bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Psychotherapies in opioid use disorder: toward a step-care model
Authors: Durpoix Amaury , Rolling Julie , Coutelle Romain , Lalanne Laurence
Published: November 2023

Opioid use disorder (OUD) is characterized by a lack of control in opioid use, resulting in psychological distress and deficits in interpersonal and social functioning. OUD is often associated with psychiatric comorbidities that increase the severity of the disorder. The consequences of OUD are dramatic in terms of increased morbi-mortality. Specific medications and psychotherapies are essential tools not only in the treatment of OUD but also in the prevention of suicide and overdoses. In our review, we assess the different types of psychotherapies (counseling, motivational interviewing, contingency management, cognitive-behavioral therapy, and dialectical-behavior therapy) that are delivered to opioid users, either associated or un-associated with OUD medications and/or medications for psychiatric disabilities. We describe the application of these therapies first to adult opioid users and then to adolescents. This work led us to propose a stepped-care model of psychotherapies for OUD which provided information to assist clinicians in decision-making regarding the selection of psychotherapeutic strategies according to patients’ OUD severity.
Mediennutzung Heranwachsender: Eine Herausforderung in Public Health-Dimension … in all seiner diagnostischen Tragweite
Authors: Cassens Manfred , Zeller Carolin
Published: November 2023

Der Beitrag fokussiert das seit den 2000ern gestiegene pathogene Mediennutzungsverhalten von Heranwachsenden im Alter von 6 bis 18 Jahren. Auf Deutschland bezogen betrifft dies auf der empirischen Basis freiwilliger Selbstauskünfte (2023) 4,3 von ca. 11 Mio. Heranwachsenden. Auffällig ist, dass sowohl stationäre als auch ambulante sekundär- und tertiärpräventive Versorgungen dieser Gruppe in vielen bis sehr vielen Fällen sog. F‑Diagnosen eine mediennutzende Komorbidität aufweisen. Diese ist jedoch sowohl nach ICD 10 als auch nach ICD 11 nur schwerlich klassifizierbar. Hinzu kommt, dass Stand 2023 im Rahmen der ärztlichen Diagnostik adäquate Tools zur eindeutigen Befundung fehlen. Evidenzbasis ist eine auf einer Literaturrecherche basierende Sekundärdatenanalyse (gem. AGENS-Standard), eingegrenzt auf deutsche und englische Sprache und ein Zeitfenster von 2016 bis 2023, zudem vier themenzentrierte Leitfadeninterviews mit international expertierten Personen. Die Daten wurden einer qualitativen Inhaltsanalyse unterzogen. Die Ergebnisse beider Datenquellen wurden trianguliert und abschließend einer qualitativen Induktion zugeführt. Die Forschungsarbeit verfolgte die Ziele, einerseits themenrelevante potenzielle Lücken in der ICD-11 zu identifizieren und andererseits Lösungsmöglichkeiten für diagnostische Tools vorzuschlagen. Im Sinne einer psychotherapeutischen Präventionsarbeit kommt der Beitrag zum einen zum Ergebnis, dass auch die in der ICD 11 erweiterten diagnostischen Kategorien die Abhängigkeitsphänomene neuer Medien nicht hinreichend erfassen. Zum anderen wird im Ergebnis mit dem Ambulanten Assessment eine Vorgehensweise beschrieben, deren Einsatz im Forschungskontext einen wesentlichen Beitrag zur Lösung bestehender Probleme leisten kann.
Evaluation of the probable synergistic toxicity of selected potentiated antiretroviral and antibiotics on some aquatic biomarker organisms
Authors: Omotola Elizabeth Oyinkansola , Genthe Bettina , Ndlela Luyanda , Olatunji Olatunde Stephen
Published: November 2023

Environmental effects of active pharmaceutical compounds (APCs) in the environment are not well characterized, hence the need for comprehensive evaluation. This study employed three bioassays using three organisms, namely,Allium cepa,Daphnia magna, andSalmonella typhimurium, in the ecotoxicity study of lone and a mixture of selected APCs, namely, lamivudine (L), an antiretroviral, and ciprofloxacin (C) and sulfamethoxazole (S), antibiotics, at a concentration range between 10 and 100 ppb, in order to evaluate the potential of the lone and ternary mixture to exert synergistic toxicity. Study results from exposure to lone APCs showed that the L, C, and S trio individually had fatal impacts on daphnids, with mortality rates of 100, 75, and 95%, respectively, after 48 h. Sulfamethoxazole showed a mutagenic tendency, with a mutation ratio (background/sample ratio) of 2.0. Lamivudine showed a lethal impact on the root length ofA. cepa(p > 0.05,p = 3.60E–3). Further microscopic examination of theA. ceparoot tip revealed chromosomal aberrations on exposure to each compound. The LCS-mix ecotoxicology bioassays indicated a synergistic effect on the daphnids, probably due to potentiation. Although the LCS mix had a cytotoxic effect (evidenced by the absence of bacteria colonies) on exposed TA 98 P450Salmonella typhimuriumstrain, this effect was not observed in other bacterial strains. Microscopic examination ofA. cepaexposed to the LCS-mix revealed an aberration in the mitotic stage of the cell. The impact of combination of the pharmaceuticals in aqueous ecosystems was greater than when exposed to the tested individual pharmaceutical compounds. Study result showed that these compounds have tendencies to pose a higher risk to exposed living entities when in combined/potentiated forms, and this could lead to distortion of the regular functioning of the ecosystem, particularly bacterial and other microbial populations that are listed among primary producers of the aquatic food web.
Pathways of hydrogen atom diffusion at fcc Cu: Σ9 and Σ5 grain boundaries vs single crystal
Authors: Lousada Cláudio M. , Korzhavyi Pavel A.
Published: November 2023

The diffusion of H-atoms is relevant for innumerous physical–chemical processes in metals. A detailed understanding of diffusion in a polycrystalline material requires the knowledge of the activation energies (ΔEa’s) for diffusion at different defects. Here, we report a study of the diffusion of H-atoms at the Σ9 and Σ5 grain boundaries (GBs) of fcc Cu that are relevant for practical applications of the material. The complete set of possible diffusion pathways was determined for each GB and we compared the ΔEa at bulk fcc Cu with the landscape of ΔEa’s at these defects. We found that while a number of diffusion pathways at the GBs have high tortuosity, there are also many paths with very low tortuosity because of specific structural features of the interstitial GB sites. These data show that the diffusion of H-atoms at these GBs is highly directional but can be fast because at certain paths the ΔEa can be as low as 0.05 eV. The lowest energy paths for diffusion of H-atoms through the whole GB models are ΔEa = 0.05 eV for the Σ9 and ΔEa = 0.20 eV at Σ5 which compare with ΔEa = 0.42 eV for the bulk fcc crystal. This shows that H-atoms will be able to diffuse very fast at these defects. With the Laguerre–Voronoi tessellation method, we studied how the local atomic structure of the interstitial sites of the GBs leads to different ΔEa’s for diffusion of H-atoms. We found that the volume expansions and the coordination numbers alone cannot account for the magnitude of the ΔEa’s. Hence, we developed a symmetry quantifying parameter that measures the deviation of symmetry of the GB sites from that of the bulk octahedral site and hence accounts for the distortion at the GB site. Only when this parameter is introduced together with the volume expansions and the coordination numbers, it is possible to correlate the local structure with the ΔEa’s and to obtain descriptors of diffusion. The complete set of data shows that the extrapolation of diffusion data for H-atoms between different types of GBs is non-trivial and should be done with care.
The COVID-19 Pandemic’s Impact on Health Service Utilization Among Pregnant Women in Three Nigerian States: A Mixed Methods Study
Authors: Orji Bright , Bryce Emily , Odio Bartholomew , Onuoha Herbert , Njoku Elizabeth , Anoke Charity , Ugwa Emmanuel , Enne Joseph , Oniyire Adetiloye , Ibrahim Idris , Otolorin Emmanuel , Afolabi Kayode , Ogbulafor Nnenna C. , Oliveras Elizabeth
Published: November 2023

Objective

COVID-19 disrupted health service delivery and weakened global and national health systems. The objective of this study was to describe the changes in health service utilization in three local government areas (LGAs) in Nigeria and examine factors involved.

Methods

A cross-sectional mixed-methods approach was used. A total of 315 pregnant women seen for antenatal care in 80 health facilities in three LGAs between October 1 and November 30, 2020, participated in exit interviews; 93 women participated in focus group discussions (FGDs). Descriptive analyses and a multivariable logistic analysis were conducted to examine associations between characteristics and decreased service utilization. Content analysis was used to identify the emerging themes related to health service utilization during the pandemic.

Results

One quarter of women reported that they reduced or ceased health service. The biggest reported changes were in immunization (47 to 30%, p < 0.001) and a small but statistically significant decline in antenatal care (98.7 to 93.8%, p < 0.001) was observed. Qualitative findings show that lockdowns, transportation issues, increased costs and fear of contracting COVID-19 or being labeled as COVID-positive were the most common reasons for not seeking care during this period of the pandemic.

Conclusions

The pandemic negatively impacted health service utilization amongst pregnant women in Nigeria. A better understanding of differences in state response could help inform future actions. The findings highlight the need for health systems to consider how to facilitate service utilization during a pandemic, such as providing safe transport or increasing outreach, and to minimize stigma for those seeking care.
What one is not: a new scale to measure Negative Party Identity in multiparty systems
Authors: Mayer Sabrina J , Russo Luana
Published: November 2023

The concept of negative partisanship has lately become a highly salient topic, yet its current measurements are far from optimal as they do not account for negative partisanship’s nature as a social identity, nor are they applicable to multiparty systems. In this paper, we validate the negative partisanship (NPS) scale. By relying on expert interviews, cognitive pre-tests and a large-N survey in two countries, Germany (N = 1,911) and Italy (N = 1,440), we provide a construct validation using a nomological network based on previous studies and social identity literature. Our results show the applicability of the new instrument, the full five-item version as well as shorter conceptualizations, for the measurement of negative partisanship in multiparty systems.
Teachers’ prosociality and well-being at work: The mediating role of teacher engagement in family–school partnerships
Authors: Yotyodying Sittipan , Dettmers Swantje , Jonkmann Kathrin
Published: November 2023

Past research provided strong evidence that positive family–school partnerships were not only beneficial for students’ school success, but they also helped to promote parental involvement in schooling. However, relatively little is known about teachers’ reasons for becoming engaged in family–school partnerships and the benefits of their engagement. In fact, the role of teachers in family–school partnerships requires prosocial actions (e.g., helping, sharing, feeling empathy). As guided by self-determination theory, previous studies suggest that prosocial-oriented persons tend to take prosocial actions and these actions tend to promote a social connection, thereby promoting well-being. To the best of our knowledge, this assumption has not been applied to research on family–school partnerships yet. The aim of this study was to examine whether teachers’ prosociality would be associated with their well-being at work (i.e., job satisfaction, work-related self-esteem) and whether this connection would be mediated by teacher engagement in family–school partnerships. Using the framework of the Vodafone Foundation Germany, we focused on two important aspects of teacher engagement: effective communication and educational cooperation. A total of 190 teachers (72% females; mean age: 44.78 years) participated in an online-survey. In line with SDT, teachers’ prosociality was associated with greater well-being at work even after controlling for teachers’ background (age, gender, experience, school track). As expected, this connection was partially mediated by teacher engagement in family–school partnerships. The results and implications of the present study are discussed.
Graphene oxide quantum dots membrane: a hybrid filtration-advanced technology system to enhance process of wastewater reclamation
Authors: Tshangana Charmaine , Muleja Adolph
Published: November 2023

The inability of wastewater treatment plants to effectively remove emerging pollutants has necessitated the need to develop newer advanced technologies. An integrated approach of combining advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) and membrane technologies promises superior performances. In this study, graphene oxide quantum dots-based membranes (GQDs-Ms) were fabricated via the phase inversion method. The GQDs-Ms revealed high oxygen content and a negative surface charge. The incorporating graphene oxide quantum dots (GQDs) into the polymer matrix led to enhanced hydrophilicity, pore size, porosity, improved flux as well as superior inhibition of Escherichia coli cells. A multi-AOPs approach was used in this work, wherein AOPs were applied as both pre-treatment (using GQDs) and post-treatment (combining GQDs with peracetic acid) in the disinfection of wastewater. The evaluation of GQDs-Ms performance was carried out and compared with a commercial membrane (Film Tec™NF270). The obtained % removals with GQDs-Ms were 83.45%, 64.12%, 40.76% and 70.36% for turbidity, total dissolved solids, total organic carbon and electrical conductivity, respectively, which compared nearly with commercial membrane’s performance. Interestingly, the integrated hybrid system can further remove and inactivate microbes in wastewater. The developed hybrid filtration-advanced technology system can substantially improve conventional wastewater treatment plants for water reuse.
Gender or Gendered Demand of Care? Migration Decision-Making Processes of Nepali Care Workers
Authors: Aryal Sanjaya
Published: November 2023

The increasing demand for care workers in the global North has spurred the migration of the care workforce, especially of female nurses from the global South. This development is redefining women’s roles as breadwinners and the instigators of family migration. However, the migration of nurses from the global South-to-North needs further investigation into how these women are empowered to lead the migration process and the factors that influence the decision. I will explore the roles of migrants’ individual skills and competencies along with the demand for care workers in the UK’s labour market. This study is based on data from 49 in-depth qualitative interviews with Nepali care workers in the UK and their parents in Nepal. I argue that in the case of the migration of trained nurses from the global South to the North, individual and contextual factors become more important and influential than gender and power relations in the family in the decision-making processes. As a step towards addressing human resource shortages in the health and social care sectors, the UK has recently reached a bilateral agreement with Nepal to recruit Nepali nurses. While the migration of Nepali nurses is likely to increase, empowerment to migrants and adherence to ethical recruitment could be mutually beneficial for participating countries, migrants and their families.
Visualization of small brain nuclei with a high-spatial resolution, clinically available whole-body PET scanner
Authors: Shinohara Yuki , Ibaraki Masanobu , Matsubara Keisuke , Sato Kaoru , Yamamoto Hiroyuki , Kinoshita Toshibumi
Published: November 2023

Objective

To verify the visibility of physiological 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG) uptake in nuclei in and around the brainstem by a whole-body (WB) silicon photomultiplier positron emission tomography (SiPM-PET) scanner with point-spread function (PSF) reconstruction using various iteration numbers.

Methods

Ten healthy subjects (5 men, 5 women; mean age, 56.0 ± 5.0 years) who underwent 18F-FDG PET/CT using a WB SiPM-PET scanner and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain including a spin-echo three-dimensional sampling perfection with application-optimized contrasts using different flip angle evolutions fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (3D-FLAIR) and a 3D-T1 magnetization-prepared rapid gradient-echo (T1-MPRAGE) images were enrolled. Each acquired PET image was reconstructed using ordered-subset expectation maximization (OSEM) with iteration numbers of 4, 16, 64, and 256 (subset 5 fixed) + time-of-flight (TOF) + PSF. The reconstructed PET images and 3D-FLAIR images for each subject were registered to individual T1-MPRAGE volumes using normalized mutual information criteria. For each MR-coregistered individual PET image, the pattern of FDG uptake in the inferior olivary nuclei (ION), dentate nuclei (DN), midbrain raphe nuclei (MRN), inferior colliculi (IC), mammillary bodies (MB), red nuclei (RN), subthalamic nuclei (STN), lateral geniculate nuclei (LGN), medial geniculate nuclei (MGN), and superior colliculi (SC) was visually classified into the following three categories: good, clearly distinguishable FDG accumulation; fair, obscure contour of FDG accumulation; poor, FDG accumulation indistinguishable from surrounding uptake.

Results

Among individual 18F-FDG PET images with OSEM iterations of 4, 16, 64, and 256 + TOF + PSF, the iteration numbers that showed the best visibility in each structure were as follows: ION, MRN, LGN, MGN, and SC, iteration 64; DN, iteration 16; IC, iterations 16, 64, and 256; MB, iterations 64 and 256; and RN and STN, iterations 16 and 64, respectively. Of the four iterations, the 18F-FDG PET image of iteration 64 visualized FDG accumulation in small structures in and around the brainstem most clearly (good, 98 structures; fair, 2 structures).

Conclusions

A clinically available WB SiPM-PET scanner is useful for visualizing physiological FDG uptake in small brain nuclei, using a sufficiently high number of iterations for OSEM with TOF and PSF reconstructions.
Sub-basalt hydrocarbon prospect assessment in Peninsular India using seaward dipping reflectors
Authors: Srivastava Harish C. , Mittal Saurabh , Kalra Tony , Parshad Rajinder
Published: November 2023

Conventionally, volcanic margins have been considered devoid of hydrocarbon, but many discoveries and research in recent past have proved the presence of hydrocarbon prospects within them. However, hydrocarbon exploration within volcanic margin is constrained by seismic imaging. Further, identification of continent to oceanic boundary (COB) is critical to hydrocarbon search as hydrocarbon is found mostly over continental crust. Seaward dipping reflectors, associated with volcano-sedimentary sequences, located along rifted continental margins and represented by highly dipping strong amplitude seismic reflectors, play an important role to study volcanic margins. Keeping in view the problems of hydrocarbon exploration within volcanics, seaward dipping reflectors (SDRs) in Indian context have been studied in detail in this paper. It facilitates mapping of continent-oceanic boundary (COB). It has impact on hydrocarbon prospectivity in volcanic margins as it can provide formidable seal and secondary induced maturity. In India, several discoveries have been made in volcanic margins along west coast, from weathered, fractured basalt and sub-basalt sediments. In the present work, long offset regional seismic data (18 dip lines and 1 cross line), along east coast, have been interpreted. SDRs help in hydrocarbon prospectivity assessment for both discrimination of interbedded sediments and preferential accumulation of hydrocarbon. Mapping of linear features not only helped to demarcate COB but also their presence at 6–10 km depth. For the first time, such comprehensive study on SDRs has been done along Indian peninsular region with indications for hydrocarbon prospectivity at deeper levels along Indian peninsular region.
Understanding the impact of structural modifications at the NNAT gene’s post-translational acetylation site: in silico approach for predicting its drug-interaction role in anorexia nervosa
Authors: Azmi Muhammad Bilal , Jawed Areesha , Ahmed Syed Danish Haseen , Naeem Unaiza , Feroz Nazia , Saleem Arisha , Sardar Kainat , Qureshi Shamim Akhtar , Azim M. Kamran
Published: November 2023

Purpose

Anorexia nervosa (AN) is a neuropsychological public health concern with a socially disabling routine and affects a person’s healthy relationship with food. The role of the NNAT (Neuronatin) gene in AN is well established. The impact of mutation at the protein’s post-translational modification (PTM) site has been exclusively associated with the worsening of the protein’s biochemical dynamics.

Methods

To understand the relationship between genotype and phenotype, it is essential to investigate the appropriate molecular stability of protein required for proper biological functioning. In this regard, we investigated the PTM-acetylation site of the NNAT gene in terms of 19 other specific amino acid probabilities in place of wild type (WT) through various in silico algorithms. Based on the highest pathogenic impact computed through the consensus classifier tool, we generated 3 residue-specific (K59D, P, W) structurally modified 3D models of NNAT. These models were further tested through the AutoDock Vina tool to compute the molecular drug binding affinities and inhibition constant (Ki) of structural variants and WT 3D models.

Results

With trained in silico machine learning algorithms and consensus classifier; the three structural modifications (K59D, P, W), which were also the most deleterious substitution at the acetylation site of the NNAT gene, showed the highest structural destabilization and decreased molecular flexibility. The validation and quality assessment of the 3D model of these structural modifications and WT were performed. They were further docked with drugs used to manage AN, it was found that the ΔGbind (kcal/mol) values and the inhibition constants (Ki) were relatively lower in structurally modified models as compared to WT.

Conclusion

We concluded that any future structural variation(s) at the PTM-acetylation site of the NNAT gene due to possible mutational consequences, will serve as a basis to explore its relationship with the propensity of developing AN.

Level of evidence

No level of evidence—open access bioinformatics research.
Data-driven service planning in the Petabyte Age: the case of Arlington, Texas
Authors: Li Jianling , Zhou Yuan , Ye Xinyue
Published: November 2023

Cities around the world have amassed a variety of data. A main challenge lies in transforming these big data into meaningful knowledge that can inform a city’s strategic decisions and enhance urban sustainability. Along with this challenge is the debate about “Wisdom of Crowds” (WOC) in the Petabyte Age. Using the City of Arlington, Texas as a case study, this research explores a hybrid approach for social inquiries with the aid of WOC and spatial learning techniques to leverage data for developing predictive models to support a city’s service planning. The results indicate that there exist temporal and spatial patterns of service demands, spatial correlation between demands for code compliance and water services, as well as association with neighborhood characteristics. The findings point to opportunities for further data integration and data mining, organizational collaboration, and resource management to improve the efficiency of service provision in cities.
L’Afrique et le jus cogens: chronique d’une relation ambivalente
Authors: Mpunga Biayi Patient , Badinga Citala Marcel
Published: November 2023

Cet article analyse l’apport de l’Afrique à la matérialisation et à l’évolution du jus cogens, cet étalon normatif codifié en 1969 dans la Convention de Vienne sur le droit des traités. La notion de jus cogens avait trouvé une audience auprès des pays africains dès son apparition, leur permettant ainsi de dénoncer les travers de la colonisation, ainsi que le droit international y relatif. Par la suite et en raison de ses implications répressives, elle a reçu une application contrastée de la part même des États qui avaient pesé en faveur de son adoption. Cette fragile harmonie pousse à conclure que l’Afrique entretient des rapports contradictoires avec le jus cogens, ce dernier étant perçu comme attentatoire à sa souveraineté.
Building Blocs: Raw Materials and the Global Economy in the Age of Disequilibrium
Authors: Konkel Rob
Published: November 2023

“Building Blocs” charts a global history of the last great crisis of globalization—the transwar decades from the 1880s through the 1940s—by centering strategic minerals needed to make steel. Little studied, but critically important, alloying minerals like tungsten and manganese were only needed in small amounts, but they were essential to the foundations of both national prosperity and security: steel and military production. Herein lay a fundamental problem: none of the industrial powers possessed adequate domestic deposits of these minerals, which were concentrated in remote locations such as central India, the Caucasus, southern China, Brazilian jungles, the Australian outback, and southern Africa. In a world in which steel was power, “Building Blocs” shows that resource anxieties motivated interwar quests for autarky and autonomy in the form of self-contained blocs. The scramble for strategic minerals escalated tensions and put rivals on the road to war, reshaping the forms and structures of geopolitical entities and international institutions throughout the transwar period.
Mismatch analysis of all-fiber coherent beam combiners based on the self-imaging effect
Authors: Yan Yuefang , Liu Yu , Zhang Haoyu , Li Yuwei , Guo Chao , Shu Qiang , Huang Wenhui , Jing Feng , Tao Rumao
Published: November 2023

All-fiber coherent beam combiners based on the self-imaging effect can achieve a near-perfect single laser beam, which can provide a promising way to overcome the power limitation of a single-fiber laser. One of the key points is combining efficiency, which is determined by various mismatches during fabrication. A theoretical model has been built, and the mismatch error is analyzed numerically for the first time. The mismatch errors have been numerically studied with the beam quality and combining efficiency being chosen as the evaluation criteria. The tolerance of each mismatch error for causing 1% loss is calculated to guide the design of the beam combiners. The simulation results are consistent with the experimental results, which show that the mismatch error of the square-core fiber is the main cause of the efficiency loss. The results can provide useful guidance for the fabrication of all-fiber coherent beam combiners.
Readers, Writers, and Riots: Race, Print Culture, and the Public in Liverpool 8 in the Early 1980s
Authors: Webb Jack
Published: November 2023

This article analyzes the print culture of the Black and multiethnic community known as L8 in the northern British city of Liverpool. Through a critique of printed materials, including newsletters, magazines, and pamphlets all written, produced and read within the locale, the author assesses the construction of a community that was at once imagined and lived. This print infrastructure facilitated a collective sense of L8 as a marker of identity and belonging in a city and a nation that otherwise often harbored racialized hostility to the residents’ economic and political interests. Such a commitment to the locale, the author asserts, became a key factor in organizing the collective action taken by the residents in the 1981 Toxteth protests. Before and after that event, the neighborhood's print culture served to justify to residents the reasons for taking violent action against the state. Equally, this source material highlights the fissures and divergences between neighbors in their deliberations over the definitions—and limitations—of such a community and its relation to the nation. The author thus offers new ways to think about Black British protest in close relation to the specific political and social dynamics of neighborhoods across Britain.
ON A CONJECTURE OF LENNY JONES ABOUT CERTAIN MONOGENIC POLYNOMIALS
Authors: KAUR SUMANDEEP , KUMAR SURENDER
Published: November 2023

Let
$K={\mathbb {Q}}(\theta )$
be an algebraic number field with
$\theta $
satisfying a monic irreducible polynomial
$f(x)$
of degree n over
${\mathbb {Q}}.$
The polynomial
$f(x)$
is said to be monogenic if
$\{1,\theta ,\ldots ,\theta ^{n-1}\}$
is an integral basis of K. Deciding whether or not a monic irreducible polynomial is monogenic is an important problem in algebraic number theory. In an attempt to answer this problem for a certain family of polynomials, Jones [‘A brief note on some infinite families of monogenic polynomials’, Bull. Aust. Math. Soc.100 (2019), 239–244] conjectured that if
$n\ge 3$
,
$1\le m\le n-1$
,
$\gcd (n,mB)=1$
and A is a prime number, then the polynomial
$x^n+A (Bx+1)^m\in {\mathbb {Z}}[x]$
is monogenic if and only if
$n^n+(-1)^{n+m}B^n(n-m)^{n-m}m^mA$
is square-free. We prove that this conjecture is true.
Populist Constitutionalism and the Judicial Overhaul in Israel
Authors: Roznai Yaniv , Cohen Amichai
Published: November 2023

In the last year Israel has been going through its most severe constitutional crisis in its history. The newly elected right-wing government has initiated a judicial overhaul that would limit the authority of the judiciary and grant the executive almost absolute powers. In response, the country has witnessed unprecedented civil protestations and opposition from nearly all segments of civil society, academia and economic sectors. In this article we argue that the judicial overhaul must be analysed as a populist constitutional project. We also explain that compared with other systems, Israeli democracy is especially vulnerable to populism, because of its unique institutional design factors coupled with social factors. Only with understanding these factors can one grasp the risks that the judicial overhaul poses to Israeli democracy.
Staff’s Attitudes towards the Use of Mobile Telepresence Robots in Long-Term Care Homes in Canada
Authors: Wada Mineko , Wong Joey , Tsevis Evangeline , Mann Jim , Hanaoka Hideaki , Hung Lillian
Published: November 2023

This cross-sectional study investigated staff’s attitudes towards the use of mobile telepresence robots in long-term care (LTC) homes in western Canada. We drew on a Health Technology Assessment Core Model 3.0 to design a survey examining attitudes towards nine domains of mobile telepresence robots. Staff, including nurses, care staff, and managers, from two LTC homes were invited to participate. Statistical analysis of survey data from 181 participants revealed that overall, participants showed positive attitudes towards features and characteristics, self-efficacy on technology use, organizational aspects, clinical effectiveness, and residents and social aspects; neutral attitudes towards residents’ ability to use technology, and costs; and negative attitudes towards safety and privacy. Participants who disclosed their demographic backgrounds tended to exhibit more positive attitudes than participants who did not. Content analysis of textual data identified specific concerns and benefits of using the robots. We discuss options for implementing mobile telepresence robots in LTC.
Community-Based Nutrition Risk Screening in Older Adults (COMRISK): An Exploration of the Experience of Being Screened and Prevalence of Nutrition Risk in Alberta, Canada
Authors: Fedoruk Rani , Olstad Heidi , Watts Lori , Morrison Monica , Ward Jill , Popeski Naomi , Atkins Marlis , Chan Catherine B.
Published: November 2023

The objectives of this feasibility study were to measure the prevalence of nutrition risk in community-dwelling older adults (CDOA, ages ≥ 65 years) and explore the perspectives of CDOA of the acceptability, value, and effectiveness of nutrition risk screening in primary care and community settings. Using the Seniors in the Community: Risk Evaluation for Eating and Nutrition (SCREEN)© eight-item tool (n = 276), results indicated that moderate and high nutrition risks affected 50 per cent and 8 per cent, respectively, of those screened. Interviewees (n = 16) agreed that screening is acceptable, important, and valuable (Theme One). Effectiveness was unclear, as only 3 of 16 respondents recalled being told their nutrition risk status. When articulating nutrition-related issues, a food security theme, expressed in the third person, was prominent (Theme Two). Screening for nutrition risk and receiving nutrition information in community-based settings are acceptable to CDOA and medically necessary, as evidenced by the high proportion of CDOA at moderate-high nutrition risk.
Indoor public spaces and the mobility of religious knowledge in late medieval Deventer and Amiens
Authors: Corbellini Sabrina , Hoogvliet Margriet
Published: November 2023

This article will address the transfer of religious knowledge in two north-western European cities from a spatial perspective. Our starting point will be the thesis that immobile knowledge in closed places of knowledge (lieux de savoir) does not exist: (religious) knowledge only becomes functional in the dynamic encounter with users and it is disseminated through social networks. This approach, which involves the movement from closed spaces to processes and practices, also entails a questioning of outdoor and indoor spaces; of private and public spaces. The article will take its start from several case-studies of indoor public spaces, the transmission of religious knowledge and social networks, based on documentation from Deventer in the northern Low Countries and Amiens on the border of the southern Low Countries and France.
Health Data on the Go: Navigating Privacy Concerns with Wearable Technologies
Authors: Mone Varda , Shakhlo Fayazullaeva
Published: November 2023

The escalating adoption of wearable technology for health data monitoring has led to the real-time aggregation of personal information. This phenomenon has fuelled heightened apprehensions about data security and privacy, given the storage, processing, and sharing of personal health data by corporations. Regulatory frameworks have been enacted to safeguard individual privacy rights, as exemplified by the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). This research paper, by Ms Varda Mone and Ms Fayazullaeva Shakhlo, offers an overview of extant literature on privacy apprehensions concerning wearable devices, conducting an exhaustive review to discern pivotal privacy issues and proffer prospective remedies. Specifically, the paper delineates the ensuing privacy concerns associated with wearables. Predominantly, wearables introduce security vulnerabilities that may facilitate the misappropriation, compromise, or revelation of delicate health data. The copious health information amassed by wearables can be potentially sold or divulged to external parties’ sans user cognisance or consent. Furthermore, the deployment of wearable technology harbours the potential for discriminatory practices against those with disabilities or chronic ailments. Additionally, apprehensions pertaining to privacy and surveillance stem from the capacity of wearable devices to monitor and trace an individual's movements and activities. To conclude, the paper deliberates on plausible measures to address privacy concerns pertaining to wearable devices, encompassing: a) Fortifying the security apparatus of wearable devices, b) Amplifying user autonomy over their health data, and c) Regulating the collection and utilisation of user health data by wearables. The paper asserts that the amelioration of these privacy concerns is indispensable for leveraging wearable technology's potential to enhance human well-being while ensuring the preservation of personal privacy.
Validation of OSCAR Surface Currents in the Western Arctic Marginal Seas Against Saildrone Observations
Authors: Chi Nan‐Hsun , Zhang Dongxiao , Zhang Chidong
Published: November 2023

The western Arctic marginal seas undergo large seasonal variation, but are very challenging to observe directly due to sea ice and shallow depths. Deployments of several saildrone uncrewed surface vehicles in the summers of 2018 and 2019 provided unique opportunities to validate the satellite‐derived near surface currents, Ocean Surface Current Analysis Real‐time (OSCAR), in the western Arctic marginal seas against in situ upper ocean current measurements. Overall, OSCAR current is biased low (by 5.3 cm/s) with significant noise. Higher vector correlation estimated by the cosine similarity and speed differences often occur where stronger currents (often topography‐steered) are observed. Such differences reveal that the data set resolvability depends on spatial and temporal resolutions, smoothing, and latitudes, suggesting that OSCAR is able to depict the major current systems but significantly underestimates their strength. Poorer vector correlation occurs at weaker current regimes (<10 cm/s), over the shallow Hanna Shoal, near fresher water due to ice melt and river discharge. The latter two water class regimes highlight the importance of salinity contribution to the buoyancy force which is neglected in the OSCAR formulation.
Can Sub‐Daily Multivariate Bias Correction of Regional Climate Model Boundary Conditions Improve Simulation of the Diurnal Precipitation Cycle?
Authors: Kim Youngil , Evans Jason P. , Sharma Ashish
Published: November 2023

The diurnal cycle is often poorly reproduced in global climate model (GCM) simulations, particularly in terms of rainfall frequency and amplitude. While improvements in the regional climate model (RCM) with bias‐corrected boundaries have been reported in previous studies, they assumed that diurnal patterns are simulated correctly by the GCM, potentially leading to inaccuracies in the maximum rainfall timing and magnitude within the RCM domain. Here we provide the first examination of improvements to the diurnal cycle, within a RCM domain, achieved through the use of sophisticated bias‐corrected lateral and lower boundary conditions. Results show that the RCMs with bias‐corrected boundaries generally present improvement in capturing both rainfall timing and magnitude, particularly in northern Australia, where a strong diurnal pattern in rainfall is prevalent. We show that correcting systematic sub‐daily multivariate bias in RCM boundaries improves the diurnal rainfall cycle, which is particularly important in regions where short‐term intense precipitation occurs.
Anthropogenic Weakening of the Atmospheric Circulation During the Satellite Era
Authors: Shrestha Sisam , Soden Brian J.
Published: November 2023

Climate models predict a slowing of the atmospheric overturning circulation with warming. In models, this slowing manifests primarily as a weakening of the Walker Circulation (WC). However, observational studies indicate a strengthened Pacific WC over the past several decades, raising questions about the models' ability to represent critical energetic and hydrologic constraints responsible for the predicted weakening. This discrepancy is closely tied to differences in the warming pattern over the Pacific during this period. We show that model simulations with either observed or model‐projected warming patterns predict a robust weakening of atmospheric overturning circulation, despite having opposing changes in the Pacific WC strength. This weakening occurs in the zonally asymmetric circulation, rather than in the zonal‐mean Hadley cell. Weakening inferred from satellite observations is reproduced in coupled models only when anthropogenic forcing is included, suggesting that a human‐induced weakening of the global atmospheric circulation is already detectable in observations.
Arctic Warming and Eurasian Cooling: Weakening and Reemergence
Authors: Xu Xinping , He Shengping , Zhou Botao , Wang Huijun , Sun Bo
Published: November 2023

The observed Eurasian winter surface cooling from the 1990s to the early 2010s, which is contrary to global warming, has been extensively studied. Previous studies revealed that the surface cooling trend has significantly weakened in the past decade. Based on large‐ensemble simulations, this study reveals that the weakening of Eurasian surface cooling is primarily driven by the atmospheric internal variability, which coincides with the weakening of Arctic mid‐tropospheric warming and Eurasian mid‐tropospheric cooling. Negative Arctic Oscillation (−AO) and Ural blocking (UB) in combination dominate the intensity of Arctic mid‐tropospheric warming and Eurasian mid‐tropospheric cooling. In the future, there is a possibility that the severe Eurasian cooling trend with comparable magnitude to that during 1990–2013 may reemerge accompanied with Arctic mid‐tropospheric warming, in response to the decadal strengthening of −AO and UB. This may occur before the 2050s, when the atmospheric internal variability is able to overwhelm the effects of greenhouse gases.
Electron Heating Associated With Magnetic Reconnection in Foreshock Waves: Particle‐In‐Cell Simulation Analysis
Authors: Wang Shan , Yang Yan
Published: November 2023

Magnetic reconnection occurs in turbulent plasmas like shock transition regions, while its role in energy dissipation therein is not yet clear. We perform a 2D particle‐in‐cell simulation of foreshock waves and study electron heating associated with reconnection. The probability distribution of Te exhibits a shift to higher values near reconnection X‐lines compared to elsewhere. By examining the Te evolution using the superposed epoch analysis, we find that Te is higher in reconnection than in non‐reconnecting current sheets, and Te increases over the ion cyclotron time scale. The heating rate of Te is 10%–40% miVA2, where VA is the average ion Alfvén speed in reconnection regions, which demonstrates the importance of reconnection in heating electrons. We further investigate the bulk electron energization mechanisms by decomposing je · E under guiding center approximations. Around the reconnection onset, E|| dominates the total energization partly contributed by electron holes, and the perpendicular energization is dominated by the magnetization term associated with the gyro‐motion in inhomogeneous fields. The Fermi mechanism contributes negative energization at early time mainly due to Hall effects, and later the outflow in the reconnection plane contributes more dominant positive values. After a couple of ion cyclotron periods from reconnection onset, the Fermi mechanism dominates the energization. A critical factor for initiating reconnection is to drive current sheets to the de‐scale thickness. The reconnection structures can be complicated due to flows originated from the ion‐scale waves, and interactions between multiple reconnection sites. Visualizing such complicated features in simulations may assist future analysis of observation data.
Investigation of Added Value in Regional Climate Models for East Asian Storm Track Analysis
Authors: Byun Ui‐Yong , Chang Eun‐Chul , Kim Joowan , Ahn Joong‐Bae , Cha Dong‐Hyun , Min Seung‐Ki , Byun Young‐Hwa
Published: November 2023

Studies have shown that regional climate models (RCMs) can simulate local climates at a higher resolution for specific regions compared to global climate models (GCMs), making dynamic downscaling using RCMs a more effective approach. Therefore, RCMs have become valuable tools for evaluating the potential impacts of climate change on specific regions and for informing local adaptation strategies. To fully understand the added value (AV) of RCMs, it is essential to understand how the characteristics differ between land and ocean. The complex topography of East Asia, including land and sea, makes it a suitable region for evaluating the AV of RCMs. In this study, we compared two regional simulations that integrated the same RCMs but employed different GCMs from the Coordinated Regional Climate Downscaling Experiment for their ability to simulate storm tracks in East Asia. The results of the RCMs for the period from 1982 to 2005 were compared with their host Coupled Model Intercomparison Project GCM projections and high‐resolution reanalysis. In mountainous regions, the AV of the RCMs weakened the bias of the GCM and improved its agreement with the reanalysis due to the dynamical process near the high‐resolution topography. In plains and coastal areas, owing to the increase in horizontal resolution and clearly determined coastline in RCMs, small‐scale phenomena are well represented, and the storm track of RCMs shows similar values to that of the GCM in maritime regions. This study demonstrates the value of RCMs for improving the accuracy of climate projections in East Asia, informing adaptation strategies, and enhancing climate research.
Experimental mining plumes and ocean warming trigger stress in a deep pelagic jellyfish
Authors: Stenvers Vanessa I. , Hauss Helena , Bayer Till , Havermans Charlotte , Hentschel Ute , Schmittmann Lara , Sweetman Andrew K. , Hoving Henk-Jan T.
Published: November 2023

The deep pelagic ocean is increasingly subjected to human-induced environmental change. While pelagic animals provide important ecosystem functions including climate regulation, species-specific responses to stressors remain poorly documented. Here, we investigate the effects of simulated ocean warming and sediment plumes on the cosmopolitan deep-sea jellyfish Periphylla periphylla, combining insights gained from physiology, gene expression and changes in associated microbiota. Metabolic demand was elevated following a 4 °C rise in temperature, promoting genes related to innate immunity but suppressing aerobic respiration. Suspended sediment plumes provoked the most acute and energetically costly response through the production of excess mucus (at ≥17 mg L−1), while inducing genes related to aerobic respiration and wound repair (at ≥167 mg L−1). Microbial symbionts appeared to be unaffected by both stressors, with mucus production maintaining microbial community composition. If these responses are representative for other gelatinous fauna, an abundant component of pelagic ecosystems, the effects of planned exploitation of seafloor resources may impair deep pelagic biodiversity and ecosystem functioning.
SETD2 deficiency accelerates sphingomyelin accumulation and promotes the development of renal cancer
Authors: Rao Hanyu , Liu Changwei , Wang Aiting , Ma Chunxiao , Xu Yue , Ye Tianbao , Su Wenqiong , Zhou Peijun , Gao Wei-Qiang , Li Li , Ding Xianting
Published: November 2023

Patients with polycystic kidney disease (PKD) encounter a high risk of clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC), a malignant tumor with dysregulated lipid metabolism. SET domain–containing 2 (SETD2) has been identified as an important tumor suppressor and an immunosuppressor in ccRCC. However, the role of SETD2 in ccRCC generation in PKD remains largely unexplored. Herein, we perform metabolomics, lipidomics, transcriptomics and proteomics within SETD2 loss induced PKD-ccRCC transition mouse model. Our analyses show that SETD2 loss causes extensive metabolic reprogramming events that eventually results in enhanced sphingomyelin biosynthesis and tumorigenesis. Clinical ccRCC patient specimens further confirm the abnormal metabolic reprogramming and sphingomyelin accumulation. Tumor symptom caused by Setd2 knockout is relieved by myriocin, a selective inhibitor of serine-palmitoyl-transferase and sphingomyelin biosynthesis. Our results reveal that SETD2 deficiency promotes large-scale metabolic reprogramming and sphingomyelin biosynthesis during PKD-ccRCC transition. This study introduces high-quality multi-omics resources and uncovers a regulatory mechanism of SETD2 on lipid metabolism during tumorigenesis.