bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Using numerical homogenization to determine the representative volume element size of paper
Authors: Kloppenburg Greta , Walther Elisabeth , Holthusen Hagen , Czibula Caterina , Hirn Ulrich , Simon Jaan-Willem
Published: March 2023

Paper has always been of great importance as a printing and packaging material. Due to its potential for recyclability and reusability, which result in a low environmental impact, it is expected that this importance will soar over the coming years. Nevertheless, even though paper has been in use for decades, many research questions are still open, especially in the field of mechanics. One of these questions is the appropriate size of a representative volume element (RVE) of the microstructure of paper. Therefore, a finite element network model of interconnected fibers was developed which represents the microstructure of paper. In order to create the network model realistically, geometry and material quantities were taken from experimental investigations. Additionally, single fibers and fiber bonds were investigated beforehand in order to incorporate their proper behavior into the network. Based on this, the networks were generated and subsequently loaded by applying mixed displacement and traction boundary conditions. The resulting effective stresses were compared to determine the necessary RVE size. Two approaches were considered for modeling the RVE: (i) one single “large” network, and (ii) a certain number of smaller networks whose average yielded a statistically representative effective response. As a result, the second approach turned out to be less computationally intensive due to smaller models and the possibility to run calculations simultaneously. Concluding, it was possible to determine the size of the RVE which will be used to investigate various individual microstructural effects on the macrostructure in the future.
Dynamic Phase‐Field Fracture in Viscoelastic Materials using a First‐Order Formulation
Authors: Friebertshäuser Kai , Thomas Marita , Tornquist Sven , Weinberg Kerstin , Wieners Christian
Published: March 2023

In this contribution we present analytical results on a model for dynamic fracture in viscoelastic materials at small strains that have been obtained in full depth in [1]. In the model, the sharp crack interface is regularized with a phase‐field approximation, and for the phase‐field variable a viscous evolution with a quadratic dissipation potential is employed. A non‐smooth penalization prevents material healing. The viscoelastic momentum balance is formulated as a first order system and coupled in a nonlinear way to the non‐smooth evolution equation of the phase field. We give a full discretization in time and space using a discontinuous Galerkin method for the first‐order system. We discuss the existence of discrete solutions and, with the step size in space and time tending to zero, their convergence to a suitable notion of weak solution of the system. Eventually, we provide a numerical benchmark and compare it with simulation results found in [2].
A re‐examination of the Italian parental monitoring scale: Development, validation, gender, and school success measurement invariance
Authors: Caso Letizia , Greco Andrea , Florio Eleonora , Palena Nicola
Published: March 2023

Parental monitoring (PM) is a key construct in research on children's well‐being and healthy development referring to the attention parents pay to their children's activities and whereabouts. However, existing literature suggests that the psychometric properties of its measurement tools are still perfect. For this study, a revised Italian parental monitoring scale (I‐PM‐R) was developed and validated with data from 835 participants (63% females), aged between 10 and 20 years old. The sample was divided into two sub‐samples. One was used for parallel and exploratory factor analyses, and the other was used for confirmatory factor analysis. A total of eight factors were thus identified. The scale exhibited invariance in relation to children's gender and school success, and associations with demographic variables and school performance. The I‐PM‐R contributes to the need to move toward psychometric quality advances in the measurement of PM.
Don't do more do different: A qualitative description of teachers' perceptions of and experiences with the psychoeducational assessment process
Authors: King Sara , Ritchie Krista C. , McGonnell Melissa , Green Jared R.
Published: March 2023

Although teachers are involved in many aspects of the psychological assessment, very little research has examined their experiences with and perceptions of the entire psychoeducational assessment process. Previous research has relied on surveys and has assumed that teachers have a foundational understanding of the purpose of the assessment. The current study used qualitative description to examine teacher perceptions of and experiences with the psychoeducational assessment process. Ten public school teachers participated in individual interviews about their perceptions of and experiences with psychoeducational assessment. Results indicated a “bidirectional disconnect” such that psychologists do not translate assessment findings into a useful product that teachers can apply to the classrooms; reports were described as too long and jargon‐filled, with vague recommendations and feedback meetings do not allow for collaboration or discussion. However, the data also suggested that teachers do not fully understand the purpose and scope of the psychoeducational assessment, the types of referrals that are appropriate, foundational psychological principles, and/or the scope of practice of the school psychologist. Recommendations for practice are provided along with a call for increased interprofessional education and practice in education.
The impact of a combined mentalisation‐based therapy and therapeutic community programme for adolescents with borderline personality disorder traits on service utilisation in Western Australia
Authors: Robinson Lake Jemima , Bear Natasha , Fletcher Carl , Pace Giulia , Salmin Ivan , Brealey Georgia
Published: March 2023

This study assessed the effect of a mentalisation‐based therapy (MBT) treatment programme on the utilisation of Western Australian public hospitals for mental health presentations over an 18‐month period. Hospital data included the number of visits to the emergency department (ED), the number of inpatient admissions to hospital and length of stay of the admissions. Participants included 76 adolescents aged 13–17 years old, who presented with borderline personality disorder (BPD) traits. The Touchstone treatment programme is a time‐limited intensive programme that utilises MBT in the context of a therapeutic community. Hospital data for the participants were collected and analysed from three time points; 6 months prior to attending the programme, during the 6‐month programme (active treatment) and 6 months after the programme. Results found a statistically significant decrease in hospital utilisation from pre to post programme, with a decline in ED visits, inpatient admissions and admission length of stay. This study presents promising preliminary evidence for the effectiveness of an intensive MBT programme as an intervention for adolescents with BPD features and has significant implications for the public health system in terms of providing effective community‐based treatment for this difficult to treat population as well as reducing pressure on tertiary care.
Different methods of hydroxyapatite‐based coatings on external fixator pin with high adhesion approach
Authors: Nakhaei Mehrnoush , Jirofti Nafiseh , Ebrahimzadeh Mohammad H. , Moradi Ali
Published: March 2023

In this review paper, different methods of hydroxyapatite‐based coatings on external fixation pins with improvement in the adhesion strength are explained. Different coating methods such as dip coating, surface‐induced mineralization, plasma spraying, physical vapor deposition magnetron sputtering, micro‐arc oxidation, electrophoretic deposition, chemical vapor deposition, ion beam assisted deposition, sol‐gel dip coating, pulsed laser deposition, and electrohydrodynamic coating are investigated. The micro‐arc oxidation method showed high degradation delaying of the substrate with a high‐voltage electrolyte solution. Moreover, controlling the coating porosity by applying the gas is a good feature of the physical vapor deposition magnetron sputtering method. The comparison of the hydroxyapatite (HA) coatings method showed that the plasma spraying method leads to better coating features between the coating methods on the implant pins.
Urine anion gap can differentiate respiratory alkalosis from metabolic acidosis in the absence of blood gas results
Authors: Assadi Farahnak
Published: March 2023

Introduction

Low plasma bicarbonate concentration due to chronic respiratory alkalosis may be misdiagnosed as metabolic acidosis and mistreated with administration of alkali therapy, particularly when arterial blood gas is not available.

Methods

We measured urine anion gap [urine (Na+ + K+) – (Cl−)], as a surrogate of renal ammonium excretion in 15 patients presenting with hyperventilation and low serum bicarbonate concentration to distinguish chronic respiratory alkalosis (CRA) from metabolic acidosis (MA) when blood gas was unavailable.

Results

Hyperventilation and low serum bicarbonate concentrations were associated with urine pH above 5.5 and positive urine anion gap in all, suggesting CRA. The diagnosis was later confirmed by obtaining capillary blood gas, which showed a decrease in PCO2 and high normal pH values.

Conclusion

The use of urine anion gap can help to differentiate between chronic respiratory alkalosis and metabolic acidosis, especially when arterial blood gas is not obtained.
Predictors of hospitalization for respiratory failure among patients with sarcoidosis‐associated pulmonary hypertension
Authors: Gayen Shameek , Mamary Albert J.
Published: March 2023

Pulmonary hypertension leads to significant morbidity and mortality in patients with sarcoidosis. In this study, we examined clinical factors associated with the risk of respiratory failure‐related hospitalization in 58 patients with sarcoidosis‐associated pulmonary hypertension. Pulmonary vasodilator therapy and spirometry were associated with reduced risk of hospitalization in this cohort.
Structure, Magnetotransport, and Theoretical Study on the Layered Antiferromagnet Topological Phase EuCd2As2 under High Pressure
Authors: Yu Zhenhai , Chen Xuejiao , Xia Wei , Wang Ningning , Lv Xiaodong , Wu Desheng , Wu Wei , Liu Ziyi , Zhao Jinggeng , Li Mingtao , Li Shujia , Li Xin , Dong Zhaohui , Zhou Chunyin , Zhang Lili , Wang Xia , Yu Na , Zou Zhiqiang , Luo Jianlin , Cheng Jinguang , Wang Lin , Zhong Zhicheng , Guo Yanfeng
Published: March 2023

Rich nontrivial topological phases rooted in the interplay between magnetism and topology in the layered antiferromagnet EuCd2As2 have captured vast attention, especially the ideal Weyl semimetal state realized in the spin‐polarized ferromagnetic (FM) structure driven by a moderate external magnetic field. In this work, combining magnetization, magneto‐transport, and structure measurements under high pressure and first principles calculations, this study finds that the pressure can drive the in‐plane antiferromagnetic structure of EuCd2As2 across an intermediate in‐plane FM structure then into the out‐of‐plane FM structure. This study also finds butterfly‐shaped MR and anomalous Hall effect under large pressure, which may support the pressure‐driven FM state. High‐pressure angle‐dispersive X‐ray diffraction and X‐ray absorption near‐edge spectroscopy measurements exclude structure transition and/or change of Eu2+ valence state as sources for the magnetic phase transitions. Alternatively, apparently reduced axial ratio (c/a) and compressed Eu‐layer space distance should play important roles. Interestingly, the calculations unveil that the out‐of‐plane FM structure hosts only one pair of Weyl nodes around the Fermi level, suggesting that pressure can be an alternative way to realize the ideal Weyl semimetal state in EuCd2As2 and will be useful for exploring exotic topological properties in such layered magnetic topological phase with strongly competing magnetic exchanges.
Where and How Have Written Action Plans for Atopic Eczema/Dermatitis Been Developed and Evaluated? Systematic Review
Authors: Thandi Charankumal Singh , Constantinou Sophie , Vincent Rosie , Ridd Matthew J.
Published: March 2023

Background

Atopic eczema/dermatitis is a common inflammatory condition which affects 15%–30% of children and 2%–10% of adults. It can have a significant impact and its management can be challenging. It is important for patients, parents, and caregivers to know how to look after their skin.

Objectives

To identify and review written eczema action plans (WAPs) that are available internationally for use by patients, parents, and caregivers.

Methods

We followed Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-analysis guidelines. We searched relevant databases (MEDLINE, Embase, COCHRANE) from inception until March 2022. We sought grey literature via Google searches and professional networks. Database search results were independently reviewed by two different reviewers. With identified WAPs, we assessed length, appearance, content, how it was developed and whether it had been evaluated.

Results

From 312 abstracts, supplemented by other searches, we identified 20 unique eczema WAPs. From nine countries, all were written in English with 18 were designed for children. For the majority, it was unclear whether any development work preceded their creation or the intended clinical setting for use. Nineteen had a stepwise approach, 17 advised when to seek help, 6 were visually appealing and 6 had a rationale behind treatment documented in the WAP. Only three had been evaluated in clinical trials.

Conclusion

Further evaluation is needed to assess the effectiveness of the WAPs that currently exist, prior to creating further WAPs. Patient and caregiver involvement is needed in any future work.
Development and Validation of Stability‐Indicating HPLC Method for Simultaneous Quantification of Vardenafil and Dapoxetine in Bulk and in Combined Dosage Form
Authors: El‐Abasawy Nasr M. , El‐Olemy Ahmed , Sharaf El‐Din Mohamed M. , Kaddah Mohamed M. Y. , El Din M. Sharaf
Published: March 2023

An understanding of drug product degradation issues is needed to advise stable formulation and provide a reasonable shelf‐life evaluation for all drug products. For this purpose, we have developed and validated a novel HPLC method for assessing the stability of vardenafil and dapoxetine in a combined pharmaceutical dosage form. The chromatographic separation was accomplished on a ProntoSIL C18 KROMA PLUS column (250×4.6 mm, 5 μm). The column was run under isocratic conditions with a 2.0 mL/min flow rate. The mobile phase was made up of methanol and 20 mM potassium dihydrogen phosphate at 45 : 55 (v/v), which was adjusted to pH 3.0 with phosphoric acid; these two drugs were eluted at retention times of 5.33 and 9.91 min for vardenafil and dapoxetine, respectively. The proposed method shows a linearity of 1–50 ug/ml with a regression of 0.9999 for both drugs. The method was validated for accuracy, precision, linearity, specificity, and sensitivity. The developed HPLC method has been successfully implemented to analyse dapoxetine and vardenafil in tablets. Furthermore, the stress degradation experiments were conducted on the bulk powder of vardenafil and dapoxetine following the International Council for Harmonization (ICH) recommendations.
Water‐Soluble Graphite‐Phase Carbon Nitride Colloid and Its Multichannel Biological Imaging Effect
Authors: Yan Yu , Gan Lu , Wang Chen , Liu Shuai , Wang Wenrui , Hua Lijuan , Chen Yan
Published: March 2023

Due to the large band gap and quantum size effect, most of reported fluorescent graphite phase carbon nitride (GCN) nanosheets/quantum dot emits blue fluorescence under ultraviolet, which limits its further application in bio‐imaging. However, diversified strategies of PL wavelength tailored are rare except for heteroatom or molecule doping. In this paper, yellowish carbon nitride colloid with 508 nm PL emission was produced through structural self‐modulation method using melamine as sole precursor. The obtained colloid demonstrate nontoxicity, stability (up to 10 month), good dispersibility in water and green fluorescent under 365 nm light excitation. Associated with its broad emission peak excited by different wavelengths of light, it shows good performance in biological imaging and importantly, realizes blue, green and red three‐channels imaging. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time to report multi‐channel biological imaging based on GCN polymer with long PL wavelength by structural self‐modulation strategy.
A Methodology of Fabricating Novel Electrodes for Semiconductor Devices: Doping and Van der Waals Integrating Organic Semiconductor Films
Authors: Chen Ping‐An , Guo Junjun , Yan Xinwen , Liu Yu , Wei Huan , Qiu Xincan , Xia Jiangnan , Guo Jing , Ding Jiaqi , Gong Zhenqi , Chen Chen , Lei Ting , Chen Huajie , Zeng Zebing , Hu Yuanyuan
Published: March 2023

Electrodes are indispensable components in semiconductor devices, and now are mainly made from metals, which are convenient for use but not ideal for emerging technologies such as bioelectronics, flexible electronics, or transparent electronics. Here the methodology of fabricating novel electrodes for semiconductor devices using organic semiconductors (OSCs) is proposed and demonstrated. It is shown that polymer semiconductors can be heavily p‐ or n‐doped to achieve sufficiently high conductivity for electrodes. In contrast with metals, the doped OSC films (DOSCFs) are solution‐processable, mechanically flexible, and have interesting optoelectronic properties. By integrating the DOSCFs with semiconductors through van der Waals contacts different kinds of semiconductor devices can be constructed. Importantly, these devices exhibit higher performance than their counterparts with metal electrodes, and/or excellent mechanical or optical properties that are unavailable in metal‐electrode devices, suggesting the superiority of DOSCF electrodes. Given the existing large amount of OSCs, the established methodology can provide abundant electrode choices to meet the demand of various emerging devices.
Performance analysis and design of circular high‐strength concrete‐filled double‐skin aluminum tubular short columns under axial loading
Authors: Yan Xi‐Feng , Ahmed Mizan , Hassanein M. F. , He Meng‐Nan
Published: March 2023

This study investigates the performance and design of high‐strength circular concrete‐filled double‐skin aluminum tubular (CFDAT) columns under axial loading. A new fiber element (FBE) model incorporating a new lateral confinement model is developed that considers the confinement effects and material nonlinearities. A new strength degradation factor is proposed for determining the postpeak behavior of the confined concrete in CFDAT circular columns. Existing experimental results are used to validate the accuracy of the predicted ultimate strength and axial load‐strain () curves of CFDAT columns under axial loading. A comparison of the predictions of the ultimate strength and curves of CFDAT columns using the proposed lateral confinement model is made against the prediction using the three‐dimensional finite element modeling and the existing lateral pressure model of CFDAT columns proposed by other researchers. The performance of the CFDAT columns under axial loading is investigated using a detailed parametric study. The accuracy of existing empirical formulas given in various design standards for conventional concrete‐filled steel tubular columns as well as given by another researcher in predicting the ultimate strength of CFDAT columns is examined. Finally, a simple design formula is proposed and validated against the experimental and numerical results obtained from this study. It is found that the proposed FBE model and the simplified model developed in this study can accurately predict the performance of CFDAT columns under axial loading.
Analysis and evaluation of direct shear tests on concrete joints in hydraulic structures
Authors: Höffgen Jan P. , Malárics‐Pfaff Viktória , Wengrzik Doris B. , Dehn Frank
Published: March 2023

Neither the shear transfer behavior of unreinforced hydraulic concrete structures nor experimental procedures for its determination have been standardized in recent building codes and regulations. This poses uncertainty for the assessment of the integrity of hydraulic structures. This paper adapts direct shear tests, which are an established method in rock mechanics, for the assessment of unreinforced concrete joints and expands the evaluation method through recognizing surface inclination as a contribution to the coefficient of friction. The evaluation is subsequently performed on direct shear test results performed on specimens taken from a lock built in the early 20th century. Based on the initial state of the concrete joints—intact or cracked bond—results for the basic friction angle and the inclination angle are discussed. Using entire shear stress‐deformation‐curves as opposed to singular values was found to yield more stable results of shear transfer parameters and additional insight on the validity of the test.
Homelessness in Children's Literature: A Path to Opening Additional Mirrors, Windows and Sliding Glass Doors
Authors: Waller Rachael , Sullivan‐Walker Melissa
Published: March 2023

Homelessness is a prevalent issue in the United States, and students facing homelessness face unique and complex issues. Children’s literature, however, can provide a powerful platform for enabling students to more deeply understand diverse living situations. In this paper, we explore how children’s literature can be used in classrooms using the theoretical framing of windows, doors, and mirrors.
Working and Learning in the Retail Sector: A Cross-Country Comparative View
Authors: Brandi Ulrik , De Norre Jolien , Roosalu Triin , Raudsepp Maaris , Khadatovich Alesia
Published: March 2023

Europe’s retail sector provides early career workers with a first entry into gainful employment, though often employing them on a part-time and/or temporary basis. This chapter compares workplace learning opportunities in the retail sector in Belgium, Denmark, and Estonia, focusing on early career workers’ experiences. Using in-depth case studies, it shows that workplace design can limit their opportunities for day-to-day workplace learning. However, there are important variations within and across the cases studied. When meaningful learning and career development are limited, early career workers’ responses differ, in ways shaped by their evolving life structures and organisational settings. They may find retail work temporarily ‘right’, even though learning opportunities are restricted. Given the sector’s size and dominant role, employers can often deviate from national labour standards.
Speaking Up: How Early Career Workers Engage in Fighting for Better Working Conditions by Joining Youth-Led Social Movement Organisations
Authors: Aurrekoetxea-Casaus Maite , Bartolomé Peral Edurne , Hefler Günter , Studená Ivana , Wulz Janine
Published: March 2023

Learning from activism, usually informal and unrecognised, is an important component of industrial relations and a major learning source for individuals, organisations and society. Young workers who lack support from existing employee organisations may create their own. Based on studies of social movement organisations in highly diverse industrial relations systems (Austria, Spain’s Basque Region, Slovakia), this chapter presents a framework for analysing and comparing novel social movement organisations’ position within industrial relations systems. Each was founded because its national system did not adequately address challenges. Activism enables young people employed in workplaces unfavourable to learning, or unemployed, to compensate for what better workplaces offer. Youth-led social movement organisations generate important knowledge and practical skills, challenging established organisations, including trade unions, and renewing industrial relations structures.
Attending Houses of Worship as Homes Out of the Home
Authors: Bonfanti Sara , Bertolani Barbara
Published: March 2023

By their very name, houses of worship are often seen and lived as a special kind of space, with material, relational and emotional connotations that refer back to the idea of home and the investment people infuse into it. For migrants who often belong to religious minorities, they can be considered as (semi)-public homes: community centres often ethnically marked, yet generally open to visitors alike, provided due respect is paid to the sacredness of the place and its rules for admission. Why is it important for a researcher to enter these places? What are the insights to be grasped and under what conditions? This chapter is based on extensive ethnographic research conducted within gurdwaras and mandirs in northern Italy. It analyzes the riddles in entering houses of worship by two means. First, with a cultural geography approach, we reflect on the social spatiality that operates within places of worship: how do the aesthetics of a prayer house, its architecture, planning or interior design set borders and produce inside/outside spaces and groups? Who exerts the role of gatekeeping and may consent a visitor other than a devotee to join religious performances and rituals upon certain conditions? We then select some ethnographic instances to argue that the guest-host relationship which takes place in migrants’ dwellings is often fraught with even more friction and tensions inside their religious hubs, where politics is anyway involved.
Whose Homes? Approaching the Lived Experience of “Remittance Houses” from Within
Authors: Boccagni Paolo , Echeverria Gabriel
Published: March 2023

This chapter revisits the emerging literature on so-called remittance houses along conceptual, methodological and self-reflexive lines. Building on our visits and stays in migrant houses in Ecuador over the last fifteen years, we discuss what “entering home(s)” means and what it enables a researcher-as-guest to understand, whenever a house embodies migrants’ efforts to visibly improve their life conditions and prospects in their countries of origin. By comparing visits into five different household and migration arrangements, we discuss questions of hospitality, of (in)visibilization of the absent ones through material culture, and of family and housing obligations being negotiated in a dual – local and transnational – framework. In all these respects, beinginmakes a critical difference. It also reveals the existence of a fundamental parallel between the life course of migrant families and of their remittance houses. The latter are like a palimpsest to reconstruct the former. Furthermore, our fieldwork opens up to further issues and dilemmas, moving “out” of the houses and “beyond” them. These include the tension between migrant exceptionalism and non-migrant normality and autonomy, as well as the significance of what these houses “do” in any circumstances, to illustrate the promise of further comparative research into transnational housing and migration.
Exploring the magnetic dipole moments of $$ {T}_{QQ\overline{q}\overline{s}} $$ and $$ {T}_{QQ\overline{s}\overline{s}} $$ states in the framework of QCD light-cone sum rules
Authors: Azizi K. , Özdem U.
Published: March 2023

Abstract

Motivated by the recent observation of the tetraquark $$ {T}_{cc}^{+} $$

T
cc
+

, we investigate the magnetic dipole moments of the possible single and double strange partners, $$ {T}_{QQ\overline{q}\overline{s}} $$

T

QQ

q
¯

s
¯

and $$ {T}_{QQ\overline{s}\overline{s}} $$

T

QQ

s
¯

s
¯

, with the spin-parity JP = 1+ by means of the QCD light-cone sum rules. To this end, we model these states as diquark-antidiquark states with different organizations and interpolating currents. The results of magnetic dipole moments obtained using different diquark-antidiquark structures differ from each other, considerably. The magnetic dipole moment is the leading-order response of a bound system to a soft external magnetic field. Therefore, it provides an excellent platform for investigation of the inner structures of hadrons governed by the quark-gluon dynamics of QCD.
On Bailey pairs for $$ \mathcal{N} $$ = 2 supersymmetric gauge theories on $$ {S}_b^3/{\mathbb{Z}}_r $$
Authors: Gahramanov Ilmar , Keskin Batuhan , Kosva Dilara , Mullahasanoglu Mustafa
Published: March 2023

Abstract

We study Bailey pairs construction for hyperbolic hypergeometric integral identities acquired via the duality of lens partitions functions for the three-dimensional $$ \mathcal{N} $$
N
= 2 supersymmetric gauge theories on $$ {S}_b^3/{\mathbb{Z}}_r $$

S
b
3

/

ℤ
r

. The novel Bailey pairs are constructed for the star-triangle relation, the star-star relation, and the pentagon identity. The first two of them are integrability conditions for the Ising-type integrable lattice models. The last one corresponds to the representation of the basic 2 − 3 Pachner move for triangulated 3-manifolds.
Cold thermopeaking-induced drift of nase Chondrostoma nasus larvae
Authors: Mameri D. , Hayes D. S. , Führer S. , Fauchery E. , Schmutz S. , Monserat A. , Hasler T. , Graf D. R. M. , Santos J. M. , Ferreira M. T. , Auer S.
Published: March 2023

Research on how intermittent water releases from hydropower plants affect the early life stages of fish has advanced in the last years, focusing not only on the direct impacts of rapid flow changes (hydropeaking), but also on the short-term fluctuations in water temperature (thermopeaking). Flow and thermal fluctuations caused by hydropeaking may affect fish movement patterns and migration at critical stages of a species’ life cycle, e.g., by inducing passive downstream drift. Using two experimental outdoor channels, we investigated how nase (Chondrostoma nasus, Cypriniformes) larvae respond to a rapid drop in water temperature during hydropeaking (simulating a cold thermopeaking event), reaching on average 5.5 °C under peak flow (maximum discharge) conditions, in comparison with a hydropeaking treatment with a constant water temperature regime. Responses of fish larvae were analyzed during acclimation, up-ramping (increase in discharge), peak flow and down-ramping (decrease in discharge) phases. Fish drift increased during peak flow in the cold thermopeaking treatment compared to hydropeaking. Higher drift rates were also negatively associated with pronounced water temperature drops during peak flow conditions. In addition, the starting temperature of the experiment influenced drift during up-ramping. Overall, the results suggest that cold thermopeaking may increase drift in the early life stages of cypriniform fish compared with hydropeaking with stable water temperature. Hence, monitoring and active water temperature adjustments following hydropower releases should be adopted as strategies to mitigate power plant-related impacts on aquatic organisms.
Ebola virus–like particles reprogram cellular metabolism
Authors: Tang Huaqi , Abouleila Yasmine , Saris Anno , Shimizu Yoshihiro , Ottenhoff Tom H. M. , Mashaghi Alireza
Published: March 2023

Ebola virus can trigger a release of pro-inflammatory cytokines with subsequent vascular leakage and impairment of clotting finally leading to multiorgan failure and shock after entering and infecting patients. Ebola virus is known to directly target endothelial cells and macrophages, even without infecting them, through direct interactions with viral proteins. These interactions affect cellular mechanics and immune processes, which are tightly linked to other key cellular functions such as metabolism. However, research regarding metabolic activity of these cells upon viral exposure remains limited, hampering our understanding of its pathophysiology and progression. Therefore, in the present study, an untargeted cellular metabolomic approach was performed to investigate the metabolic alterations of primary human endothelial cells and M1 and M2 macrophages upon exposure to Ebola virus–like particles (VLP). The results show that Ebola VLP led to metabolic changes among endothelial, M1, and M2 cells. Differential metabolite abundance and perturbed signaling pathway analysis further identified specific metabolic features, mainly in fatty acid-, steroid-, and amino acid–related metabolism pathways for all the three cell types, in a host cell specific manner. Taken together, this work characterized for the first time the metabolic alternations of endothelial cells and two primary human macrophage subtypes after Ebola VLP exposure, and identified the potential metabolites and pathways differentially affected, highlighting the important role of those host cells in disease development and progression.

Key messages

• Ebola VLP can lead to metabolic alternations in endothelial cells and M1 and M2 macrophages.

• Differential abundance of metabolites, mainly including fatty acids and sterol lipids, was observed after Ebola VLP exposure.

• Multiple fatty acid-, steroid-, and amino acid–related metabolism pathways were observed perturbed.
Genomic selection strategies for clonally propagated crops
Authors: Werner Christian R. , Gaynor R. Chris , Sargent Daniel J. , Lillo Alessandra , Gorjanc Gregor , Hickey John M.
Published: March 2023

Key message

For genomic selection in clonally propagated crops with diploid (-like) meiotic behavior to be effective, crossing parents should be selected based on genomic predicted cross-performance unless dominance is negligible.

For genomic selection (GS) in clonal breeding programs to be effective, parents should be selected based on genomic predicted cross-performance unless dominance is negligible. Genomic prediction of cross-performance enables efficient exploitation of the additive and dominance value simultaneously. Here, we compared different GS strategies for clonally propagated crops with diploid (-like) meiotic behavior, using strawberry as an example. We used stochastic simulation to evaluate six combinations of three breeding programs and two parent selection methods. The three breeding programs included (1) a breeding program that introduced GS in the first clonal stage, and (2) two variations of a two-part breeding program with one and three crossing cycles per year, respectively. The two parent selection methods were (1) parent selection based on genomic estimated breeding values (GEBVs) and (2) parent selection based on genomic predicted cross-performance (GPCP). Selection of parents based on GPCP produced faster genetic gain than selection of parents based on GEBVs because it reduced inbreeding when the dominance degree increased. The two-part breeding programs with one and three crossing cycles per year using GPCP always produced the most genetic gain unless dominance was negligible. We conclude that (1) in clonal breeding programs with GS, parents should be selected based on GPCP, and (2) a two-part breeding program with parent selection based on GPCP to rapidly drive population improvement has great potential to improve breeding clonally propagated crops.
Correlates of chronic depression in the general population: results from the CoLaus|PsyCoLaus study
Authors: Ambresin Gilles , Strippoli Marie-Pierre F. , Vandeleur Caroline L. , de Roten Yves , Despland Jean-Nicolas , Preisig Martin
Published: March 2023

Purpose

Previous population-based studies have partially provided inconsistent results regarding the co-variates of chronic depression, which were likely to be attributable to methodological limitations. The present paper that compared people with chronic major depressive disorder (MDD), non-chronic MDD and no mood disorder in the community focused on specific atypical and melancholic depression symptoms and subtypes of MDD, family history (FH) of mood disorders, measured physical cardio-vascular risk factors (CVRF), personality traits, coping style and adverse life-events.

Methods

Data stemmed from a population-based cohort including 3618 participants (female 53%, n=1918; mean age 50.9 years, s.d. 8.8 years). Among them 563 had a lifetime history of chronic MDD, 1060 of non-chronic MDD and 1995 of no mood disorder. Diagnostic and FH information were elicited through semi-structured interviews, CVRF were assessed through physical investigations.

Results

The major findings were that chronic MDD was associated with increase in appetite/weight and suicidal ideation/attempts during the most severe episode, higher exposure to life-events in adulthood, higher levels of neuroticism, lower levels of extraversion and lower levels of informal help-seeking behavior but less frequent FH of MDD compared to non-chronic MDD.

Conclusion

Chronic MDD is associated with a series of potential modifiable risk factors which are accessible via psychotherapeutic approaches that may improve the course of chronic MDD.
Integrated topology and controller optimization using the Nyquist curve
Authors: Delissen Arnoud , van Keulen Fred , Langelaar Matthijs
Published: March 2023

The design of high-performance mechatronic systems is very challenging, as it requires delicate balancing of system dynamics, the controller, and their closed-loop interaction. Topology optimization provides an automated way to obtain systems with superior performance, although extension to simultaneous optimization of both topology and controller has been limited. To allow for topology optimization of mechatronic systems for closed-loop performance, stability, and disturbance rejection (i.e. modulus margin), we introduce local approximations of the Nyquist curve using circles. These circular approximations enable simple geometrical constraints on the shape of the Nyquist curve, which is used to characterize the closed-loop performance. Additionally, a computationally efficient robust formulation is proposed for topology optimization of dynamic systems. Based on approximation of eigenmodes for perturbed designs, their dynamics can be described with sufficient accuracy for optimization, while preventing the usual threefold increase of additional computational effort. The designs optimized using the integrated approach have significantly better performance (up to 350% in terms of bandwidth) than sequentially optimized systems, where eigenfrequencies are first maximized and then the controller is tuned. The proposed approach enables new directions of integrated (topology) optimization, with effective control over the Nyquist curve and efficient implementation of the robust formulation.
Smoothing inertial method for worst-case robust topology optimization under load uncertainty
Authors: Nishioka Akatsuki , Kanno Yoshihiro
Published: March 2023

We consider a worst-case robust topology optimization problem under load uncertainty, which can be formulated as a minimization problem of the maximum eigenvalue of a symmetric matrix. The objective function is nondifferentiable where the multiplicity of maximum eigenvalues occurs. Nondifferentiability often causes some numerical instabilities in an optimization algorithm such as oscillation of the generated sequence and convergence to a non-optimal point. We use a smoothing method to tackle these issues. The proposed method is guaranteed to converge to a point satisfying the first-order optimality condition. In addition, it is a simple first-order optimization method and thus has low computational cost per iteration even in a large-scale problem. In numerical experiments, we show that the proposed method suppresses oscillation and converges faster than other existing methods.
Effects of DPTQ, a novel positive allosteric modulator of the dopamine D1 receptor, on spontaneous eye blink rate and spatial working memory in the nonhuman primate
Authors: Castner Stacy A. , Zhang Linli , Yang Charles R. , Hao Junliang , Cramer Jeffrey W. , Wang Xushan , Bruns Robert F. , Marston Hugh , Svensson Kjell A. , Williams Graham V.
Published: March 2023

Rationale

Dopamine (DA) signaling through the D1 receptor has been shown to be integral to multiple aspects of cognition, including the core process of working memory. The discovery of positive allosteric modulators (PAMs) of the D1 receptor has enabled treatment modalities that may have alternative benefits to orthosteric D1 agonists arising from a synergism of action with functional D1 receptor signaling.

Objectives

To investigate this potential, we have studied the effects of the novel D1 PAM DPTQ on a spatial delayed response working memory task in the rhesus monkey. Initial studies indicated that DPTQ binds to primate D1R with high affinity and selectivity and elevates spontaneous eye blink rate in rhesus monkeys in a dose-dependent manner consistent with plasma ligand exposures and central D1activation.

Results

Based on those results, DPTQ was tested at 2.5 mg/kg IM in the working memory task. No acute effect was observed 1 h after dosing, but performance was impaired 48 h later. Remarkably, this deficit was immediately followed by a significant enhancement in cognition over the next 3 days. In a second experiment in which DPTQ was administered on days 1 and 5, the early impairment was smaller and did not reach statistical significance, but statistically significant enhancement of performance was observed over the following week. Lower doses of 0.1 and 1.0 mg/kg were also capable of producing this protracted enhancement without inducing any transient impairment.

Conclusions

DPTQ exemplifies a class of D1PAMs that may be capable of providing long-term improvements in working memory.
Optimization of FK-506 production in Streptomyces tsukubaensis by modulation of Crp-mediated regulation
Authors: Schulz Susann , Sletta Håvard , Fløgstad Degnes Kristin , Krysenko Sergii , Williams Alicia , Olsen Silje Malene , Vernstad Kai , Mitulski Agnieszka , Wohlleben Wolfgang
Published: March 2023

FK-506 is a potent immunosuppressive macrocyclic polyketide with growing pharmaceutical interest, produced by Streptomyces tsukubaensis. However, due to low levels synthesized by the wild-type strain, biotechnological production of FK-506 is rather limited. Optimization strategies to enhance the productivity of S. tsukubaensis by means of genetic engineering have been established. In this work primarily global regulatory aspects with respect to the FK-506 biosynthesis have been investigated with the focus on the global Crp (cAMP receptor protein) regulator. In expression analyses and protein-DNA interaction studies, the role of Crp during FK-506 biosynthesis was elucidated. Overexpression of Crp resulted in two-fold enhancement of FK-506 production in S. tsukubaensis under laboratory conditions. Further optimizations using fermentors proved that the strategy described in this study can be transferred to industrial scale, presenting a new approach for biotechnological FK-506 production.

Key Points

• The role of the global Crp (cAMP receptor protein) regulator for FK-506 biosynthesis in S. tsukubaensis was demonstrated

• Crp overexpression in S. tsukubaensis was applied as an optimization strategy to enhance FK-506 and FK-520 production resulting in two-fold yield increase
Scaphoid kinematics in scapholunate instability: a dynamic CT study
Authors: Amarasooriya Melanie , Al-Dirini Rami , Bryant Kimberley , Bain Gregory Ian
Published: March 2023

Objective

The scaphoid is proposed to be driven by the distal carpal row in scapholunate instability (SLI) as it is dissociated from the proximal row. The aim of this study was to describe the 6 degrees of freedom kinematics of the scaphoid using dynamic CT in the normal and SLI wrists. We hypothesised that the SLI scaphoid would demonstrate kinematic evidence conforming to distal row motion.

Materials and methods

We studied dynamic CT scans of 17 SLI and 17 normal wrists during ulnar to radial deviation and extension to flexion. The radio-scaphoid angles in three anatomic planes were calculated in the wrist neutral position and during wrist motion. The centroid position was also calculated in the wrist neutral position and during wrist motion. The scapho-capitate motion index (SCI) was calculated as a ratio between the scaphoid and the capitate motion.

Results

In the neutral position of the wrist, the SLI scaphoid was flexed, internally rotated, and radially translated compared to the normal scaphoid. During wrist motion, the SLI scaphoid had more ‘in-plane’ motion and less ‘out-of-plane’ motion with a higher SCI during wrist neutral to radial deviation and extension to neutral.

Conclusion

We have described the malalignment of the SLI scaphoid in the neutral position of the wrist and 6 degrees of freedom kinematics during wrist motion of the SLI scaphoid compared to the normal. The SLI scaphoid conformed more to the distal row motion than the normal scaphoid. This information may help define the surgical reconstruction techniques for SLI.
Do female bluethroats without extra-pair offspring have more MHC-compatible social mates?
Authors: Rekdal Silje L. , Anmarkrud Jarl Andreas , Lifjeld Jan T. , Johnsen Arild
Published: March 2023

Genes of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) are crucial for adaptive immunity in jawed vertebrates, and theory predicts that there should be mate choice for optimizing MHC constitution in the offspring. In a previous study, we demonstrated a non-random female choice of extra-pair males in the bluethroat (Luscinia svecica), yielding offspring that was closer to an intermediate MHC class II (MHCII) allele count than their within-pair halfsiblings. The present study tests whether social pairs with only within-pair young (WPY) in their brood, in the same study population, had a combined MHC-constitution closer to a presumed intermediate optimum, than social pairs with extra-pair young (EPY), with a corresponding pattern in their offspring. As expected, we found that WPY from pure WPY-broods were more MHC-optimal than WPY from mixed broods, but only in broods of young (second year) males. Correspondingly, there was a tendency for social pairs with only WPY in their brood to be more MHC-compatible than social pairs with EPY in their brood, when the male was young. Older bluethroat males have considerably larger testes than young males, and their higher sperm competitiveness could help them secure paternity in their own brood, also when they are not MHC-compatible. In other words, in the sexual conflict over paternity, females may be more likely to realise their preference for a MHC-compatible mate when paired to a young male. As a possible fitness indicator, immune responsiveness to an injected antigen (PHA) was elevated for offspring closer to “the golden mean” in MHCII allele count.

Significance statement

This study contributes to our understanding of MHC-based mate choice in extra-pair mating systems, by showing that female bluethroats (Luscinia svecica) with an MHCII-compatible social mate tend to have no extra-pair young in their brood, but only when the social male is young. This elucidates a possible sexual conflict, in which older social males are able to override female preferences and prevent other males from gaining paternity in their brood through higher sperm production. Studying systems in which extra-pair paternity occurs offers an insight into the genetic benefits of mate choice, as extra-pair males, in contrast to social males, generally contribute only sperm. Further, the strict and thorough genotyping scheme applied in this study enabled us to demonstrate a preference for “the golden mean” in MHC-diversity in a species with one of the highest MHC class II-diversity known to date.