bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Investigating the effect of electrode orientation on irreversible electroporation with experiment and simulation
Authors: Wardhana Girindra , Raman Nivedha M. , Abayazid Momen , Fütterer Jurgen J.
Published: April 2022

Purpose

In recent years, irreversible electroporation (IRE) has been developed to specifically destroy undesirable tissues as an alternative to surgical resection. In this treatment, placing multiple electrodes in parallel is required to create a uniform electric field distribution. The process of maintaining parallel electrodes is challenging, and the effect of the electrodes’ orientation accuracy has not been investigated quantitatively. This study investigates the impact of the electrode orientation along with various electrode and pulse parameters on the outcomes of IRE.

Methods

The electrode configurations that were considered were parallel, forward, and sideward orientation. A numerical model was developed to study the effect of electrode orientation on the electric field distribution, which was validated experimentally on potato tubers as it has similar properties to biological tissue. In addition, a conductivity test was performed to evaluate the conductivity and electroporation threshold of the potatoes.

Results

The developed numerical model was validated by comparing the electroporated volumes between potatoes from the experiment and simulation, which achieved a mean dice score of $$0.727\pm 0.046$$

0.727
±
0.046

. The potato has an electrical conductivity of 0.044–0.454 S/m with an electroporation threshold of 375 V/cm. ANOVA test showed that the difference in the electroporated regions obtained between a parallel orientation and a 5$$^{\circ }$$

∘

forward and sideward orientation was not significant.

Conclusion

This study showed that the developed numerical models were validated and able to predict the outcome of IRE on potatoes. In addition, a 5$$^{\circ }$$

∘

tolerance on the electrode orientation can be defined to obtain a similar response to the parallel orientation.
Travelling Far and Wide? Applying the Multiple Streams Framework to Policy-Making in Autocracies
Authors: Herweg Nicole , Zahariadis Nikolaos , Zohlnhöfer Reimut
Published: April 2022

The Multiple Streams Framework (MSF) builds on the concepts of timing and ambiguity and their effects on the policy process. Since its introduction to agenda-setting in the U.S. presidential system, scholars have transferred the MSF’s core ideas to multiple issue areas, policy stages, and political systems. However, what has been lacking so far is a thorough discussion of the MSF’s travelling capacity to nondemocratic forms of government. Building on a brief summary of the MSF’s main ideas, this article discusses the challenges that policy-making in autocracies poses for MSF applications and ways to adapt it to the peculiarities that are typical for these regimes. The article focuses on the agenda-setting stage in which formal institutions are less important and introduces falsifiable hypotheses explaining agenda change. Due to tremendous differences regarding the organization of the decision-making process in autocratic regimes, the article only sketches out how the MSF could be adapted to explain policy change in this institutional setting. The article concludes with a discussion of whether the MSF is stretched too far by applying it to nondemocratic systems. It turns out that in theoretical and conceptual terms, the MSF travels surprisingly well to these systems.
Binding Stability of Antibody—α-Synuclein Complexes Predicts the Protective Efficacy of Anti-α-synuclein Antibodies
Authors: Höllerhage Matthias , Wolff Andreas , Chakroun Tasnim , Evsyukov Valentin , Duan Linghan , Chua Oscar Wing-Ho , Tang Qilin , Koeglsperger Thomas , Höglinger Günter U.
Published: April 2022

Spreading of alpha-synuclein (αSyn) may play an important role in Parkinson’s disease and related synucleinopathies. Passive immunization with anti-αSyn antibodies is a promising method to slow down the spreading process and thereby the progression of synucleinopathies. Currently, it remains elusive which specific characteristics are essential to render therapeutic antibodies efficacious. Here, we established a neuronal co-culture model, in which αSyn species are being released from αSyn-overexpressing cells and induce toxicity in a priori healthy GFP-expressing cells. In this model, we investigated the protective efficacy of three anti-αSyn antibodies. Only two of these antibodies, one C-terminal and one N-terminal, protected from αSyn-induced toxicity by inhibiting the uptake of spreading-competent αSyn from the cell culture medium. Neither the binding epitope nor the affinity of the antibodies towards recombinant αSyn could explain differences in biological efficacy. However, both protective antibodies formed more stable antibody-αSyn complexes than the non-protective antibody. These findings indicate that the stability of antibody-αSyn complexes may be more important to confer protection than the binding epitope or affinity to recombinant αSyn.
The Neuroprotective Lipocalin Apolipoprotein D Stably Interacts with Specific Subtypes of Detergent-Resistant Membrane Domains in a Basigin-Independent Manner
Authors: Corraliza-Gomez Miriam , del Caño-Espinel Manuela , Sanchez Diego , Ganfornina Maria D.
Published: April 2022

Accumulated evidence points to the lipocalin apolipoprotein D (ApoD), one of the few genes consistently upregulated upon brain ageing and neurodegeneration, as an endogenous controller of the redox state of cellular and extracellular lipid structures. This biochemical function has downstream consequences as apparently varied as control of glycocalyx and myelin compaction, cell viability upon oxidative stress or modulation of signalling pathways. In spite of this knowledge, it is still unclear if ApoD function requires canonical receptor-mediated transductions systems. This work aims to examine ApoD-cell membrane interaction and its dependence on a proposed ApoD receptor, Basigin. Whole and fractionated membrane preparations from the brain, primary astrocytes, glial and neuronal cell lines, reveal ApoD as a very specific component of particular subtypes of detergent-resistant microdomains (DRMs). ApoD interacts in vitro with neuronal membranes and is stably associated with astrocytic membranes. ApoD associates with DRMs with specific buoyancy properties that co-fractionate with plasma or late-endosome-lysosome markers. A mass spectrometry analysis reveals that these Triton X-114 DRMs contain both plasma membrane and endosomal-lysosomal compartment lipid raft proteins. ApoD-DRM association is maintained under metabolic and acute oxidative stress conditions. However, ApoD-membrane interaction, its internalization and its lipid-antioxidant function do not require the presence of Basigin. This work supports a stable association of ApoD with membranes, independent of Basigin, and provides the basis to fully understand ApoD antioxidant neuroprotective mechanism as a mechanism taking place in specific membrane subdomains.
Een uniform triageprotocol voor het signaleren van risicofactoren bij basisschoolkinderen door de jeugdgezondheidszorg
Authors: Theunissen Meinou H. C. , de Wilde Jeroen A. , Bezem Janine , van Harten Leanthe
Published: April 2022

Samenvatting

Inleiding

Een uniform triageprotocol voor de jeugdgezondheidszorg (JGZ) beoogt bij te dragen aan een kwaliteitsverbetering van de signalering van gezondheidsrisico’s bij basisschoolkinderen. Het doel van dit onderzoek is om 1) de testeigenschappen van het uniforme triageprotocol te analyseren en 2) inzicht te krijgen in het oordeel van JGZ-professionals over de bruikbaarheid van het protocol in de JGZ-praktijk.

Methode

Er werden 459 basisschoolkinderen geïncludeerd die in aanmerking kwamen voor een routineonderzoek bij twee JGZ-organisaties. Oudergezondheidsvragenlijsten, gezondheidsdossiergegevens en JGZ-registratieformulieren werden gebruikt. De testeigenschappen van het protocol zijn vastgesteld, met bevindingen geïdentificeerd door JGZ-professionals en JGZ-vervolgacties (vervolgonderzoek JGZ of externe verwijzing) als criteria. De tevredenheid over het uniforme triageprotocol werd onderzocht door acht JGZ-professionals te interviewen.

Resultaten

De sensitiviteit (terecht positief) van het uniforme triageprotocol is voldoende tot goed, namelijk 0,73 voor identificatie van een bevinding en 0,91 voor JGZ-vervolgacties. De specificiteit (terecht negatief) is lager, respectievelijk 0,62 en 0,41. Professionals zijn tevreden over het gebruik van het uniforme triageprotocol.

Conclusie

Er worden weinig kinderen met risico’s gemist dankzij het uniforme triageprotocol en het instrument wordt door professionals bruikbaar bevonden in de dagelijkse JGZ-praktijk. Nader onderzoek is nodig om deze bevindingen te bevestigen, en om na te gaan in hoeverre deze werkwijze aansluit bij de behoeften van ouders.
Development and perspectives of relativistic astrophysics in Uzbekistan
Authors: Ahmedov Bobomurat
Published: April 2022

Speedy advancement in research in Astrophysics and related area around the globe has led scientists in Central Asia to produce high-quality research and constitute strong research in Relativistic Astrophysics and the Einstein theory of gravitation. Consequently, immense impact of this progress has been seen in central Asian countries in not only in research in Astrophysics and related areas, the academic institutions also received a trickle down effect in terms of the advancement in teaching as well as research. This focus of this paper is to overview the research incentives that are being taken up by the Theoretical Astrophysics Group located at Ulug Beg Astronomical Institute of Uzbekistan Academy of Sciences, Tashkent.
Learning to Teach Mathematics Through Problem Solving
Authors: Bailey Judy
Published: April 2022

While there has been much research focused on beginning teachers; and mathematical problem solving in the classroom, little is known about beginning primary teachers’ learning to teach mathematics through problem solving. This longitudinal study examined what supported beginning teachers to start and sustain teaching mathematics through problem solving in their first 2 years of teaching. Findings show ‘sustaining’ required a combination of three factors: (i) participation in professional development centred on problem solving (ii) attending subject-specific complementary professional development initiatives alongside colleagues from their school; and (iii) an in-school colleague who also teaches mathematics through problem solving. If only one factor is present, in this study attending the professional development focussed on problem solving, the result was little movement towards a problem solving based pedagogy. Recommendations for supporting beginning teachers to embed problem solving are included.
Multifractal measures of the 2021 earthquake swarm in Hualien, Taiwan
Authors: Wang Jeen-Hwa , Chen Kou-Cheng , Chen Kou-Chang , Kim Kwang-Hee
Published: April 2022

An earthquake swarm occurred in Haulien, Taiwan, from April 7 to August 31, 2021. The epicenters are in the range from 23°47′ N to 24°04′ N and from 121°25′ E to 121°42′ E. Cq(r) and Cq(t) are the generalized correlation integral of r and t, respectively. From the events with local magnitudes ≥ 3 and focal depths ≤ 25 km, Cq(r) is calculated for the epicentral and hypocentral distribution (using the distance between two events, r) and Cq(t) for the time sequence (using the inter-event time between two events, t). The multifractal dimension Dq (q = 2, 3, …, 15) is the slope of the linear portion of the log–log plots of Cq(r) versus r as well as Cq(t) versus t. For the epicentral distribution, the linear pattern is in the range 0.5 ≤ log(r) ≤ 1.3. The measured values of Dq are all smaller than 2 that is the spatial dimension and monotonically decreases with increasing q. This indicates that the epicentral distribution of the swarm is multifractal. For the hypocentral distribution, a lack of a wide enough linear pattern on the log–log plot makes the hypocentral distribution be not multifractal. For the time sequence, the log–log plot of Cq(t) versus t shows a linear pattern in the range 0.5 ≤ log(t) ≤ 1.0. The values of Dq are all smaller than 1 that is the time dimension and monotonically decreases with increasing q, thus suggesting multifractality of the time sequence when t is shorter than the maximum inter-event time.
The Materiality of the Legal Order
Authors: Goldoni Marco
Published: April 2022

This Element aims to explore how the relation between societal organisation and legal orders – the question of materiality – has been investigated in philosophy of law. The starting point of the Element is that such relation has often been left invisible or thematised in poor and reductive terms. After having explained the main reasons behind this neglect, the Element provides an overview of the three main approaches to legal philosophy whose contributions, though not always effective, can still provide some insights for a contemporary analysis of legal orders' materiality: materialism, legal institutionalism, and the new materialism. The last section of the Element suggests looking for a footing for the study of materiality in two fields: the metaphysics of relations and the political economy of legal orders.
Reflective Practice in Language Teaching
Authors: Farrell Thomas S. C.
Published: April 2022

This Element examines the concept of reflective practice in language teaching. It includes a brief description of what reflective practice is and how it is operationalized by two of its main protagonists, John Dewey and Donald Schön, as well as some of the limitations of their conceptions. This is used as an introduction to how the author further developed their conceptions when operationalizing reflective practice for language teachers through a five-stage framework for reflecting on practice for language teachers. The author then presents an in-depth case study of the reflections of an English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teacher working in Costa Rica as he moved through the five stages of the framework for reflecting on practice. The author then goes on to outline and discuss how reflective practice may be moved forward and calls attention to the importance of emotions in the process of reflection for language teachers.
Cicero and the Early Latin Poets
Authors: Čulík-Baird Hannah
Published: April 2022

The writings of Cicero contain hundreds of quotations of Latin poetry. This book examines his citations of Latin poets writing in diverse poetic genres and demonstrates the importance of poetry as an ethical, historical, and linguistic resource in the late Roman Republic. Hannah Čulík-Baird studies Cicero's use of poetry in his letters, speeches, and philosophical works, contextualizing his practice within the broader intellectual trends of contemporary Rome. Cicero's quotations of the 'classic' Latin poets, such as Ennius, Pacuvius, Accius, and Lucilius, are responsible for preserving the most significant fragments of verse from the second century BCE. The book also therefore examines the process of fragmentation in classical antiquity, with particular attention to the relationship between quotation and fragmentation. The Appendices collect perceptible instances of poetic citation (Greek as well as Latin) in the Ciceronian corpus.
Literature and Moral Feeling
Authors: Hogan Patrick Colm
Published: April 2022

An influential body of recent work on moral psychology has stressed the interconnections among ethics, narrative, and empathy. Yet as Patrick Colm Hogan argues, this work is so vague in its use of the term 'narrative' as to be almost substanceless, and this vagueness is in large part due to the neglect of literary study. Extending his previous work on universal story structures, Hogan argues that we can transform ill-defined intuitions about narrative and ethics into explicit and systematic accounts of the deep connections between moral attitudes and narratives. These connections are, in turn, inseparable from empathy, a concept that Hogan proceeds to clarify and defend against a number of widely read critiques. In the course of the book, Hogan develops and illustrates his arguments through analyses of global narratives, constructing illuminating ethical interpretations of literary works ranging from Shakespeare to Chinese drama and the Bhagavad Gita.
The Transactional Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics
Authors: Kastner Ruth E.
Published: April 2022

Providing a comprehensive exposition of the transactional interpretation (TI) of quantum mechanics, this book sheds new light on long-standing problems in quantum theory such as the physical meaning of the 'Born Rule' for the probabilities of measurement results, and demonstrates the ability of TI to solve the measurement problem of quantum mechanics. It provides robust refutations of various objections and challenges to TI, such as Maudlin's inconsistency challenge, and explicitly extends TI into the relativistic domain, providing new insight into the basic compatibility of TI with relativity and the meaning of 'virtual particles.' It breaks new ground in approaches to interpreting quantum theory and presents a compelling new ontological picture of quantum reality. This substantially revised and updated second edition is ideal for researchers and graduate students interested in the philosophy of physics and the interpretation of quantum mechanics.
The Impact of Everyday Language Change on the Practices of Visual Artists
Authors: Hocking Darryl
Published: April 2022

The practices of visual artists can never be decontextualised from language. Firstly, artists are constantly in dialogue with their peers, dealers, critics, and audiences about their creative activities and these interactions impact on the work they produce. Secondly, artists' conceptualisations of what artistic practice encompasses are always shaped by wider social discourses. These discourses, however, and their manifestation in the language of everyday life are subject to continual change, and potentially reshape the way that artists conceptualise their practices. Using a 235,000-word diachronic corpus developed from artists' interviews and statements, this Element investigates shifts in artists' use of language to conceptualise their art practice from 1950 to 2019. It then compares these shifts to see if they align with changes in the wider English lexicon and whether there might be a relationship between everyday language change and the aesthetic and conceptual developments that take place in the art world.
Asymptotic scaling and universality for skew products with factors in SL(2,)
Authors: KOCH HANS
Published: April 2022

We consider skew-product maps over circle rotations
$x\mapsto x+\alpha \;(\mod 1)$
with factors that take values in
${\textrm {SL}}(2,{\mathbb {R}})$
. In numerical experiments, with
$\alpha $
the inverse golden mean, Fibonacci iterates of maps from the almost Mathieu family exhibit asymptotic scaling behavior that is reminiscent of critical phase transitions. In a restricted setup that is characterized by a symmetry, we prove that critical behavior indeed occurs and is universal in an open neighborhood of the almost Mathieu family. This behavior is governed by a periodic orbit of a renormalization transformation. An extension of this transformation is shown to have a second periodic orbit as well, and we present some evidence that this orbit attracts supercritical almost Mathieu maps.
A tale of two intensive care units (ICUs): Baseline Staphylococcus aureus colonization and mupirocin susceptibility in neonatal and pediatric patients requiring intensive care
Authors: Arora Harbir S. , Khan Humera , Ailumerab Haider , Natarajan Girija , Meert Kathleen , Salimnia Hussein , Valentini Rudolph , Thomas Ronald , Semproch Lynn , Asmar Basim I. , McGrath Eric J.
Published: April 2022

Objective:

To assess the incidence rate of S. aureus colonization at baseline along with the mupirocin susceptibility (or resistance) rate in patients in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) and a pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) in conjunction with the implementation of universal decolonization as the standard of care.

Design:

Prospective cohort study.

Setting:

Children’s Hospital of Michigan (CHM) inpatient intensive care units (ICUs).

Participants:

Newly admitted pediatric patients to the CHM NICU or PICU aged between 1 day and ≤21 years.

Interventions:

Baseline and follow-up S. aureus screening cultures were obtained before patients underwent universal decolonization with mupirocin 2% antibiotic ointment (intranasal and umbilical) and chlorhexidine baths as standard of care to reduce CLABSI rates.

Results:

Baseline S. aureus colonization rates of new admissions to the CHM NICU and PICU were high at 32% and 29%, respectively. Baseline mupirocin susceptibility to any S. aureus growth was 98.4%. All baseline culture isolates whether positive for MRSA or MSSA, with one exception, had minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of ≤0.19 µg/mL. All follow-up study cultures after universal decolonization at 7 days or beyond with any S. aureus growth had mupirocin MICs of ≤0.125 µg/mL.

Conclusions:

Baseline S. aureus colonization rates of new admissions to the CHM ICUs were high as was baseline mupirocin susceptibility. Follow-up cultures, albeit limited in number, did not detect increasing mupirocin MICs over 1 year, despite broad mupirocin exposure due to the implementation of universal decolonization.
Sentiment is Not Stance: Target-Aware Opinion Classification for Political Text Analysis
Authors: Bestvater Samuel E. , Monroe Burt L.
Published: April 2022

Sentiment analysis techniques have a long history in natural language processing and have become a standard tool in the analysis of political texts, promising a conceptually straightforward automated method of extracting meaning from textual data by scoring documents on a scale from positive to negative. However, while these kinds of sentiment scores can capture the overall tone of a document, the underlying concept of interest for political analysis is often actually the document’s stance with respect to a given target—how positively or negatively it frames a specific idea, individual, or group—as this reflects the author’s underlying political attitudes. In this paper, we question the validity of approximating author stance through sentiment scoring in the analysis of political texts, and advocate for greater attention to be paid to the conceptual distinction between a document’s sentiment and its stance. Using examples from open-ended survey responses and from political discussions on social media, we demonstrate that in many political text analysis applications, sentiment and stance do not necessarily align, and therefore sentiment analysis methods fail to reliably capture ground-truth document stance, amplifying noise in the data and leading to faulty conclusions.
Backward Causation: Harder Than It Looks
Authors: Stradis Athamos
Published: April 2022

According to David Albert, there are certain situations where we can cause events that lie in our past. In response to a well-known objection that we never observe backward causation, he argues that there are good reasons why we can’t tell when it obtains. However, I identify another difficulty with Albert’s view: at face value, it has the unattractive consequence that backward causation is not just possible, but rife. In this article, I show how this implication can be blocked. I then use my analysis to defend Albert’s account from a second well-known objection, namely, that it allows us to control the past.
The Unconscious Mind Worry: A Mechanistic-Explanatory Strategy
Authors: Krickel Beate
Published: April 2022

Recent findings in different areas of psychology and cognitive science have brought the unconscious mind back to center stage. However, the unconscious mind worry remains: What renders unconscious phenomena mental? I suggest a new strategy for answering this question, which rests on the idea that categorizing unconscious phenomena as “mental” should be scientifically useful relative to the explanatory research goals. I argue that this is the case if by categorizing an unconscious phenomenon as “mental” one picks out explanatorily relevant similarities to a corresponding paradigmatically mental conscious phenomenon. Explanatory relevance is spelled out in terms of mechanistic norms.
Digital literacy and online political behavior
Authors: Guess Andrew M. , Munger Kevin
Published: April 2022

Digital literacy is receiving increased scholarly attention as a potential explanatory factor in the spread of misinformation and other online pathologies. As a concept, however, it remains surprisingly elusive, with little consensus on definitions or measures. We provide a digital literacy framework for political scientists and test survey items to measure it with an application to online information retrieval tasks. There exists substantial variation in levels of digital literacy in the population, which we show is correlated with age and could confound observed relationships. However, this is obscured by researchers’ reliance on online convenience samples that select for people with computer and internet skills. We discuss the implications of these measurement and sample selection considerations for effect heterogeneity in studies of online political behavior. We argue that there is no universally applicable formula for selecting a given non-probability sample or operationalization of the concept of digital literacy; instead, we conclude, researchers should make theoretically informed arguments about how they select both sample and measure.
Consumption of ultra-processed foods and incidence of dyslipidaemias: the Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Adult Health (ELSA-Brasil)
Authors: Scaranni Patricia de Oliveira da Silva , de Oliveira Cardoso Leticia , Griep Rosane Härter , Lotufo Paulo Andrade , Barreto Sandhi Maria , da Fonseca Maria de Jesus Mendes
Published: April 2022

Ultra-processed foods (UPF) have been associated with cardiometabolic outcomes, but the literature has still not reported their association with the incidence of dyslipidaemias, one of the most important risk factors for the occurrence of CVD. The objective of this study was to verify the association between consumption of UPF and incidence of dyslipidaemia in Brazilian civil servants at a 4-year follow-up. The study used data from 5275 participants at baseline and on the first follow-up visit in the Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Adult Health (ELSA-Brasil). We applied a FFQ at baseline and identified UPF from NOVA classification of foods as to the extent and purpose of processing. The proportion (weight) of UPF in the total diet was calculated for each participant and categorised in tertiles, corresponding to low (first tertile), medium (second tertile) and high (third tertile) consumption. A mixed-effects logistic model was used to obtain the incidence of dyslipidaemia associated with the consumption of UPF. Individuals with medium and high consumption of UPF showed increases in the risks of development of isolated hypercholesterolaemia by 12 % (OR = 1·12, CI 1·00, 1·27) and 28 % (OR = 1·28, CI 1·12, 1·47), of isolated hypertriacylglycerolaemia by 14 % (OR = 1·14, CI 1·03, 1·26) and 30 % (OR = 1·30, CI 1·17–1·45), of mixed hyperlipidaemia by 21 % (OR = 1·21, CI 1·05, 1·39) and 38 % (OR = 1·38, CI 1·18, 1·62), and of low-HDL by 12 % (OR = 1·12, CI 1·00–1·24) and 18 % (OR = 1·18, CI 1·05, 1·32), respectively, compared with participants who consumed less UPF. Our findings showed important cardiovascular risk associated with the consumption of UPF and a gradient in the consumption’s effect, so these products should be discouraged.
Social determinants of obesity in American Indian and Alaska Native peoples aged ≥ 50 years
Authors: Goins R Turner , Conway Cheryl , Reid Margaret , Jiang Luohua , Chang Jenny , Huyser Kimberly R , Brega Angela G , Steiner John F , Fyfe-Johnson Amber L , Johnson-Jennings Michelle , Hiratsuka Vanessa , Manson Spero M , O’Connell Joan
Published: April 2022

Objective:

American Indian and Alaska Native peoples (AI/AN) have a disproportionately high rate of obesity, but little is known about the social determinants of obesity among older AI/AN. Thus, our study assessed social determinants of obesity in AI/AN aged ≥ 50 years.

Design:

We conducted a cross-sectional analysis using multivariate generalised linear mixed models to identify social determinants associated with the risk of being classified as obese (BMI ≥ 30·0 kg/m2). Analyses were conducted for the total study population and stratified by median county poverty level.

Setting:

Indian Health Service (IHS) data for AI/AN who used IHS services in FY2013.

Participants:

Totally, 27 696 AI/AN aged ≥ 50 years without diabetes.

Results:

Mean BMI was 29·8 ± 6·6 with 43 % classified as obese. Women were more likely to be obese than men, and younger ages were associated with higher obesity risk. While having Medicaid coverage was associated with lower odds of obesity, private health insurance was associated with higher odds. Living in areas with lower rates of educational attainment and longer drive times to primary care services were associated with higher odds of obesity. Those who lived in a county where a larger percentage of people had low access to a grocery store were significantly less likely to be obese.

Conclusions:

Our findings contribute to the understanding of social determinants of obesity among older AI/AN and highlight the need to investigate AI/AN obesity, including longitudinal studies with a life course perspective to further examine social determinants of obesity in older AI/AN.
Ultra-wide band flexible antenna applicable for dual-band on-body communications
Authors: Hassan Walaa M. , Saad Ayman Ayd R. , Ibrahim Ahmed A.
Published: April 2022

In this article, an ultra-wideband printed flexible monopole antenna is proposed for indoor wireless communications. A flexible Rogers RO3003 is used as a substrate, and its performance is estimated for a flat state and when subject to bending along the y-axis. A 2.45 and 5.8 GHz dual-band textile artificial magnetic conductor (AMC) surface consisting of a 4 × 4 unit-cell array was integrated into antenna design with optimum separation distance to extend its potential applications to wearable on-body communications. The specific absorption rate (SAR) levels were numerically investigated using the Hugo human voxel model at both frequencies to evaluate the on-body safety level. Detailed analysis is presented for antenna designs of flat and bent states in free space and on the human body. The proposed UWB flexible antenna has the size of 41 × 38 × 0.25 mm (0.33λ0 × 0.31λ0 × 0.002λ0 at 2.45 GHz). It was added at a distance of 3 mm above a textile AMC surface of 99 × 99 mm. The integrated model is fabricated and experimentally characterized. Measured data and numerical results show that the impedance matching and radiation characteristics are slightly affected by introducing the bending and human body loading. With these remarkable features, the integrated model can be utilized for wireless indoor and wearable applications.
Exploring Altitudinal Resolution of Twilight Airglow Red Lines Using Twilight Photometer
Authors: Mane Pratibha B.
Published: April 2022

Twilight Photometer observations were carried out at low latitude station Kolhapur (16039’42.2”N, 74014’20.8”E) India, during the period 1 January 2009 to 31 December 2011 to yield a reasonable qualitative picture of the day‐to‐day variability of the vertical distribution of the atmospheric aerosols from about 6 km to a maximum of 350 km. In this study, one attempt was made to observe twilight airglow red lines having wavelengths in between 6100 Å and 7100 Å using the vertical profiles of aerosols. The rate of change of red light due to the twilight airglow shows narrow peaks with ∼600%–1000% rise in intensity than due to aerosol twilight glow. Our observations provides information about ionized Nitrogen (N2) emissions at 6482.05 Å, 6610.56 Å and 6482.70 Å, oxygen red emission lines of 6300 Å and 6364 Å, emission caused by formation of a molecule of nitric oxide (NO), metallic emissions of sodium four red lines between 6500 and 6700 Angstroms and lithium near 6708 Å, hydroxyl (OH) emission at 6329 Å and red sprites emissions (at altitudes 50–90 km). The principal aspiration of this study is to highlight the conspicuous capability of Semiautomatic twilight photometer to study the twilight airglow emission lines. This is the first attempt in India to obtain the twilight airglow data using Twilight photometer. Twilight Photometer, although currently seldom used, is still a very effective and the most appropriate ground based passive remote sensing tool for long‐term monitoring of different atmospheric components in a wide range of altitude for day‐to‐day basis. It is an efficient system having a simple and inexpensive underlying principle of operations, yet exhibits extremely accurate and precise usage and can be operated by even a person of average skill. However, it can be seen that the resultant data was consistent with nearest peer technologies, such as LIDARs, Balloon‐Borne instruments, rocket measurements, satellite observations etc.
Double Acceleration Effects of Closely Spaced Pairs of Ocean Fronts on High‐Wind Occurrence Frequency During Boreal Winter
Authors: Wang Xilong , Wu Qigang , Wang Guihua , Schroeder Steven R.
Published: April 2022

Previous studies have found that sea surface temperature (SST) fronts have significant impacts on high‐wind frequency. Strong winds over the mid‐latitude North Pacific and North Atlantic Oceans occur frequently downstream of SST fronts in boreal winter. An SST front can significantly increase the instability of the marine atmospheric boundary layer, which accelerates the wind on the warmer flank. This study uses satellite observations to examine the “double acceleration” effects of closely spaced paired fronts (with interfrontal distances of 300–1,000 km) on high‐wind occurrence frequency in the Pacific subarctic frontal zone east of Japan and over the Atlantic Ocean east of Newfoundland. During boreal winter each year, mean westerly winds frequently cross two or more closely spaced SST fronts, with probabilities of 85% over the North Pacific and 87% over the North Atlantic. Over the warmer flank of the first front, the average high‐wind occurrence frequency (wind speed) increases due to the vertical‐mixing mechanism. Downstream of the second front, average high‐wind occurrence frequency (wind speed) reaches maxima of ∼9% (11.5 m s−1) over the Pacific and ∼11.5% (12 m s−1) over the Atlantic. Stronger westerly winds lead to greater high‐wind frequency. The first front contributes to the observed high winds downstream of the second front due to little friction and suppression of upward vertical momentum transfer between paired fronts.
More Frequent El Ni�o Events Predicted by 2040
Authors: Fritts Rachel
Published: April 2022

Cutting-edge models predict that El Ni�o frequency will increase within 2 decades because of climate change, regardless of emissions mitigation efforts.
Hot Springs Suggest How the Tibetan Plateau Became the Roof of the World
Authors: Sidik Saima
Published: April 2022

Helium isotopes found in water samples provide a snapshot of what lies beneath the plateau and stimulate debate within the geosciences community.
Frictional Properties of the Longmenshan Fault Belt Gouges From WFSD‐3 and Implications for Earthquake Rupture Propagation
Authors: Kuo Li‐Wei , Hung Chien‐Cheng , Li Haibing , Aretusini Stefano , Chen Jianye , Di Toro Giulio , Spagnuolo Elena , Di Felice Fabio , Wang Huan , Si Jialiang , Sheu Hwo‐Shuenn
Published: April 2022

The 2008 Mw 7.9 Wenchuan earthquake generated ∼270 and ∼80 km long surface ruptures along the Longmenshan fault belt, namely the Yingxiu‐Beichuan fault (YBF) and the Guanxian‐Anxian faults (GAF), respectively. So far, most of the frictional investigations were performed on the YBF gouge materials. Here, we present the results of rotary shear friction experiments performed on the GAF gouges recovered from the depth of ∼1.25 km of the Wenchuan Earthquake Fault Scientific Drilling project‐3 along the GAF. The fault gouges, mainly composed of quartz, illite, chlorite, and kaolinite, were sheared at slip velocities V ranging from 10−5 to 2 m/s and normal stresses from 8.5 to 10 MPa under both room humidity and wet conditions. At any imposed slip velocity, the wet gouges have an apparent friction coefficient lower than the room humidity one. In addition, enhanced velocity‐strengthening behavior at intermediate velocities (10−2 m/s < V ≤ 10−1 m/s) was recognized. We characterized the products using field‐emission scanning electron microscopy combined with synchrotron X‐ray diffraction analysis. These microanalytical investigations evidence the formation of size‐reduced particles (without mineral phase changes) and R‐ and Y‐shears in the principal slip zone (PSZ). Regardless of the ambient conditions, the width of PSZ was proportional to the input frictional work density (the product of shear stress times displacement). Our results support the hypothesis that the GAF preferentially ruptures through wet fault gouges; however, the enhanced velocity‐strengthening regime at intermediate velocities may act as a barrier to slip acceleration during fault rupture propagation.
Vertical matrix perovskite X-ray detector for effective multi-energy discrimination
Authors: Pang Jincong , Zhao Shan , Du Xinyuan , Wu Haodi , Niu Guangda , Tang Jiang
Published: April 2022

Multi-energy X-ray detection is sought after for a wide range of applications including medical imaging, security checking and industrial flaw inspection. Perovskite X-ray detectors are superior in terms of high sensitivity and low detection limit, which lays a foundation for multi-energy discrimination. However, the extended capability of the perovskite detector for multi-energy X-ray detection is challenging and has never been reported. Herein we report the design of vertical matrix perovskite X-ray detectors for multi-energy detection, based on the attenuation behavior of X-ray within the detector and machine learning algorithm. This platform is independent of the complex X-ray source components that constrain the energy discrimination capability. We show that the incident X-ray spectra could be accurately reconstructed from the conversion matrix and measured photocurrent response. Moreover, the detector could produce a set of images containing the density-graded information under single exposure, and locate the concealed position for all low-, medium- and high-density substances. Our findings suggest a new generation of X-ray detectors with features of multi-energy discrimination, density differentiation, and contrast-enhanced imaging.
Transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation for children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: a randomized clinical trial
Authors: Zhuo Lixia , Zhao Xiaoyan , Zhai Yifang , Zhao Boqiang , Tian Lin , Zhang Yannan , Wang Xiaodan , Zhang Tingyu , Gan Xinyi , Yang Cheng , Wang Weigang , Gao Wei , Wang Qiang , Rohde Luis Augusto , Zhang Jie , Li Yan
Published: April 2022

Little is known about the effects of transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation (TEAS) for children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Here, we carried out a 4 week randomized clinical trial in which patients aged 6–12 years old with an ADHD diagnosis received TEAS or sham TEAS. The primary outcome measure was the investigator-rated Clinical Global Impression-Improvement (CGI-I) score at week 4. Secondary outcomes included changes from baseline to week 4 in the investigator-rated Clinical Global Impression-Severity of Illness (CGI-S) score, the Conners’ Parent/Teacher Rating Scales-Revised: Short Form (CPRS-R: S/CTRS-R: S) score, go/no-go task performance, and functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS)-based oxygenated hemoglobin level within the prefrontal cortex. At week 4, the CGI-I score indicated improvement in 33.3% of the TEAS group compared with 7.7% of the sham group (P = 0.005). The TEAS group had a greater decrease in the mean CGI-S score (−0.87) than the sham TEAS group (−0.28) (P = 0.003). A greater enhancement in the mean cerebral oxygenated hemoglobin within the prefrontal cortex was found in the TEAS group (0.099 mM mm) compared with the sham TEAS group (0.005 mM mm) (P < 0.001). CPRS-R: S score, CTRS-R: S score, and go/no-go performance exhibited no significant improvement after TEAS treatment. The manipulation-associated adverse events were uncommon in both groups, and events were very mild. Our results show that noninvasive TEAS significantly improved general symptoms and increased prefrontal cortex blood flow within 4 weeks for children with ADHD. Further clinical trials are required to understand the long-term efficacy in a larger clinical sample. This trial was registered on ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT 03917953).
App-based COVID-19 syndromic surveillance and prediction of hospital admissions in COVID Symptom Study Sweden
Authors: Kennedy Beatrice , Fitipaldi Hugo , Hammar Ulf , Maziarz Marlena , Tsereteli Neli , Oskolkov Nikolay , Varotsis Georgios , Franks Camilla A. , Nguyen Diem , Spiliopoulos Lampros , Adami Hans-Olov , Björk Jonas , Engblom Stefan , Fall Katja , Grimby-Ekman Anna , Litton Jan-Eric , Martinell Mats , Oudin Anna , Sjöström Torbjörn , Timpka Toomas , Sudre Carole H. , Graham Mark S. , du Cadet Julien Lavigne , Chan Andrew T. , Davies Richard , Ganesh Sajaysurya , May Anna , Ourselin Sébastien , Pujol Joan Capdevila , Selvachandran Somesh , Wolf Jonathan , Spector Tim D. , Steves Claire J. , Gomez Maria F. , Franks Paul W. , Fall Tove
Published: April 2022

The app-based COVID Symptom Study was launched in Sweden in April 2020 to contribute to real-time COVID-19 surveillance. We enrolled 143,531 study participants (≥18 years) who contributed 10.6 million daily symptom reports between April 29, 2020 and February 10, 2021. Here, we include data from 19,161 self-reported PCR tests to create a symptom-based model to estimate the individual probability of symptomatic COVID-19, with an AUC of 0.78 (95% CI 0.74–0.83) in an external dataset. These individual probabilities are employed to estimate daily regional COVID-19 prevalence, which are in turn used together with current hospital data to predict next week COVID-19 hospital admissions. We show that this hospital prediction model demonstrates a lower median absolute percentage error (MdAPE: 25.9%) across the five most populated regions in Sweden during the first pandemic wave than a model based on case notifications (MdAPE: 30.3%). During the second wave, the error rates are similar. When we apply the same model to an English dataset, not including local COVID-19 test data, we observe MdAPEs of 22.3% and 19.0% during the first and second pandemic waves, respectively, highlighting the transferability of the prediction model.
Genetic analysis of over half a million people characterises C-reactive protein loci
Authors: Said Saredo , Pazoki Raha , Karhunen Ville , Võsa Urmo , Ligthart Symen , Bodinier Barbara , Koskeridis Fotios , Welsh Paul , Alizadeh Behrooz Z. , Chasman Daniel I. , Sattar Naveed , Chadeau-Hyam Marc , Evangelou Evangelos , Jarvelin Marjo-Riitta , Elliott Paul , Tzoulaki Ioanna , Dehghan Abbas
Published: April 2022

Chronic low-grade inflammation is linked to a multitude of chronic diseases. We report the largest genome-wide association study (GWAS) on C-reactive protein (CRP), a marker of systemic inflammation, in UK Biobank participants (N = 427,367, European descent) and the Cohorts for Heart and Aging Research in Genomic Epidemiology (CHARGE) Consortium (total N = 575,531 European descent). We identify 266 independent loci, of which 211 are not previously reported. Gene-set analysis highlighted 42 gene sets associated with CRP levels (p ≤ 3.2 ×10−6) and tissue expression analysis indicated a strong association of CRP related genes with liver and whole blood gene expression. Phenome-wide association study identified 27 clinical outcomes associated with genetically determined CRP and subsequent Mendelian randomisation analyses supported a causal association with schizophrenia, chronic airway obstruction and prostate cancer. Our findings identified genetic loci and functional properties of chronic low-grade inflammation and provided evidence for causal associations with a range of diseases.
Snf7 spirals sense and alter membrane curvature
Authors: Jukic Nebojsa , Perrino Alma P. , Humbert Frédéric , Roux Aurélien , Scheuring Simon
Published: April 2022

Endosomal Sorting Complex Required for Transport III (ESCRT-III) is a conserved protein system involved in many cellular processes resulting in membrane deformation and scission, topologically away from the cytoplasm. However, little is known about the transition of the planar membrane-associated protein assembly into a 3D structure. High-speed atomic force microscopy (HS-AFM) provided insights into assembly, structural dynamics and turnover of Snf7, the major ESCRT-III component, on planar supported lipid bilayers. Here, we develop HS-AFM experiments that remove the constraints of membrane planarity, crowdedness, and support rigidity. On non-planar membranes, Snf7 monomers are curvature insensitive, but Snf7-spirals selectively adapt their conformation to membrane geometry. In a non-crowded system, Snf7-spirals reach a critical radius, and remodel to minimize internal stress. On non-rigid supports, Snf7-spirals compact and buckle, deforming the underlying bilayer. These experiments provide direct evidence that Snf7 is sufficient to mediate topological transitions, in agreement with the loaded spiral spring model.
Activating lattice oxygen in NiFe-based (oxy)hydroxide for water electrolysis
Authors: He Zuyun , Zhang Jun , Gong Zhiheng , Lei Hang , Zhou Deng , Zhang Nian , Mai Wenjie , Zhao Shijun , Chen Yan
Published: April 2022

Transition metal oxides or (oxy)hydroxides have been intensively investigated as promising electrocatalysts for energy and environmental applications. Oxygen in the lattice was reported recently to actively participate in surface reactions. Herein, we report a sacrificial template-directed approach to synthesize Mo-doped NiFe (oxy)hydroxide with modulated oxygen activity as an enhanced electrocatalyst towards oxygen evolution reaction (OER). The obtained MoNiFe (oxy)hydroxide displays a high mass activity of 1910 A/gmetal at the overpotential of 300 mV. The combination of density functional theory calculations and advanced spectroscopy techniques suggests that the Mo dopant upshifts the O 2p band and weakens the metal-oxygen bond of NiFe (oxy)hydroxide, facilitating oxygen vacancy formation and shifting the reaction pathway for OER. Our results provide critical insights into the role of lattice oxygen in determining the activity of (oxy)hydroxides and demonstrate tuning oxygen activity as a promising approach for constructing highly active electrocatalysts.
Pathogenic BRCA1 variants disrupt PLK1-regulation of mitotic spindle orientation
Authors: He Zhengcheng , Ghorayeb Ryan , Tan Susanna , Chen Ke , Lorentzian Amanda C. , Bottyan Jack , Aalam Syed Mohammed Musheer , Pujana Miguel Angel , Lange Philipp F. , Kannan Nagarajan , Eaves Connie J. , Maxwell Christopher A.
Published: April 2022

Preneoplastic mammary tissues from human female BRCA1 mutation carriers, or Brca1-mutant mice, display unexplained abnormalities in luminal differentiation. We now study the division characteristics of human mammary cells purified from female BRCA1 mutation carriers or non-carrier donors. We show primary BRCA1 mutant/+ cells exhibit defective BRCA1 localization, high radiosensitivity and an accelerated entry into cell division, but fail to orient their cell division axis. We also analyse 15 genetically-edited BRCA1 mutant/+ human mammary cell-lines and find that cells carrying pathogenic BRCA1 mutations acquire an analogous defect in their division axis accompanied by deficient expression of features of mature luminal cells. Importantly, these alterations are independent of accumulated DNA damage, and specifically dependent on elevated PLK1 activity induced by reduced BRCA1 function. This essential PLK1-mediated role of BRCA1 in controlling the cell division axis provides insight into the phenotypes expressed during BRCA1 tumorigenesis.