feature enhancement to offset the negative impact of the variability of ERP components for RSVP task classification named latency detection and EEG reconstruction was proposed in this paper. First, a spatial-temporal similarity measurement approach was proposed for latency detection. Subsequently, we constructed a single-trial EEG signal model containing ERP latency information. Then, according to the latency information detected in the first step, the model can be solved to obtain the corrected ERP signal and realize the enhancement of ERP features. Finally, the EEG signal after ERP enhancement can be processed by most of the existing feature extraction and classification methods of the RSVP task in this framework. Main results. Nine subjects were recruited to participate in the RSVP experiment on vehicle detection. Four popular algorithms (spatially weighted Fisher linear discrimination-principal component analysis (PCA), hierarchical discriminant PCA, hierarchical discriminant component analysis, and spatial-temporal hybrid common spatial pattern-PCA) in RSVP-based brain–computer interface for feature extraction were selected to verify the performance of our proposed framework. Experimental results showed that our proposed framework significantly outperforms the conventional classification framework in terms of area under curve, balanced accuracy, true positive rate, and false positive rate in four feature extraction methods. Additionally, statistical results showed that our proposed framework enables better performance with fewer training samples, channel numbers, and shorter temporal window sizes. Significance. As a result, the classification performance of the RSVP task was significantly improved by using our proposed framework. Our proposed classification framework will significantly promote the practical application of the RSVP task.
Quantum quenches in the sinh-Gordon and Lieb–Liniger models
Authors: Salvo Emanuele Di , Schuricht Dirk
Published: May 2023

The non-relativistic limit of integrable field theories at equilibrium has been intensively studied in the previous years; the simplest non-trivial case relates the sinh-Gordon model to the Lieb–Liniger model (LLM). Here we study this non-relativistic limit out of equilibrium, namely in the time evolution after a quantum quench. The obtained results agree with the known ones for the LLM, thus showing that the non-relativistic limit is applicable in this out-of-equilibrium setting.
Accurate RBF-FD meshless numerical simulation of thermo-fluid problems for generic 3D geometries
Authors: Zamolo Riccardo , Miotti Davide , Nobile Enrico
Published: May 2023

In contrast to traditional mesh-based methods for the numerical solution of boundary value problems, e.g., Finite Element (FEM) and Finite Volume (FVM), in the recent period many meshfree approaches have been proposed in order to avoid those typical issues due to the mesh. For example, the quality of the mesh greatly affects the reliability of the final solution in the case of CFD problems and the human intervention of a professional is often still needed when dealing with complex-shaped domains. This in turn increases both cost and time required for the reliable simulation of problems of engineering relevance. Meshless methods, on the other side, usually rely on a simpler distribution of nodes and do not require the storage of connectivity information. Among others, one of the most promising meshless methods in terms of accuracy and flexibility is the one based on the Radial Basis Function – Finite Difference (RBF-FD) scheme. RBF-FD methods, however, are usually affected by severe ill conditioning issues when Neumann boundary conditions are employed. This fact is the main responsible for the appearance of large discretization errors near the boundary and for the lack of stability of traditional time integration schemes. In order to address this issue, some new algorithms for the robust treatment of boundary conditions have been developed and successfully employed to solve fluid flow problems with heat transfer. Furthermore, it is well acknowledged that the efficient resolution of boundary layers arising in this class of problems requires an adequate spatial discretization in the neighbourhood of the boundary, i.e., increased node/mesh density along the direction of large gradients only. This result is achieved by employing anisotropic node distributions, which is a novelty in the context of the RBF-FD method to the best of the authors’ knowledge. The method described above is successfully employed for the accurate solution of a representative 3D heat transfer problem with incompressible fluid flow.
Experiments of convective evaporation of refrigerant R513A in a horizontal stainless-steel tube
Authors: Arcasi A , Mastrullo R , Mauro A W , Passarelli A F , Viscardi I
Published: May 2023

Refrigerant R513A represents an interesting solution for the retrofit of conventional high-GWP fluorinated gases, such as R134a, R401A, R401B and R409A for low and medium temperature applications. R513A is an azeotropic mixture (almost zero-temperature glide at any operating pressure) made up of R134a and R1234yf (44% and 56% in mass, respectively), allowing at the same time a very low GWP of 580 and favourable safety characteristics such as no flammability and no toxicity (A1 ASHRAE class). The boiling performance of this blend is scarcely explored and studied in scientific literature, especially in case of commercial tubes typically adopted for refrigeration purposes. For this reason, this paper presents two-phase flow boiling experiments of refrigerant R513A in a 6.00 mm horizontal stainless-steel tube. Heat is provided by means of Joule effect directly on the tube surface, and the peripheral average heat transfer coefficients are obtained by measuring the temperatures at four sides (top, bottom, left and right) of the channel. The effect of the operating conditions is experimented and discussed, by varying the mass flux between 150 and 300 kg/m2 s, saturation temperature between 20 and 50°C and imposed heat flux between 5 and 20 kW/m2. Also, a comparison with the boiling performance of refrigerant R134a is proposed within the same operating conditions. Finally, the assessment of well-known flow boiling prediction methods is presented and discussed.
Safety of Streptococcus pyogenes Vaccines: Anticipating and Overcoming Challenges for Clinical Trials and Post-Marketing Monitoring
Authors: Asturias Edwin J , Excler Jean-Louis , Ackland James , Cavaleri Marco , Fulurija Alma , Long Raj , McCulloch Mignon , Sriskandan Shiranee , Sun Wellington , Zühlke Liesl , Kim Jerome H , Dale James B , Steer Andrew C
Published: May 2023

Streptococcus pyogenes (Strep A) infections result in a vastly underestimated burden of acute and chronic disease globally. The Strep A Vaccine Global Consortium’s (SAVAC’s) mission is to accelerate the development of safe, effective, and affordable S. pyogenes vaccines. The safety of vaccine recipients is of paramount importance. A single S. pyogenes vaccine clinical trial conducted in the 1960s raised important safety concerns. A SAVAC Safety Working Group was established to review the safety assessment methodology and results of more recent early-phase clinical trials and to consider future challenges for vaccine safety assessments across all phases of vaccine development. No clinical or biological safety signals were detected in any of these early-phase trials in the modern era. Improvements in vaccine safety assessments need further consideration, particularly for pediatric clinical trials, large-scale efficacy trials, and preparation for post-marketing pharmacovigilance.
Valvular heart disease in patients on kidney replacement therapy: “opening Pandora's box”
Authors: de la Espriella Rafael , Romero-González Gregorio , Núñez Julio
Published: May 2023

Valvular heart disease (VHD) is highly prevalent among dialysis patients, affecting up to 30%–40% of the population. Aortic and mitral valves are the most frequently affected and commonly lead to valvular stenosis and regurgitation. Although it is well established that VHD is associated with a high morbimortality burden, the optimal management strategy remains unclear, and treatment options are limited due to the high risk of complications and mortality after surgical and transcatheter interventions. In this issue of Clinical Kidney Journal, Elewa et al. provide new evidence in this field by reporting the prevalence and associated outcomes of VHD in patients with kidney failure on renal replacement therapy.
Effects of disease on foraging behaviour and success in an individual free-ranging northern elephant seal
Authors: Holser Rachel R , Crocker Daniel E , Favilla Arina B , Adachi Taiki , Keates Theresa R , Naito Yasuhiko , Costa Daniel P
Published: May 2023

Evaluating consequences of stressors on vital rates in marine mammals is of considerable interest to scientific and regulatory bodies. Many of these species face numerous anthropogenic and environmental disturbances. Despite its importance as a critical form of mortality, little is known about disease progression in air-breathing marine megafauna at sea. We examined the movement, diving, foraging behaviour and physiological state of an adult female northern elephant seal (Mirounga angustirostris) who suffered from an infection while at sea. Comparing her to healthy individuals, we identified abnormal behavioural patterns from high-resolution biologging instruments that are likely indicators of diseased and deteriorating condition. We observed continuous extended (3–30 minutes) surface intervals coinciding with almost no foraging attempts (jaw motion) during 2 weeks of acute illness early in her post-breeding foraging trip. Elephant seals typically spend ~ 2 minutes at the surface. There were less frequent but highly extended (30–200 minutes) surface periods across the remainder of the trip. Dive duration declined throughout the trip rather than increasing. This seal returned in the poorest body condition recorded for an adult female elephant seal (18.3% adipose tissue; post-breeding trip average is 30.4%). She was immunocompromised at the end of her foraging trip and has not been seen since that moulting season. The timing and severity of the illness, which began during the end of the energy-intensive lactation fast, forced this animal over a tipping point from which she could not recover. Additional physiological constraints to foraging, including thermoregulation and oxygen consumption, likely exacerbated her already poor condition. These findings improve our understanding of illness in free-ranging air-breathing marine megafauna, demonstrate the vulnerability of individuals at critical points in their life history, highlight the importance of considering individual health when interpreting biologging data and could help differentiate between malnutrition and other causes of at-sea mortality from transmitted data.
Biomarkers or biotargets? Using competition to lure cancer cells into evolutionary traps
Authors: Bukkuri Anuraag , Adler Frederick R
Published: May 2023

Background and Objectives

Cancer biomarkers provide information on the characteristics and extent of cancer progression and help inform clinical decision-making. However, they can also play functional roles in oncogenesis, from enabling metastases and inducing angiogenesis to promoting resistance to chemotherapy. The resulting evolution could bias estimates of cancer progression and lead to suboptimal treatment decisions.

Methodology

We create an evolutionary game theoretic model of cell–cell competition among cancer cells with different levels of biomarker production. We design and simulate therapies on top of this pre-existing game and examine population and biomarker dynamics.

Results

Using total biomarker as a proxy for population size generally underestimates chemotherapy efficacy and overestimates targeted therapy efficacy. If biomarker production promotes resistance and a targeted therapy against the biomarker exists, this dynamic can be used to set an evolutionary trap. After chemotherapy selects for a high biomarker-producing cancer cell population, targeted therapy could be highly effective for cancer extinction. Rather than using the most effective therapy given the cancer’s current biomarker level and population size, it is more effective to ‘overshoot’ and utilize an evolutionary trap when the aim is extinction. Increasing cell–cell competition, as influenced by biomarker levels, can help prime and set these traps.

Conclusion and Implications

Evolution of functional biomarkers amplify the limitations of using total biomarker levels as a measure of tumor size when designing therapeutic protocols. Evolutionarily enlightened therapeutic strategies may be highly effective, assuming a targeted therapy against the biomarker is available.
Screening for anxiety and depression in clinical practice: translating scores from World Health Organization-5/Anxiety Symptom Scale-2/Major Depression Inventory-2 to Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale
Authors: Johnsen Nina Føns , Jensen Sidsel Normann , Christensen Karl Bang , Pedersen Susanne S , Helmark Charlotte , Zwisler Ann-Dorthe , Gislason Gunnar H
Published: May 2023

Aims

The aim of this study was to evaluate if a combination of World Health Organization-5 (WHO-5), Anxiety Symptom Scale-2 (ASS-2), and Major Depression Inventory-2 (MDI-2) can replace the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) as screening tool for anxiety and depression in cardiac patients across diagnoses and whether it is feasible to generate crosswalks (translation tables) for use in clinical practice.

Methods and results

We used data from the Danish ‘Life with a heart disease’ survey, in which 10 000 patients with a hospital contact and discharge diagnosis of ischaemic heart disease, heart failure, heart valve disease, or atrial fibrillation in 2018 were invited. Potential participants received an electronic questionnaire including 51 questions on health, well-being, and evaluation of the health care system. Crosswalks between WHO-5/ASS-2 and HADS anxiety dimension (HADS-A) and between WHO-5/MDI-2 and HADS depression dimension (HADS-D) were generated and tested using item response theory (IRT). A total of 4346 patients responded to HADS, WHO-5, ASS-2, and MDI-2. Model fit of the bi-factor IRT models illustrated appropriateness of a bi-factor structure and thus of essential uni-dimensionality [root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA) (P value) range 0.000–0.053 (0.0099–0.7529) for anxiety and 0.033–0.061 (0.0168–0.2233) for depression]. A combination of WHO-5 and ASS-2 measured the same trait as HADS-A, and a combination of WHO-5 and MDI-2 measured the same trait as HADS-D. Consequently, crosswalks (translation tables) were generated.

Conclusions

Our study shows that it is feasible to use crosswalks between HADS-A and WHO-5/ASS-2 and HADS-D and WHO-5/MDI-2 for screening cardiac patients across diagnoses for anxiety and depression in clinical practice.
Quantile Regression Analysis of the Modifying Industrial Operations Protocol’s Impact on Forestry Fire Incremental Growth
Authors: Granville Kevin , Cao Shi Yu , Woolford Douglas G , McFayden Colin B
Published: May 2023

Governmental legislation, regulations, and policies are used to prevent and mitigate the negative impact of human-caused wildland fires. In Ontario, Canada, the Modifying Industrial Operations Protocol (MIOP) aims to manage and limit the risk associated with fires ignited because of industrial forestry operations while maintaining flexibility in terms of daily restrictions. The MIOP was enacted in Ontario in 2008, when it replaced the Woods Modifications Guidelines, which had been in effect since 1989. We use quantile regression to quantify how the distribution of incremental growth has changed when contrasting three prevention time periods (MIOP, Woods Guidelines, Pre-Woods) while controlling for several possible confounding variables that drive fire growth. We analyze data of industrial forestry-caused wildland fires ignited on Crown forest land in Ontario from 1976 to 2019. This type of retrospective analysis is important for monitoring the performance of Ontario’s prevention and mitigation efforts and providing insight for the future, especially in a changing environment. Our findings provide evidence of MIOP succeeding at its goal of mitigating the negative impact of ignited industrial forestry fires when compared against previous regulations.
The untold leader of judicial review: China’s Constitutional Court (1948–71) and innovative constitutionalism
Authors: Jiang Zhaoxin
Published: May 2023

Based on newly opened Chinese diaries of Chiang Kai-shek and presidents of the Judicial Yuan, this article explores China’s Constitutional Court from a socio-historical perspective and contextualizes China’s constitutional development from the mainland to Taiwan by 1971, when the United Nations delegitimized the Chiang Kai-shek regime as a lawful representative of China. This article argues that China’s insistence on legal exceptionalism and the fact that China became a victor state after the two world wars facilitated the institutionalization of the Constitutional Court. Due to the judicial leadership and their effective interactions with the political leader, China’s Constitutional Court survived and led a second wave of global expansion of judicial power around the mid-twentieth century. The survival of China’s Constitutional Court gave life to the oldest constitutional court that endured an authoritarian regime longer than the entire post-1989 era. It therefore provides a unique case for the survival of post-democratization constitutional courts in the twenty-first century. However, China’s Constitutional Court has never been properly accredited, not to mention as a leader of the second wave of judicial review. This article fills the gap and posits the survival of the Constitutional Court as a new thesis in comparative constitutional law. Among others, factors including peaceful constitutional revolution, victor-state’s legal exceptionalism, guardian of the Constitutional Court, strong meritocratic judicial leadership and the judicial personal interactions with charismatic political leadership combine to produce a series of constitutional innovations that have safeguarded the survival of China’s Constitutional Court, and thus contributed to creating an exceptional paradigm of judicial review and global constitutional improvement.
China’s recognition and enforcement of foreign securities judgments against overseas-listed Chinese companies
Authors: Huang Robin Hui , Gu Weixia
Published: May 2023

Over the past decades, a growing number of Chinese companies have been listed overseas, notably in the USA and Hong Kong. They are subject to the securities regulation of listing places and can be sued thereunder against their securities misconduct. As overseas-listed Chinese companies usually have their main assets located in China, it is important that Chinese courts recognize and enforce foreign securities judgments. However, there are many difficulties in this area, which undermine the efficacy of the regulation of cross-border securities transactions. In quest of solutions, this article assesses the possibility of suing Chinese companies in the offshore financial centres where they are incorporated, finding that there would be similar issues with judgment enforcement in China. It also examines the viability of using arbitration as an alternative, arguing that arbitration may only supplement, rather than substituting, court litigation for resolving securities disputes. China should consider signing a bilateral treaty with the USA, clarifying the principle of reciprocity, and ratifying the 2005 Hague Choice of Court Convention and even the 2019 Hague Judgment Convention. Hong Kong is also advised to expand its current judgment recognition arrangement with Mainland China to cover securities judgments and join the relevant international conventions.
Dynamical evolution of the resistive thick accretion Tori around a Schwarzschild black hole
Authors: Shaghaghian M
Published: May 2023

To study time-dependent phenomena of plasma surrounding a non-rotating black hole with a dipolar magnetic field, we have developed a fully set of 3 + 1 formalism of generalized general relativistic magnetohydrodynamic equations. The general relativistic phenomena, in particular, have been investigated with respect to the Ohm law. Magnetofluid is supposed to flow in three directions and forms a thick disc structure around the central black hole. All physical quantities of the system are functions of three variables: radial distance r, polar angle θ, and time t. The radial, meridional, and time behaviours of all these quantities have been investigated. It has been shown that the electrical conductivity of the fluid is not constant and may be both positive and negative depending on the values of some free parameters. The initially purely rotating non-magnetized plasma in the presence of an external magnetic field gives rise to an azimuthal current density and a charge density measured by the comoving observer. This current generates an electromagnetic field inside the disc which has both poloidal and toroidal components. The dipolar magnetic field lines of the central black hole is able to penetrate the plasma disc, due to the presence of a finite resistivity for the plasma. The accreting plasma pushes them outwards and makes them parallel to the rotation axis of the disc in the meridional plane.
The fragility of thin discs in galaxies – II. Thin discs as tracers of the assembly history of galaxies
Authors: Galán-de Anta Pablo M , Capelo Pedro R , Vasiliev Eugene , Dotti Massimo , Sarzi Marc , Corsini Enrico Maria , Morelli Lorenzo
Published: May 2023

Thin galactic discs and nuclear stellar discs (NSDs) are fragile structures that can be easily disturbed by merger events. By studying the age of the stellar populations in present-day discs, we can learn about the assembly history of galaxies and place constraints on their past merger events. Following on the steps of our initial work, we explore the fragility of such disc structures in intermediate-mass-ratio dry encounters using the previously constructed N-body model of the Fornax galaxy NGC 1381 (FCC 170), which hosts both a thin galactic disc and an NSD. We dismiss major and minor encounters, as the former were previously shown to easily destroy thin-disc structures, whereas the latter take several Hubble times to complete in the specific case of FCC 170. The kinematics and structure of the thin galactic disc are dramatically altered by the mergers, whereas the NSD shows a remarkable resilience, exhibiting only a smooth increase of its size when compared to the model evolved in isolation. Our results suggest that thin galactic discs are better tracers for intermediate-mass-ratio mergers, while NSDs may be more useful for major encounters. Based on our simulations and previous analysis of the stellar populations, we concluded that FCC 170 has not experienced any intermediate-mass-ratio dry encounters for at least ∼10 Gyr, as indicated by the age of its thin-disc stellar populations.
Association of urine and plasma ADMA with atherosclerotic risk in DKD cardiovascular disease risk in diabetic kidney disease: findings from the Chronic Renal Insufficiency Cohort (CRIC) study
Authors: Schrauben Sarah J , Sapa Hima , Xie Dawei , Zhang Xiaoming , Anderson Amanda Hyre , Shlipak Michael G , Hsu Chi-yuan , Shafi Tariq , Mehta Rupal , Bhat Zeenat , Brown Julie , Charleston Jeanne , Chen Jing , He Jiang , Ix Joachim H , Rao Pandurango , Townsend Ray , Kimmel Paul L , Vasan Ramachandran S , Feldman Harold I , Seegmiller Jesse C , Brunengraber Henri , Hostetter Thomas H , Schelling Jeffrey R ,   the CKD Biomarkers Consortium and the Chronic Renal Insufficiency Cohort (CRIC) Study Investigators, Appel Lawrence J , Go Alan S , Lash James P , Chen Jing , Nelson Robert G , Rahman Mahboob , Shah Vallabh O , Cohen Debbie L , Unruh Mark L
Published: May 2023

Background

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is associated with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) risk, especially among those with diabetes. Altered metabolism of solutes that accumulate in CKD [asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA), symmetric dimethylarginine (SDMA) and trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO)] may reflect pathways linking CKD with ASCVD.

Methods

This case–cohort study included Chronic Renal Insufficiency Cohort participants with baseline diabetes, estimated glomerular filtration rate <60 mL/min/1.73 m2, and without prior history for each outcome. The primary outcome was incident ASCVD (time to first myocardial infarction, stroke or peripheral artery disease event) and secondary outcome was incident heart failure. The subcohort comprised randomly selected participants meeting entry criteria. Plasma and urine ADMA, SDMA and TMAO concentrations were determined by liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry. Associations of uremic solute plasma concentrations and urinary fractional excretions with outcomes were evaluated by weighted multivariable Cox regression models, adjusted for confounding covariables.

Results

Higher plasma ADMA concentrations (per standard deviation) were associated with ASCVD risk [hazard ratio (HR) 1.30, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.01–1.68]. Lower fractional excretion of ADMA (per standard deviation) was associated with ASCVD risk (HR 1.42, 95% CI 1.07–1.89). The lowest quartile of ADMA fractional excretion was associated with greater ASCVD risk (HR 2.25, 95% CI 1.08–4.69) compared with the highest quartile. Plasma SDMA and TMAO concentration and fractional excretion were not associated with ASCVD. Neither plasma nor fractional excretion of ADMA, SDMA and TMAO were associated with incident heart failure.

Conclusion

These data suggest that decreased kidney excretion of ADMA leads to increased plasma concentrations and ASCVD risk.
Molecular Identification of UDP-Sugar-Dependent Glycosyltransferase and Acyltransferase Involved in the Phenylethanoid Glycoside Biosynthesis Induced by Methyl Jasmonate in Sesamum indicum L.
Authors: Fuji Yushiro , Uchida Kai , Akashi Tomoyoshi , Ohtsuki Takashi , Matsufuji Hiroshi , Hirai Masami Yokota
Published: May 2023

Sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) plants contain large amounts of acteoside, a typical phenylethanoid glycoside (PhG) that exhibits various pharmacological activities. Although there is increasing interest in the biosynthesis of PhGs for improved production, the pathway remains to be clarified. In this study, we established sesame-cultured cells and performed transcriptome analysis of methyl jasmonate (MeJA)–treated cultured cells to identify enzyme genes responsible for glucosylation and acylation in acteoside biosynthesis. Among the genes annotated as UDP-sugar-dependent glycosyltransferase (UGT) and acyltransferase (AT), 34 genes and one gene, respectively, were upregulated by MeJA in accordance with acteoside accumulation. Based on a phylogenetic analysis, five UGT genes (SiUGT1–5) and one AT gene (SiAT1) were selected as candidate genes involved in acteoside biosynthesis. Additionally, two AT genes (SiAT2–3) were selected based on sequence identity. Enzyme assays using recombinant SiUGT proteins revealed that SiUGT1, namely, UGT85AF10, had the highest glucosyltransferase activity among the five candidates against hydroxytyrosol to produce hydroxytyrosol 1-O-glucoside. SiUGT1 also exhibited glucosyltransferase activity against tyrosol to produce salidroside (tyrosol 1-O-glucoside). SiUGT2, namely, UGT85AF11, had similar activity against hydroxytyrosol and tyrosol. Enzyme assay using the recombinant SiATs indicated that SiAT1 and SiAT2 had activity transferring the caffeoyl group to hydroxytyrosol 1-O-glucoside and salidroside (tyrosol 1-O-glucoside) but not to decaffeoyl-acteoside. The caffeoyl group was attached mainly at the 4-position of glucose of hydroxytyrosol 1-O-glucoside, followed by attachment at the 6-position and the 3-position of glucose. Based on our results, we propose an acteoside biosynthetic pathway induced by MeJA treatment in sesame.