bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Interface modulated electron mobility enhancement in core–shell nanowires
Authors: He Yan , Xu Hua-Kai , Ouyang Gang
Published: June 2022

The transport properties of core–shell nanowires (CSNWs) under interface modulation and confinement are investigated based on the atomic-bond-relaxation (ABR) correlation mechanism and Fermi’s golden rule. An analytical expression for the relationship between carrier mobility and interface mismatch strain is derived and the influence of size, shell thickness and alloyed layer on effective mass, band structures, and deformation potential constant are studied. It is found that interface modulation can not only reduce the lattice mismatch to optimize the band alignment, but also participate in the carrier transport for enhancing mobility. Moreover, the underlying mechanism regarding the interface shape dependence of transport properties in CSNWs is clarified. The great enhancement of electron mobility suggests that the interface modulation may become a potential pathway to improving the performance of nanoelectronic devices.
A novel channel selection scheme for olfactory EEG signal classification on Riemannian manifolds
Authors: Zhang Xiao-Nei , Meng Qing-Hao , Zeng Ming
Published: June 2022

Objective. The classification of olfactory-induced electroencephalogram (olfactory EEG) signals has potential applications in disease diagnosis, emotion regulation, multimedia, and so on. To achieve high-precision classification, numerous EEG channels are usually used, but this also brings problems such as information redundancy, overfitting and high computational load. Consequently, channel selection is necessary to find and use the most effective channels. Approach. In this study, we proposed a multi-strategy fusion binary harmony search (MFBHS) algorithm and combined it with the Riemannian geometry classification framework to select the optimal channel sets for olfactory EEG signal classification. MFBHS was designed by simultaneously integrating three strategies into the binary harmony search algorithm, including an opposition-based learning strategy for generating high-quality initial population, an adaptive parameter strategy for improving search capability, and a bitwise operation strategy for maintaining population diversity. It performed channel selection directly on the covariance matrix of EEG signals, and used the number of selected channels and the classification accuracy computed by a Riemannian classifier to evaluate the newly generated subset of channels. Main results. With five different classification protocols designed based on two public olfactory EEG datasets, the performance of MFBHS was evaluated and compared with some state-of-the-art algorithms. Experimental results reveal that our method can minimize the number of channels while achieving high classification accuracy compatible with using all the channels. In addition, cross-subject generalization tests of MFBHS channel selection show that subject-independent channels obtained through training can be directly used on untrained subjects without greatly compromising classification accuracy. Significance. The proposed MFBHS algorithm is a practical technique for effective use of EEG channels in olfactory recognition.
Research on Unmanned Ship Path Planning based on RRT Algorithm
Authors: Li Zhengqian , Li Lianbo , Zhang Wenjun , Wu Wenhao , Zhu Zhenyu
Published: June 2022

The increase of water shipping density, coupled with the increasing complexity of the waterway, the ship's intelligent collision avoidance system plays a pivotal role in the transportation safety of shipping. Therefore, it has gradually become the focus of water traffic safety research. In recent years, China is still facing a period of great development in navigation technology, safety, green, digital, intelligent will become the development trend. Although the waterway environment has been improving, the increase of shipping vessels has led to frequent accidents in the waterway, and the traditional management methods and means lack real-time monitoring and scheduling of vessels, and the management lacks intelligence and information technology. In this paper, we solve the ship path problem from the point of path planning of intelligent ships. RRT* algorithm is a common method for path planning, but the traditional RRT* algorithm has problems in ship path planning, slow convergence speed, many path turns and large curvature fluctuations. For these problems, an improved fast extended random tree algorithm (Bi-RRT) is proposed. The improved RRT* algorithm is simulated and verified by MATLAB simulation platform. The simulation results show that the research algorithm can shorten the planning time, reduce the number of iterations, and has better feasibility and effectiveness.
Design and Implementation of Farmland Environment Monitoring System Based on Micro Quadrotor UAV
Authors: Liu Yongheng , Liu Shanmei
Published: June 2022

In view of the lack of effective basic information collection mechanism for outdoor farmland, this paper designs and implements a farmland environment monitoring system based on micro quadrotor UAV. In this system, the micro quadrotor UAV is equipped with sensors such as DHT11, MS5611, SRH-01 for collecting farmland environment information, and the purpose of farmland environment information collection and monitoring is realized under the control of software. The system consists of three parts: the flight control module, the information acquisition module, and the ground station module. This paper introduces the main functions of each part of the system, the design and implementation of software and hardware, and gives the experimental results. The results show that the system can be used to effectively monitor the farmland environment. Compared with the traditional agricultural monitoring system, it has the characteristics of low cost, high efficiency and easy operation.
Design of a High-torque Robot Joint and Its Control System
Authors: Hua Qiang , Zhou Weigang , Zhu Shiqiang , Yao Yunchang , Cheng Chao , Xie Anhuan , Zhang Dan
Published: June 2022

The robot joint is one of the key components of robots. With the wide application of robot joints, the demand for joint torque is becoming higher and higher. However, at present, most high-torque robot joints are generally large in weight and size, which creates problems for some applications. For this purpose, a high-torque and high-torque-density robot joint is proposed. To improve the joints’ torque density, the lightweight motor and reducer with a large reduction ratio are selected, and the mechanical structure design is based on weight reduction, miniaturization, and heat dissipation. The maximum torque of the proposed robot joint can reach up to 182Nm, and its mass is only 1.8kg. Besides, an embedded control system is designed to control the robot joint. Many experiments were conducted to measure the robot joint’s characteristics, such as torque, speed, and control features. And the designed robot joints are successfully applied to a biped robot. The results verify the performance of the designed robot joint and its control system.
Turning Knife Health Monitoring Based on Vibration Signal with Machine Learning Algorithms
Authors: Jiayu Liu , Xiaomao Xia , Yuxi Song
Published: June 2022

The wear of the turning tool has a great impact on product quality. With the development of sensor technology and increasing computing power, more and more research focuses on online monitoring and prediction of tool condition using machine learning methods. Nevertheless, most research has been conducted in laboratories, making it difficult to apply the results to the shop floor under complex production conditions. The research is based on vibration data measured in a real production environment of a turning machine. Machine learning models such as Random Forest, XGBoost, etc. were trained to predict the wear condition of the turning tool after features were extracted using digital signal processing techniques such as wavelet decomposition and empirical mode decomposition. A moving average-based method was proposed to convert the binary classification results into the probability of tool failure. On a real manufacturing data set, the online real-time monitoring is realized with an accuracy of 93.8%. It proves to be a good approach for managing spare parts in a real-time industrial environment with limited and isolated data sources.
XIV International Conference on Mathematics, Science and Technology Education
Authors: Kiv A E , Soloviev V N , Semerikov S O , Striuk A M , Osadchyi V V , Vakaliuk T A , Nechypurenko P P , Bondarenko O V , Mintii I S , Malchenko S L
Published: June 2022

This paper represents a preface to the Proceedings of the XIV International Conference on Mathematics, Science and Technology Education (ICon-MaSTEd 2022) held at the Kryvyi Rih State Pedagogical University, Ukraine, 18-20 May 2022. Background information and the organizational structure of the meeting, proceedings structure, and acknowledgments of the contributions of the many people who made the conference a success are presented.
Smart systems of open science in teachers’ education
Authors: Marienko M V , Nosenko Yu H , Shyshkina M P
Published: June 2022

The project announced by the authors is focused on the smart systems of open science, the issues of elaboration of methodological, methodic, and organizational support for the use of these emerging ICT in teaching and research, increasing the level of ICT competence of educators, including teachers. Given the significant pedagogical potential and novelty of existing approaches to the use of smart learning systems meaning first of all the cloud-based adaptive open science systems, their design and use in educational institutions, these issues still need theoretical and experimental research, refinement of approaches, models, methods and techniques, possible ways of implementation. In the process of studying leading experience, the following advantages of using the cloud-based services for teachers’ training were identified: resource savings, access mobility, elasticity, and others. The cloud-based methodological system for educational personnel training at different levels was proposed and considered: for the training of students for the Master level for educational sciences; for the in-service teachers’ training. The methods and tools of smart systems design and implementation were considered and evaluated. The recommendations and suggestions for the advisable ways for smart systems of open science introduction into the learning process were provided.
Resilience-based steps for adaptive co-management of Arctic small-scale fisheries
Authors: Galappaththi Eranga K , Falardeau Marianne , Harris Les N , Rocha Juan C , Moore Jean-Sébastien , Berkes Fikret
Published: June 2022

Arctic small-scale fisheries are essential for the livelihoods, cultures, nutrition, economy, and food security of Indigenous communities. Their sustainable management in the rapidly changing Arctic is thus a key priority. Fisheries management in complex systems such as the Arctic would benefit from integrative approaches that explicitly seek to build resilience. Yet, resilience is rarely articulated as an explicit goal of Arctic fisheries management. Here, we first describe how marine and anadromous fisheries management throughout the North has used the notion of resilience through a literature review of 72 peer-reviewed articles. Second, we make a conceptual contribution in the form of steps to implement adaptive co-management that aim to foster resilience. Building on resilience-based insights from the literature review and foundational research on adaptive co-management and resilience, the steps we propose are to initiate and carry out (1) dialogue through a discussion forum, (2) place-based social-ecological participatory research, (3) resilience-building management actions, (4) collaborative monitoring, and (5) joint process evaluation. Additionally, we propose action items associated with the steps to put adaptive co-management into practice. Third, we assess two case studies, Cambridge Bay and Pangnirtung Arctic Char commercial fisheries, to explore how the five steps can help reinforce resilience through adaptive co-management. Overall, we propose novel guidelines for implementing adaptive co-management that actively seeks to build resilience within fishery social-ecological systems in times of rapid, uncertain, and complex environmental change.
Transitional behavior in sliding wear of martensitic layer obtained with SHPTN process on AISI 409 steel
Authors: Berton Elisiane Maria , Kurelo Bruna Corina Emanuely Schibicheski , Rovani Ane Cheila , Cousseau Tiago , Neves Julio Cesar Klein das , Pintaude Giuseppe , Borges Paulo César
Published: June 2022

Samples of AISI 409 were thermochemically treated by the Solution Heat Treatment after Plasma Nitriding (SHTPN) process. SHTPN process consisted of a nitriding step followed by solution annealing at 1100 °C and rapid cooling down to room temperature. The second cycle of quenching (950 or 1050 °C), followed by tempering (250, 450, or 650 °C), was performed sequentially to SHTPN. Lubricated reciprocating tests were employed to analyze friction and wear behaviors. A bearing steel ball was used as a counterpart. The analysis of worn surfaces was assessed using optical interferometry and depth-sensing indentation. The last technique allows determining the work hardening caused by the wear process. Friction behavior was related to the deformation component: the higher the hardening, the higher the friction coefficient. Abrasion is the primary mechanism observed in all specimens, but there is a transitional behavior that depends on the original hardness of the surface. Samples with a similar hardness of bearing ball presented delaminated regions caused by highly deformed thin layer fatigue. Amongst SHTPN conditions NS-Q950-T2 and NS-Q1050-T2 presented the best balance of wear and corrosion performances.
Wear characteristics of flat die in flat die pellet mills based on Glycyrrhiza uralensis
Authors: Ren Sixue , Li Jingbin , Shi Yameng , Wen Baoqin , Li Liqiao , Su Zipeng
Published: June 2022

During granulation, a serious wear problem may be found in flat die as a key component of a flat die pellet mill. Specific to this problem, Glycyrrhiza uralensis was selected as the wear-causing material to investigate the wear mechanism of the flat die. Additionally, carburizing steel (20Cr and 20CrMnTi) and stainless steel (4Cr13) commonly used in flat die were adopted to conduct wear tests. To explore the influence of Glycyrrhiza uralensis powder and rods on friction and wear properties of the above three types of steel materials, a CFT-I general-purpose tester for surfaces was applied under dry friction conditions. Moreover, x-ray diffractometer (XRD), three-dimensional profilometry, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy disperse spectroscopy (EDS) were used to analyze the phase compositions, surface morphologies, and elementary compositions of the samples. As demonstrated by relevant results, the influence of Glycyrrhiza uralensis on the flat die is primarily embodied in abrasive, adhesive, and fatigue wear, and a thermal oxidation reaction occurs on the surface of the flat die. By comparing the wear conditions of the three steel materials between the powder and rods of Glycyrrhiza uralensis, it is found that flat die damages caused by glycyrrhiza rods are more severe than those of its powder. Additionally, the lowest friction coefficients are generated by 20CrMnTi, which are 0.40 and 0.88, respectively. In terms of the mean wear depth, its values are 1.2 and 2 μm, which are below those of 20Cr and 4Cr13. The results herein reveal that flat die made of 20CrMnTi have excellent wear and ductile fracture resistance characteristics. Hence, this study may provide a theoretical guide for selecting flat die materials.
Fluid Mechanics: A Very Short Introduction
Authors: Lauga Eric
Published: June 2022

Fluid Mechanics: A Very Short Introduction studies the field of fluid mechanics, an important branch of physics concerned with the way in which fluids, such as liquids and gases, behave when in motion and at rest. A quintessentially interdisciplinary field of science, fluid mechanics interacts with many other scientific disciplines ranging from mathematics and engineering to chemistry and biology. The field is best examined through the fundamental physical ideas that underlie it, using everyday phenomena from daily life to demonstrate them, from dripping taps and aeroplanes to swimming ducks, and showing how these underlying principles can be applied to a wide range of flow behaviours. highlights the role of fluid motion in both the natural and the industrial worlds, and considers future potential applications of fluid mechanics in science and industry.
Complex floral traits shape pollinator attraction to ornamental plants
Authors: Erickson E , Junker R R , Ali J G , McCartney N , Patch H M , Grozinger C M
Published: June 2022

Background and Aims

Ornamental flowering plant species are often used in managed greenspaces to attract and support pollinator populations. In natural systems, selection by pollinators is hypothesized to result in convergent multimodal floral phenotypes that are more attractive to specific pollinator taxa. In contrast, ornamental cultivars are bred via artificial selection by humans, and exhibit diverse and distinct phenotypes. Despite their prevalence in managed habitats, the influence of cultivar phenotypic variation on plant attractiveness to pollinator taxa is not well resolved.

Methods

We used a combination of field and behavioural assays to evaluate how variation in floral visual, chemical and nutritional traits impacted overall attractiveness and visitation by pollinator taxonomic groups and bee species to 25 cultivars of five herbaceous perennial ornamental plant genera.

Key results

Despite significant phenotypic variation, cultivars tended to attract a broad range of pollinator species. Nonetheless, at the level of insect order (bee, fly, butterfly, beetle), attraction was generally modulated by traits consistent with the pollination syndrome hypothesis. At the level of bee species, the relative influence of traits on visitation varied across plant genera, with some floral phenotypes leading to a broadening of the visitor community, and others leading to exclusion of visitation by certain bee species.

Conclusions

Our results demonstrate how pollinator choice is mediated by complex multimodal floral signals. Importantly, the traits that had the greatest and most consistent effect on regulating pollinator attraction were those that are commonly selected for in cultivar development. Though variation among cultivars in floral traits may limit the pollinator community by excluding certain species, it may also encourage interactions with generalist taxa to support pollinator diversity in managed landscapes.
Cognitive Correlates of Impaired Testamentary Capacity in Alzheimer’s Dementia
Authors: Gerstenecker Adam , Martin Roy C , Hebert Katina , Triebel Kristen , Marson Daniel C
Published: June 2022

Background

Testamentary capacity (TC) is a legal construct about the ability to make or change a will. Although studies of financial and medical capacities have noted a strong association between capacity and cognition, no study has examined the cognitive correlates of TC in Alzheimer’s disease (ad).

Methods

Study participants were 22 cognitively healthy controls and 20 persons with mild to moderate ad who were administered a neuropsychological battery and the Testamentary Capacity Instrument (TCI), a new performance-based measure of TC. Both TCI Element and TCI Total scores were calculated. TCI Total scores were calculated for the purposes of expanding correlational analyses (i.e., Pearson’s product–moment) and are not intended for forensic TC evaluations. Final predictors were identified using linear and logistic regression modeling.

Results

All ad participants but one obtained TCI Totals that fell >2.5 standard deviations below the control group mean. Initial cognitive correlates of TCI performance were measures of general cognition, language, verbal memory, executive function, and processing speed. The four cognitive variables showing the highest t values and correlating with TCI Total score > 0.7 were entered into logistic and linear regression models. Final predictor models consisted of measures of verbal memory, executive function, and semantic knowledge and demonstrated shared variance of 0.71 (linear) and 0.82 (logistic).

Conclusions

A diagnosis of ad dementia is associated with clinical impairment in TC and associated cognitive abilities and indicates that a legal assessment of TC is warranted. Second, the results offer insight into the cognitive basis of TC in persons with Alzheimer’s dementia.
Transmission Blocking Activity of Low-dose Tafenoquine in Healthy Volunteers Experimentally Infected With Plasmodium falciparum
Authors: Webster Rebecca , Mitchell Hayley , Peters Jenny M , Heunis Juanita , O’Neill Brighid , Gower Jeremy , Lynch Sean , Jennings Helen , Amante Fiona H , Llewellyn Stacey , Marquart Louise , Potter Adam J , Birrell Geoffrey W , Edstein Michael D , Shanks G Dennis , McCarthy James S , Barber Bridget E
Published: June 2022

Background

Blocking the transmission of parasites from humans to mosquitoes is a key component of malaria control. Tafenoquine exhibits activity against all stages of the malaria parasite and may have utility as a transmission blocking agent. We aimed to characterize the transmission blocking activity of low-dose tafenoquine.

Methods

Healthy adults were inoculated with Plasmodium falciparum 3D7-infected erythrocytes on day 0. Piperaquine was administered on days 9 and 11 to clear asexual parasitemia while allowing gametocyte development. A single 50-mg oral dose of tafenoquine was administered on day 25. Transmission was determined by enriched membrane feeding assays predose and at 1, 4, and 7 days postdose. Artemether-lumefantrine was administered following the final assay. Outcomes were the reduction in mosquito infection and gametocytemia after tafenoquine and safety parameters.

Results

Six participants were enrolled, and all were infective to mosquitoes before tafenoquine, with a median 86% (range, 22–98) of mosquitoes positive for oocysts and 57% (range, 4–92) positive for sporozoites. By day 4 after tafenoquine, the oocyst and sporozoite positivity rate had reduced by a median 35% (interquartile range [IQR]: 16–46) and 52% (IQR: 40–62), respectively, and by day 7, 81% (IQR 36–92) and 77% (IQR 52–98), respectively. The decline in gametocyte density after tafenoquine was not significant. No significant participant safety concerns were identified.

Conclusions

Low-dose tafenoquine (50 mg) reduces P. falciparum transmission to mosquitoes, with a delay in effect.
Impact of Intermittent Presumptive Treatment for Malaria in Pregnancy on Hospital Birth Outcomes on the Kenyan Coast
Authors: Kamau Alice , Musau Moses , Mwakio Stella , Amadi David , Nyaguara Amek , Bejon Philip , Seale Anna C , Berkley James A , Snow Robert W
Published: June 2022

Background

Intermittent preventive treatment (IPTp) for pregnant women with sulfadoxine–pyrimethamine (SP) is widely implemented for the prevention of malaria in pregnancy and adverse birth outcomes. The efficacy of SP is declining, and there are concerns that IPTp may have reduced impact in areas of high resistance. We sought to determine the protection afforded by SP as part of IPTp against adverse birth outcomes in an area with high levels of SP resistance on the Kenyan coast.

Methods

A secondary analysis of surveillance data on deliveries at the Kilifi County Hospital between 2015 and 2021 was undertaken in an area of low malaria transmission and high parasite mutations associated with SP resistance. A multivariable logistic regression model was developed to estimate the effect of SP doses on the risk of low birthweight (LBW) deliveries and stillbirths.

Results

Among 27 786 deliveries, 3 or more doses of IPTp-SP were associated with a 27% reduction in the risk of LBW (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 0.73; 95% confidence interval [CI], .64–.83; P < .001) compared with no dose. A dose-response association was observed with increasing doses of SP from the second trimester linked to increasing protection against LBW deliveries. Three or more doses of IPTp-SP were also associated with a 21% reduction in stillbirth deliveries (aOR, 0.79; 95% CI, .65–.97; P = .044) compared with women who did not take any dose of IPTp-SP.

Conclusions

The continued significant association of SP on LBW deliveries suggests that the intervention may have a non-malaria impact on pregnancy outcomes.
Pharmacokinetic-Pharmacodynamic Determinants of Clinical Outcomes for Rifampin-Resistant Tuberculosis: A Multisite Prospective Cohort Study
Authors: Heysell Scott K , Mpagama Stellah G , Ogarkov Oleg B , Conaway Mark , Ahmed Shahriar , Zhdanova Svetlana , Pholwat Suporn , Alshaer Mohammad H , Chongolo Anna M , Mujaga Buliga , Sariko Margaretha , Saba Sabrina , Rahman S M Mazidur , Uddin Mohammad Khaja Mafij , Suzdalnitsky Alexey , Moiseeva Elena , Zorkaltseva Elena , Koshcheyev Mikhail , Vitko Serhiy , Mmbaga Blandina T , Kibiki Gibson S , Pasipanodya Jotam G , Peloquin Charles A , Banu Sayera , Houpt Eric R
Published: June 2022

Background

Rifampin-resistant and/or multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (RR/MDR-TB) treatment requires multiple drugs, and outcomes remain suboptimal. Some drugs are associated with improved outcome. It is unknown whether particular pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic relationships predict outcome.

Methods

Adults with pulmonary RR/MDR-TB in Tanzania, Bangladesh, and the Russian Federation receiving local regimens were enrolled from June 2016 to July 2018. Serum was collected after 2, 4, and 8 weeks for each drug’s area under the concentration-time curve over 24 hours (AUC0–24). Quantitative susceptibility of the M. tuberculosis isolate was measured by minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs). Individual drug AUC0–24/MIC targets were assessed by adjusted odds ratios (ORs) for favorable treatment outcome, and hazard ratios (HRs) for time to sputum culture conversion. K-means clustering algorithm separated the cohort of the most common multidrug regimen into 4 clusters by AUC0–24/MIC exposures.

Results

Among 290 patients, 62 (21%) experienced treatment failure, including 30 deaths. Moxifloxacin AUC0–24/MIC target of 58 was associated with favorable treatment outcome (OR, 3.75; 95% confidence interval, 1.21–11.56; P = .022); levofloxacin AUC0–24/MIC of 118.3, clofazimine AUC0–24/MIC of 50.5, and pyrazinamide AUC0–24 of 379 mg × h/L were associated with faster culture conversion (HR >1.0, P < .05). Other individual drug exposures were not predictive. Clustering by AUC0–24/MIC revealed that those with the lowest multidrug exposures had the slowest culture conversion.

Conclusions

Amidst multidrug regimens for RR/MDR-TB, serum pharmacokinetics and M. tuberculosis MICs were variable, yet defined parameters to certain drugs—fluoroquinolones, pyrazinamide, clofazimine—were predictive and should be optimized to improve clinical outcome.

Clinical Trials Registration

NCT03559582.
Kidney biopsy in lupus nephritis after achieving clinical renal remission: paving the way for renal outcome assessment
Authors: Lledó-Ibáñez Gema Maria , Xipell Marc , Gomes Manuel Ferreira , Solé Manel , Garcia-Herrera Adriana , Cervera Ricard , Quintana Luis F , Espinosa Gerard
Published: June 2022

The role of repeat kidney biopsy in lupus nephritis (LN) with renal remission is unclear. The aim of this study was to assess this role in a real-life scenario. This retrospective, single-centre study included 56 patients with LN diagnosed from 1998 to 2019, with an initial kidney biopsy (KB1) at the onset of LN and a second kidney biopsy (KB2) after achieving renal remission. A total of 51 (91.1%) patients were women with a median age of 29.9 years [interquartile range (IQR) 23.4–40.6] at the time of LN diagnosis. KB2s were performed after 41.1 months (IQR 30.1–52.5) of KB1. At the time of KB2, complete renal response was achieved in 51 (91.1%) patients. The median activity index decreased from a baseline value of 6.5 (IQR 2.8–11) to 0 (IQR 0–2) (P < .001). The chronicity index worsened from 1 (IQR 0–2) to 2 (IQR 1–3) (P = .01). In patients with proliferative/mixed forms at KB2, the chronicity index median value increased to 3 (IQR 1.5–4), as well as interstitial fibrosis and tubular atrophy $\ge $25%, from 5.4% to 13.5%. Persistent histological active LN (activity index ≥2) was present in 11 (19.6%) KB2s. There were no differences when comparing immunological parameters between both groups (activity index ≥2 versus <2) at KB2, nor in the percentage of patients who presented renal flare. Immunosuppressive treatment was withdrawn in 35 (62.5%) patients and maintained/switched in 21 (37.5%). Afterward, new renal flare occurred in 9 patients per group (25.7% and 43%, respectively), after a median time of 39 months (IQR 6.5–55) and 7 months (IQR 6–30), respectively. There was no difference in the number of patients who developed chronic kidney disease [n = 14 (25%)] according to the treatment. In conclusion, KB2 provides valuable information to guide immunosuppressive maintenance therapy.
Point-of-care ultrasonography in nephrology comes of age
Authors: Ross Daniel W , Moses Andrew A , Niyyar Vandana Dua
Published: June 2022

The physical exam is changing. Many have argued that the physical exam of the 21st century should include point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS). POCUS is being taught in medical schools and has been endorsed by the major professional societies of internal medicine. In this review we describe the trend toward using POCUS in medicine and describe where the practicing nephrologist fits in. We discuss what a nephrologist's POCUS exam should entail and we give special attention to what nephrologists can gain from learning POCUS. We suggest a ‘nephro-centric’ approach that includes not only ultrasound of the kidney and bladder, but of the heart, lungs and vascular access. We conclude by reviewing some of the sparse data available to guide training initiatives and give suggested next steps for advancing POCUS in nephrology.
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptom Clusters as Predictors of Pain Interference in Burn Survivors: A Burn Model System National Database Study
Authors: Bhalla Arjun , Bamer Alyssa M , Temes Christina , Roaten Kimberly , Carrougher Gretchen J , Schneider Jeffrey C , Stoddard Frederick J , Stewart Barclay , Gibran Nicole S , Wiechman Shelley A
Published: June 2022

Individuals who experience burns are at higher risk of developing posttraumatic stress disorder and chronic pain. A synergistic relationship exists between posttraumatic stress disorder and chronic pain. We sought to evaluate the role of individual posttraumatic stress disorder symptom clusters as predictors of pain interference. We hypothesized that the hyperarousal and emotional numbing symptom clusters would be predictive of pain interference, even when accounting for the other two posttraumatic stress disorder symptom clusters, pain intensity, and other covariates. Multivariate linear regression analyses were completed using data from the Burn Model System National Database. A total of 439 adult participants had complete responses on self-report measures assessing posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms, pain intensity, and pain interference at 6-month after discharge and were included in analyses. Results indicate hyperarousal (B = .10, p = .03) and emotional numbing (B = .13, p = .01) posttraumatic stress disorder symptom clusters were each significantly associated with pain interference, even when accounting for pain intensity (B = .64, p < .001). Results highlight the importance of the emotional numbing and hyperarousal posttraumatic stress disorder symptom clusters in explaining pain interference. Findings suggest that when posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms or chronic pain are present, screening for and treating either condition may be warranted to reduce pain interference. Further, psychological interventions that target emotional numbing and hyperarousal posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms may be fruitful for promoting better coping with chronic pain and reducing pain interference.
Cell-penetrating peptide-mediated delivery of therapeutic peptides/proteins to manage the diseases involving oxidative stress, inflammatory response and apoptosis
Authors: Sadeghian Issa , Heidari Reza , Raee Mohammad Javad , Negahdaripour Manica
Published: June 2022

Objectives

Peptides and proteins represent great potential for modulating various cellular processes including oxidative stress, inflammatory response, apoptosis and consequently the treatment of related diseases. However, their therapeutic effects are limited by their inability to cross cellular barriers. Cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs), which can transport cargoes into the cell, could resolve this issue, as would be discussed in this review.

Key findings

CPPs have been successfully exploited in vitro and in vivo for peptide/protein delivery to treat a wide range of diseases involving oxidative stress, inflammatory processes and apoptosis. Their in vivo applications are still limited due to some fundamental issues of CPPs, including nonspecificity, proteolytic instability, potential toxicity and immunogenicity.

Totally, CPPs could potentially help to manage the diseases involving oxidative stress, inflammatory response and apoptosis by delivering peptides/proteins that could selectively reach proper intracellular targets. More studies to overcome related CPP limitations and confirm the efficacy and safety of this strategy are needed before their clinical usage.
Mesenteric venous thrombosis in a pregnant woman at first trimester gestation: a case report
Authors: Piltcher-da-Silva Rodrigo , Sasaki Vivian Laís , Petry João Francisco , Rhoden Guilherme Vieceli , Zangari Matheus Antonio Chiconelli , Piltcher-Recuero Mariana , de Melo Rocha Gabriela , Andriguetto Paulo Cesar , Aguilera Yan Sacha , Coelho Júlio Cezar Uili
Published: June 2022

Mesenteric vein thrombosis (MVT) in a pregnant patient is a rare condition that seems to be associated with the pregnancy pró-thrombotic state. This can lead to severe circumstances such as intestinal hemorrhagic ischemia, sepsis, abortion and death. Abdominal assessment is challenging due to the anatomical and physiological changes during pregnancy. MVT clinical and complementary evaluation are nonspecific, making essential an image exam. We report a case of a 33-years-old woman at 11 weeks of gestation. She sought medical evaluation due to abdominal pain and had an appendicitis diagnosis, which was treated by laparoscopic surgery. One week later, she came back complaining of nonspecific abdominal pain. So an extensive evaluation was made, and the diagnosis of MVT and intestinal ischemia was concluded. She underwent laparotomy exploration and anticoagulation, having a good evolution and so was discharged on the sixth post-operative day.
Outcomes of incident patients treated with incremental haemodialysis as compared with standard haemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis
Authors: Jaques David A , Ponte Belen , Haidar Fadi , Dufey Anne , Carballo Sebastian , De Seigneux Sophie , Saudan Patrick
Published: June 2022

Background

Residual kidney function is considered better preserved with incremental haemodialysis (I-HD) or peritoneal dialysis (PD) as compared with conventional thrice-weekly HD (TW-HD) and is associated with improved survival. We aimed to describe outcomes of patients initiating dialysis with I-HD, TW-HD or PD.

Methods

We conducted a retrospective analysis of a prospectively assembled cohort in a single university centre including all adults initiating dialysis from January 2013 to December 2020. Primary and secondary endpoints were overall survival and hospitalization days at 1 year, respectively.

Results

We included 313 patients with 234 starting on HD (166 TW-HD and 68 I-HD) and 79 on PD. At the end of the study, 10 were still on I-HD while 45 transitioned to TW-HD after a mean duration of 9.8 ± 9.1 months. Patients who stayed on I-HD were less frequently diabetics (P = .007). Mean follow-up was 33.1 ± 30.8 months during which 124 (39.6%) patients died. Compared with patients on TW-HD, those on I-HD had improved survival (hazard ratio 0.49, 95% confidence interval 0.26-0.93, P = .029), while those on PD had similar survival. Initial kidney replacement therapy modality was not significantly associated with hospitalization days at 1 year.

Conclusions

I-HD is suitable for selected patients starting dialysis and can be maintained for a significant amount of time before transition to TW-HD, with diabetes being a risk factor. Although hospitalization days at 1 year are similar, initiation with I-HD is associated with improved survival as compared with TW-HD or PD. Results of randomized controlled trials are awaited prior to large-scale implementation of I-HD programmes.
Body in Mind
Authors: Dove Guy
Published: June 2022

This chapter critically examines the empirical support for embodied and grounded cognition. The evidence typically cited in this context characteristically involves concrete concepts and implicates perception and action systems in their processing. Rehearsing this evidence has become something of a touchstone in the field of embodied cognition—papers regularly begin with a quick summary of it. This chapter offers a more comprehensive critical assessment of the relevant research and defends two novel claims: one that concerns the character of the available evidence and another that concerns our theoretical interpretation of it. The empirical claim is that the available evidence implicates both sensory and motor representations in conceptual processing but falls short of establishing that they are necessary for such processing. The theoretical claim is that what really matters is the causal influence of grounded representations and the scope of this influence remains an open and pressing question.
Language Is a Neuroenhancement
Authors: Dove Guy
Published: June 2022

This chapter argues that language is a neuroenhancement for grounded minds. The fact that much of our experience is mediated by language raises the question of whether language can itself serve as a source of grounding. The author proposes that its symbolic properties facilitate our capacity to encode abstract semantic content in several important ways: having labels for our concepts facilitates our ability to link together our diverse experiences, word-to-word associations help us draw inferences that go beyond our immediate experience, and knowledge linked to conversations and narratives enables us to tailor concepts to specific contexts and tasks. In sum, language helps our brains encode fundamentally disembodied content.
Sequence Semantics
Authors: Khoo Justin
Published: June 2022

This chapter provides a formal setting for the Domain Inferentialist theory motivated in Chapter 3. Drawing on the formal theories developed by van Fraassen, Stalnaker, and McGee, it is shown how to formally model the inferential dispositional contents of conditionals using a semantics that defines sentential truth relative to a sequence of possible worlds. We then see how the resulting theory formally implements and elucidates the main results of Chapter 3.
Constructing, Deconstructing, and Reconstructing the “Temple of Dionysus” in Side, Pamphylia
Authors: Piesker Katja
Published: June 2022

When the Roman theater of Side in Pamphylia was built in the 2nd century ce it encroached upon a small Late Hellenistic podium building, the presumed “Temple of Dionysus.” Renewed archaeological and architectural investigations from 2009 until 2012 analyzed the history of the temple from its construction to its abandonment. The new documentation supports a considerably different layout of the initial Late Hellenistic temple, now with a shorter podium and a reversed orientation so that it was accessed by a narrow staircase from the south. At the very least, this staircase and the pronaos in the south had to be dismantled when the theater was built. A well-crafted extension of the podium to the north utilizing architectural members from the original structure suggests that the edifice may have been rebuilt in a revised form. This chapter focuses on that deconstruction and apparent reconstruction in the 2nd century ce. In doing so, it helps to explain restoration and rebuilding in the Roman Imperial period and also highlights some of the urban repercussions that followed the construction of the theater in Side.
Face-to-Face Dialogue
Authors: Bavelas Janet Beavin
Published: June 2022

Face-to-face dialogue is the basic and universal form of language use, from everyday life to professional interactions. This book, written for a range of readers from researchers to practitioners, presents a program of research into the key features that make face-to-face dialogue unique: First, interacting in dialogue is highly reciprocal, with constant moment-by-moment interchanges. Dialogues that are face-to-face are also multimodal, combining speech with hand and facial gestures (including gaze) that contribute to both the content and the coordination of a dialogue. The book starts with two essential changes of focus, from individuals to interactions and from nonverbal communication to co-speech gestures. These lead to a wide variety of video-based experiments into how dialogue works, always from an interactional rather than an individual perspective. Results include the influence of the listener on the speaker, the importance of co-speech gestures in the coordination and management of dialogue, and an empirically supported model of mutual understanding as a constant, three-step micro-process of co-construction. Finally, there are applications to dialogues in a variety of practical settings, including psychotherapy, computer-mediated communication, infant autism, and medical consultations. Because microanalysis of even the most ordinary face-to-face dialogue reveals precision and skill on a second-by-second level, virtually every study includes examples from actual dialogues, and a supplementary website provides video analysis of these examples, which brings the details of face-to-face dialogue to life.
A Summary So Far
Authors: Bavelas Janet Beavin
Published: June 2022

The research in this book arose from curiosity about the workings of face-to-face dialogue, which is the basic form of language use. Our research team has applied microanalysis of face-to-face dialogue to interaction rather than individuals and to co-speech gestures rather than nonverbal communication. The research section began with an intensive study of how narrators and addressees influence each other during story-telling. Then it traced the discovery of an unsuspected effect of dialogue, which (unlike monologue) favors analogic or iconic forms such as hand and facial gestures, figurative language, and direct quotations. Numerous studies showed essential contributions of hand and facial co-speech gestures to both the topic and the process of having a dialogue. Finally, we documented a three-step, moment-by-moment process with which interlocutors calibrate their mutual understanding. The final chapters described studies that applied our microanalysis method to computer-medicated communication, infant autism, and medical and psychotherapeutic dialogues.
Receptive Ecclesial Learning through Ecumenical Engagement
Authors: Grdzelidze Tamara
Published: June 2022

The ecumenical engagements of the Orthodox churches have been a great contributor to modern Orthodox thinking. Even so, the wealth of experience acquired through formal and informal interchurch relations has not been discerned and reflected by the Orthodox churches as profoundly as one might assume. A great deal of this partial or selective reception emerges from unresolved inter-Orthodox issues, such as an insufficient background in the hermeneutics of dialogue. A further significant challenge is the political stance of local Orthodox churches within national states. The chapter attempts to show how a lack of political consent internally affects reception of ecumenical experience by the highest ecclesial authority, as well as seeing how that same experience of ecumenical encounter can help the modernization of Orthodox ecclesial discourse.
Reformed Catholicity
Authors: Norwood Donald W.
Published: June 2022

‘Catholic’ is a criterion by which all churches are judged, not just an exclusive claim any one church makes for herself. This point was challenged by Cardinal Sadolet in his argument with Calvin in the sixteenth century but accepted by Vatican II in the twentieth when the Catholic Church asked for help from others in order to be more catholic. Reformed and other traditions responded by sending some of their most ecumenically qualified and respected theologians to help. ‘Receptive Ecumenism’ makes the challenge mutual: we are all in the business of learning to be more catholic. A case can thus be made for recognizing such theologians as John Calvin, Karl Barth, and Robert McAfee Brown as catholic theologians. From a Reformed perspective the good experience of seeing Pope John XXII and now Pope Francis acting as ‘our’ spokesmen on global concerns for peace and conservation makes it is easier to present a convincing case for a ‘pope for all Christians’ and a ‘genuinely ecumenical council’.
Receptive Ecumenism and ARCIC III
Authors: Currer Anthony T.
Published: June 2022

This chapter examines the change of method in the most recent phase of the Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission (ARCIC III), resulting in Walking Together on the Way: Learning to Be the Church—Local, Regional, Universal (2017). The method of ARCIC I and II is presented as an example of ‘differentiated consensus’. Responses to ARCIC, particularly from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, highlighted shortcomings not only in the Commission’s work but also in the presuppositions of its method. At worst, differentiated consensus appears as a merely semantic solution to longstanding theological differences. Its hope for success rests, unrealistically, on the belief that ultimately what transpires to be unresolvable difference between Christian traditions can be understood to be of secondary importance and therefore not church-dividing. It can also appear somewhat static as a method, leaving the dialoguing Christian communities unchanged by their agreements. The adoption of Receptive Ecumenism responds to these challenges. Returning to the vision of Unitatis Redintegratio, ARCIC’s latest document sees the road to unity as being one of ecclesial conversion and renewal. Learning from the other is the concrete way in which the ecumenical dialogues can contribute to this renewal process that leads to the unity of the churches.
What Does Rome Have to Learn from Geneva?
Authors: Lakeland Paul
Published: June 2022

This chapter highlights the significance of a shift to empirical or inductive method in ecclesiology in the Catholic tradition. The inductive turn in Catholic theology is a product of the influence of liberation theological method and of the consequent attention to popular religion, itself to some extent a result of the increasing theological sophistication of the Catholic laity. An adequate ecclesiological model to correspond to the inductive turn might be found in the notion of a ‘whole-body ecclesiology’ developed initially in the United Reformed Church and the Methodist Church. In whole-body ecclesiality it is the praxis of the community that determines ecclesiology, not merely its liturgical praxis or its understanding of evangelization. The beauty of whole-body ecclesiology is that it sees ecclesiology grounded in a polity that takes modern people seriously and that is appropriately adjusted to the cultural expectations of adults. This is refreshingly important in the Catholic tradition, especially now that more attention is being given to the idea of synodality.