bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Research Trend on Climate Change Mitigation and Resilience: Bibliometric Analysis for the Period 2011-2022
Authors: Dev Varma Arora Radhika , Kaur Manpreet
Published: February 2023

There are primarily two policy perspectives to global warming: “climate change mitigation” and “adaptation.” Both the approaches are distinct. ‘Climate change mitigation’ seeks to prevent further global climate change, whereas climate change adaptation seeks to adapt to local climate change. It is an intriguing discovery that adaptation and its corelative “resilience” in the context of climate change are a developing field of study. This paper reflects on the statistical data collected on the research publications carried out on the concepts of ‘climate change ‘mitigation’ and ‘resilience’. The analysis has been done by using the bibliometric method for the time span from 2011-2022. The data of 193 documents has been retrieved from the Scopus database in the subject area by using the keywords “climate resilience and mitigation”. For studying the global trend and establishing the connections between the subfields, sources, affiliations, and for authorship collaboration VOS viewer software has been used. The present work investigates the quantum of research performed on the concepts of climate change mitigation and resilience. The analysis demonstrates the publications in various subfields of climate change mitigation and resilience, in various sources and under different affiliations. It focuses on the global trend on this crucial issue relating to the environment protection and sustainable development.
Sustainable Approach for Slum Redevelopment in Ludhiana
Authors: Kaur Harshpreet , Sood Mona
Published: February 2023

Ludhiana, the largest and highest populated city in Punjab, is the country’s most important industrial hub often referred to as Indian Manchester. The city is on an instantaneous urbanisation path, offering opportunities that attract migrants from nearby rural areas, districts, and even far distant cities. Much of this incoming population is socially and economically disadvantaged due to the city’s haphazard settlement and lacking affordable housing facilities; resulting in manifestation of slum squatters, accounting to 25% of the population. The Ludhiana Municipal Cooperation addresses the issue of slum settlement through Slum Free City Plan of Action (SFCPOA) -Ludhiana 2015, an initiative under the Rajiv Awas Yojana (RAY), which aims to upgrade and redevelop all existing slums, avert the emergence of new slums and bridge demand and supply gap of affordable housing.

From the perspective of stakeholder’s experiences, this research intends to evaluate the success and constructed realities of several government initiatives directed at making Ludhiana slum-free. A sequential methodology involving semi-structured interviews, field surveys, field imaging and developing slum ontology based on sustainability and socio-economic parameters is adopted. This paper concludes that, despite the government of Ludhiana’s implementations; slums remain congested, economically unviable and with low community engagement. Furthermore, this study serves as an analytical prototype for future government plans to redevelop, rehabilitate, or resettle slum dwellers in a sustainable manner.
Assessing the Results of Compressive Strength of Ultra High-Performance Concrete Using Soft Computing
Authors: Aqeel Khan Mohd , Suthar Manju
Published: February 2023

Ultra-High-Performance Concrete (UHPC) is a new type of concrete that has gained popularity in recent decades due to its high strength and durability. In this study results of M5P and random forest are compared to predict the compressive strength of ultra-high-performance concrete for 28 days. A total of 236 readings are taken in this investigation. Out of 236 readings 70% that is 157 readings are used in training period and the remaining 79 are used for testing period. The results of Random Forest and M5P are then compare to find which is more effective in predicting the compressive strength of Ultra High-Performance concrete. The accuracy of the model depends upon Performance evaluation parameters which are Corelation Coefficient (CC), Root mean square error (RMSE) and mean absolute error (MAE). After getting the value of coefficient of correlation, root mean square error, mean absolute error it is observed that that Random Forest is better than M5P as the values of CC, RMSE, MAE are 0.8568, 16.005 and 12.03 for testing stage respectively.
Experimental Research on ecofriendly High Strength Concrete with Bagasse Ash, Jute Fibre, and Waste Foundry Sand
Authors: Malagar Lakshit , Singh Harpreet
Published: February 2023

This paper deals with the results of different treatment done on high Strength concrete with different waste materials, like Bagasse ash, Waste foundry Sand and Jute fiber. the disposal of this waste leads to land pollution and is very tricky and time consuming process. The results in this study shows that the bagasse ash cannot be used much quantity in high strength concrete due to its water absorbing nature it reduces the workability and strength of the concrete after particular replacement with cement. Waste foundry sand can be used in same quantity as in normal concrete. Its behavior does not changes with grade of Concrete. Waste Jute fiber is a not used more than 2% due to reduction of Strength n the concrete.it also increases the water absorption bt decreases the lateral risk factors like shrinkage in the concrete. Using of waste material in this type of hish strength concrete can make the concrete ecofriendly because it reduces the waste and helps to reduce the pollution by disposing the waste.
Application on Soil Bearing Capacity by Using SPT Values
Authors: Pratap Singh Surya , Singh Jagbir , Pal Anuj
Published: February 2023

In this paper, the application is designed for the calculation of the bearing capacity using the SPT values as per IS code 6403. Accordingly, the various input parameters that govern the bearing capacity of the soil are SPT value (N, depth of Footing, the width of foundation, length of footing, cohesion, unit weight, angle of inclination, types of footing, and depth of water table. The application is programmed in java language using the android studio 2.3 version. The proposed application is illustrated by using different screenshots at different steps. The application is further validated using the example from the literature.
Wind Load Analysis on Gable Roof of Low-Rise Building
Authors: Tariq Ambar , Singh Jagbir , Kumar Singh Sushil
Published: February 2023

The effect of pressure because of the winds on the exterior of gable roof of a low-rise single-storey building has been analyzed in present research using CFD simulation. Roof slope, which is most important factor for safety of structure was taken into consideration. Many past researchers have studied roofed structures but the majority of these researches have been carried on flat roofs, hip roof, spherical roofs, pyramidal roofs. There is need of researches that analyses effect of winds on gable roofs as these kinds of roofs are generally more susceptible to wind damage. ANSYS ICM is used for modeling and meshing and ANSYS Fluent for simulation. Results are extracted here using CFD post. In this very study three models with slope ang 10°, 20° and 30° with same incidence angle 0° were examined. This study analyses the effect of slope of the roof and angle of incidence of wind. The streamlines of velocity around the building model and pressure coefficient (Cp
) contours on the surfaces of the roof are opted here to represent the results. When results were plotted it was found that pressure coefficients were switching from negative to positive as the slope of the roof increases and the formation of vortex on leeward gets complicated as we go on increasing the slopes.
End-of-life options for ceramic masonry units – environmental and performance-based perspective
Authors: Kancheva Yana D , Zaharieva Roumiana A
Published: February 2023

Ceramic bricks are among the most used building material throughout human history for their excellent technical properties, abundance of raw materials and easy production. Huge quantity of brick waste is generated from demolition works at the end-of-life stage of buildings. Several scenarios within waste management hierarchy can be considered: a) preparing for reuse of bricks into masonry units for similar purposes; b) mechanical recycling (crushing, screening) to crushed stone for various applications -in backfilling, pavement, drainage works, which are examples of down-cycling or as concrete aggregate and as a component in blended binders which are examples of upcycling; c) disposal at inert waste landfills or used as a separation layer at municipal waste landfills.

This study performs a life cycle assessment (LCA) of these three possible routes for ceramic waste and takes into account the relevant processes. The LCA results are calculated for the compulsory environmental indicators according to the methodology of EN 15804 along with the additional indicators assessing toxicity. The outcome of the LCA confirms that the most environmentally beneficial scenario is the reuse of bricks as it requires minimal activities for preparing. Technical feasibility issues and costs impact, associated to the three scenarios are also analysed. The conclusion is that an optimised and sustainable approach of bricks end-of-life shall be applied in order to boost the circularity in construction sector.
Impact of recycled aggregate properties on concrete performance
Authors: Zaharieva R , Dimitrov G
Published: February 2023

One of the ways for construction sector to contribute to sustainability is to reuse and to recycle the huge amount of construction and demolition waste (CDW) it generates. Recycled concrete aggregate (RCA) is recognized by EN 206 standard as a legitimate concrete ingredient, but their full potential is far to be used, because of several reasons: availability of natural resources, heterogeneity of CDW, technology and costs issues and mistrust in performances. In Bulgaria, in addition, the national amendment to EN 206 is very restrictive because of lack of national know-how. This study aims to fill the gap and assess the impact of RCA on concrete performance. RCA from three different CDW sources is tested. RCA differs in porosity, water absorption and mechanical characteristics. The performance of recycled aggregate concrete with 30% and 50% replacement of coarse aggregate by RCA is compared to that of natural aggregate concrete. Mix design with two cement quantities and two water/cement ratios are investigated. The higher water absorption of RCA is taken into consideration while producing fresh concrete. The results demonstrate that the quality of primary concrete has certain effect on strength characteristics, E-modulus and water permeability. However, RCA up to 30% does not modify significantly the behaviour of both fresh and hardened concrete. RCA of 50% does not worsen the properties of the concrete, either, but some reduction of performance can be observed. In conclusion, RCA presents a solution for both natural resources preservation and appropriate CDW management.
Effect of coarse aggregate characteristics on the permeability properties of pervious concrete
Authors: Daukšys M , Dunauskas A , Juočiūnas S
Published: February 2023

This study analyses the effect of the geometric characteristics of coarse aggregate particles on the physical-mechanical properties and durability of hardened permeable concrete prepared by vibropressing compaction method. Four types of coarse aggregate were used to prepare the concrete mixture: gravel and crushed gravel stone of particle size fraction 4/16 and 8/16. The particle size and shape (rounded and rectangular) were considered. Four different concrete mix compositions were tested. The following properties of hardened permeable concrete were analysed in comparison: total porosity, water permeability, density, compressive strength, frost resistance, and abrasion resistance. The findings of this study showed that particle size and shape influence the physical-mechanical properties of permeable concrete. The total porosity and water permeability values were higher in the test specimens where crushed gravel stone of fraction 4/8 mm and 8/16 mm was used as coarse aggregate. The resistance of permeable concrete to volumetric freezing and thawing depends on the frost resistance of the coarse aggregate. It was also found that abrasion resistance of permeable concrete is affected by ravelling, i.e. disintegration of angular coarse aggregate particles from the concrete matrix.
Assessment of the effects of strong earthquakes on the city of Plovdiv
Authors: Stefanov D , Solakov D , Milkov J
Published: February 2023

The assessment of the effects of strong earthquakes is based on procedures for integrating the seismic hazard and the seismic vulnerability of the load-bearing structures of the building stock. The analyses are made for seismic excitation, determined by the analysis of seismic hazard - a deterministic earthquake scenario (expressed in macroseismic intensity). The scenario takes into account the effects of soil amplification, using the geotechnical information for the considered urban area. Based on the collected information about the building stock and the performed analysis, an assessment of the direct damages and destructions is obtained. The distribution of the buildings is graphically presented, respectively by number and by total built-up area, at different degrees of damage. Economic losses are calculated based on the results obtained for damage and destruction in three main groups of buildings. The main task of this study is to quantify the effects of strong earthquakes for the city of Plovdiv based on an accurate assessment of seismic hazard. This information will enable the municipal administration to make informed management decisions about planning of rescue equipment and people, hospital beds, shelter for the homeless people and financial resources to restore the damaged buildings.
Capacity of axially loaded RC columns with arbitrary cross sections to Eurocode 2
Authors: Traykova M. , Ganchovski N. , Traykov A.
Published: February 2023

Unlike older design codes, Eurocode 2 does not provide a procedure for calculation of the capacity of axially loaded columns. For that purpose, a general algorithm is developed, using the principles of structural mechanics and mathematics: It starts with constructing the P-Δ relationship (buckling curve) for the element, accounting for initial imperfections, minimum eccentricity, material nonlinearity and second order effects. Then, the respective bending moments are determined from the displacements and the P-M relationship is obtained. Finally, the axial load capacity in planar domain is determined by intersecting the P-M diagram with the interaction curve for the RC section. In spacial domain, the P-Δ relationship is defined by the respective “buckling surface”. Its intersection with the interaction surface represents a spacial curve in the (P, Mx, My) coordinate system. The axial capacity is determined as the minimum of P values along the curve. The solution is performed by numerical methods.
Determination of the natural frequencies and periods of a body with a fixed point
Authors: Todorov T
Published: February 2023

In the current paper the determination of the natural frequencies and periods of a body with a fixed point is given. Two main approaches are considered. The first one is an analytical solution based on the principles of Lagrangian mechanics and the second is a finite element analysis. Although some equations are provided, the implementation of the analytical solution is achieved via MATLAB codes for simplicity and easier calculations. A finite element program (SAP2000) is used for the numerical solution. Different loading patterns are considered and the results of the two methods are compared. As the geometry of the problem is three-dimensional, some peculiarities of the model are discussed as well.
Bearing capacity of surface-strengthened concrete beam elements. Parametric analysis.
Authors: Yanakieva A , Nikolova G , Baltov A
Published: February 2023

The study treats diffusively strengthened concrete beam elements. The element bearing capacity is estimated within a Generalized space of events introduced by the authors. Safety zones of the element’s safe operation under overloading are specified therein. The overloading is assumed to have a probabilistic character. A parametric analysis is performed based on specific criteria of loss of element’s bearing capacity, i.e.: (1) a boundary conditions criterion; (2) a criterion considering the effect of the overloading probability of the Safety zone; (3) a criterion accounting for the effect of transition area strengthening on the element bearing capacity. Two cases of beam element deformation are assumed- pure elastic deformation (C1), and deformation accompanied by compression micro-damage in the compression area of the concrete core (C2). The results for the Safety zones are discussed and analysed according to each criterion. Assessment of the element bearing capacity is also proposed.
Comparison analysis of bearing capacity of arch bridges, where the influence of the stability is taken into account
Authors: Jiponov A K
Published: February 2023

The structural stability failure is a critical factor for arch bridges which are not transversally braced and that must be considered when the bearing capacity has to be determined. One of the main parameters dictating the behaviour of arched structures in case of loss of stability is their slenderness. Accordingly, structures with high stiffness and low flexibility are expected to have significantly increased bearing capacity. The current paper consists analysis of complex 3-dimensional FE models, where the non – linear behaviour of geometry and materials is considered. The methodology is based on typical for bridge construction geometry, where are used typical cross – sections. The critical forces in the analysis are limited by the bending bearing capacity of the cross – sections. The results provide information about the advantages and disadvantages of the different structural solutions.
Helicopter service of hospital building
Authors: Tsvetkov S
Published: February 2023

The report considers two variants of a building with a special purpose of the roof slab. Option 1 is a model of the building - without a helicopter pad, and Option 2 has a helicopter pad. For basic structural elements, the values of: displacements, shear forces and load-bearing reinforcements are shown. Specialized software for computational models is used. Combinations of impacts are proposed, including dynamic loading. The solutions of the two options are compared and a conclusion is made about the efficiency of the solutions with the helicopter service. The maximum values of the internal forces are obtained by taking into account together the horizontal and vertical components of the seismic impact.
Stability behaviour of concrete arch bridge structures in relation to the load direction out of the arch’s plane
Authors: Nikolov V T
Published: February 2023

Arches are one of the predominant structural elements for bridges with big spans. With the current technological advancement, they are applicable in pure form, without any transverse stabilizing systems. The slender form of the arch elements leads to reduction in their capacity due to stability failure. Their behaviour is directly related to the presence of first and second order effects – imperfections and deformed state. The typical bridge loads and combinations, often invoke effects outside of the elements’ plane of reference. Such conditions are reducing the capacity of the structure in relation to magnitude of the effect. Analysis of such effects is complex task including interaction between complex stress state, 3-dimensional geometry, and non-linear material behaviour. In the following work are presented series of geometrical configuration in condition of material and geometrical non-linearity for the determination of critical load leading to stability failure. The results display trends in the stability behaviour of reinforced concrete arch bridge elements.
On the need to include prestressed steel structures in the standard EN 1993. Load-bearing capacity of steel tensioners according to the rules of EN 1993
Authors: Georgiev T
Published: February 2023

This report draws attention to the absence of prestressed steel structures in the EN 1993 standard. He pleads for the correction of this omission. As an example of the difficulties in the transition of research to the statements of the European Guides, the problem of determining the bearing capacity of tensioners on prestressed structures has been developed.
Water tanks - checks of tensile internal forces in the walls of cylindrical tanks
Authors: Tsvetkov S
Published: February 2023

The report examines parametric solutions of the facilities - by changing the elements of the load-bearing structure of reinforced concrete tanks. The created computational models have specialized software and seismic analysis included. The hydrodynamic impact of water during an earthquake taken into account. The annular efforts in the walls were checked to determine the double (symmetrical) reinforcement in the radial direction. Comparisons are given for the individual solutions. The construction of the wall has an effect on the internal forces. Envelope combinations of static and seismic impacts must be made to provide the elements for peak values not taken into account in the analysis.
Scalable pattern formation of skeletal myotubes by synergizing microtopographic cues and chiral nematics of cells
Authors: Wu Siying , Ruan Lingyan , Wu Jianpeng , Wu Minghui , Chu Lok Ting , Kwong Hoi Kwan , Lam Miu Ling , Chen Ting-Hsuan
Published: February 2023

Topographical cues have been widely used to facilitate cell fusion in skeletal muscle formation. However, an unexpected yet consistent chiral orientation of myotubes deviating from the groove boundaries is commonly observed but has long been unattended. In this study, we report a method to guide the formation of skeletal myotubes into scalable and controlled patterns. By inducing C2C12 myoblasts onto grooved patterns with different widths (from 0.4 to 200 μm), we observed an enhanced chiral orientation of cells developing on wide grooves (50 and 100 μm width) since the first day of induction. Active chiral nematics of cells involving cell migration and chiral rotation of the cell nucleus subsequently led to a unified chiral orientation of the myotubes. Importantly, these chiral myotubes were formed with enhanced length, diameter, and contractility on wide grooves. Treatment of latrunculin A (Lat A) suppressed the chiral rotation and migration of cells as well as the myotube formation, suggesting the essence of chiral nematics of cells for myogenesis. Finally, by arranging wide grooved/striped patterns with corresponding compensation angles to synergize microtopographic cues and chiral nematics of cells, intricate and scalable patterns of myotubes were formed, providing a strategy for engineering skeletal muscle tissue formation.
The influence of free-surface vortex on underwater ghost imaging
Authors: Jiang Teng , Bai Yanfeng , Tan Wei , Huang Xianwei , Nan Suqin , Fu Xiquan
Published: February 2023

The vortex generated in the gas–liquid interface may appear in the propagation path, and shows severe disturbance to light propagation, thus affects the final imaging. In this Letter, the influence from the vortex on underwater ghost imaging is investigated experimentally. We find a counter-intuitive phenomenon that imaging quality becomes worse when the vortex is close to the imaging target, which is absolutely different from the typical channel disturbances, such as atmospheric turbulence and scattering. This phenomenon can be explained by the influence mechanism of speckle variation and the effective data distribution on the bucket detector. Meanwhile, a modified imaging method based on the effective bucket samples is proposed to enhance imaging quality and verified in experiment.
Pointwise error estimates and local superconvergence of Jacobi expansions
Authors: Xiang Shuhuang , Kong Desong , Liu Guidong , Wang Li-Lian
Published: February 2023

As one myth of polynomial interpolation and quadrature, Trefethen [Math. Today (Southend-on-Sea) 47 (2011), pp. 184–188] revealed that the Chebyshev interpolation of

|

x
−
a

|

|x-a|

(with

|

a

|

>
1

|a|>1

) at the Clenshaw-Curtis points exhibited a much smaller error than the best polynomial approximation (in the maximum norm) in about

95
95%

range of

[
−
1
,
1
]

[-1,1]

except for a small neighbourhood near the singular point

x
=
a
.

x=a.

In this paper, we rigorously show that the Jacobi expansion for a more general class of

Φ
\Phi

-functions also enjoys such a local convergence behaviour. Our assertion draws on the pointwise error estimate using the reproducing kernel of Jacobi polynomials and the Hilb-type formula on the asymptotic of the Bessel transforms. We also study the local superconvergence and show the gain in order and the subregions it occurs. As a by-product of this new argument, the undesired

log
⁡
n

\log n

-factor in the pointwise error estimate for the Legendre expansion recently stated in Babus̆ka and Hakula [Comput. Methods Appl. Mech Engrg. 345 (2019), pp. 748–773] can be removed. Finally, all these estimates are extended to the functions with boundary singularities. We provide ample numerical evidences to demonstrate the optimality and sharpness of the estimates.
Network-medicine approach for the identification of genetic association of parathyroid adenoma with cardiovascular disease and type-2 diabetes
Authors: Imam Nikhat , Alam Aftab , Siddiqui Mohd Faizan , Veg Akhtar , Bay Sadik , Khan Md Jawed Ikbal , Ishrat Romana
Published: February 2023

Primary hyperparathyroidism is caused by solitary parathyroid adenomas (PTAs) in most cases (⁓85%), and it has been previously reported that PTAs are associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD) and type-2 diabetes (T2D). To understand the molecular basis of PTAs, we have investigated the genetic association amongst PTAs, CVD and T2D through an integrative network-based approach and observed a remarkable resemblance. The current study proposed to compare the PTAs-associated proteins with the overlapping proteins of CVD and T2D to determine the disease relationship. We constructed the protein–protein interaction network by integrating curated and experimentally validated interactions in humans. We found the $11$ highly clustered modules in the network, which contain a total of $13$ hub proteins (TP53, ESR1, EGFR, POTEF, MEN1, FLNA, CDKN2B, ACTB, CTNNB1, CAV1, MAPK1, G6PD and CCND1) that commonly co-exist in PTAs, CDV and T2D and reached to network’s hierarchically modular organization. Additionally, we implemented a gene-set over-representation analysis over biological processes and pathways that helped to identify disease-associated pathways and prioritize target disease proteins. Moreover, we identified the respective drugs of these hub proteins. We built a bipartite network that helps decipher the drug–target interaction, highlighting the influential roles of these drugs on apparently unrelated targets and pathways. Targeting these hub proteins by using drug combinations or drug-repurposing approaches will improve the clinical conditions in comorbidity, enhance the potency of a few drugs and give a synergistic effect with better outcomes. This network-based analysis opens a new horizon for more personalized treatment and drug-repurposing opportunities to investigate new targets and multi-drug treatment and may be helpful in further analysis of the mechanisms underlying PTA and associated diseases.
wpLogicNet: logic gate and structure inference in gene regulatory networks
Authors: Malekpour Seyed Amir , Shahdoust Maryam , Aghdam Rosa , Sadeghi Mehdi
Published: February 2023

Motivation

The gene regulatory process resembles a logic system in which a target gene is regulated by a logic gate among its regulators. While various computational techniques are developed for a gene regulatory network (GRN) reconstruction, the study of logical relationships has received little attention. Here, we propose a novel tool called wpLogicNet that simultaneously infers both the directed GRN structures and logic gates among genes or transcription factors (TFs) that regulate their target genes, based on continuous steady-state gene expressions.

Results

wpLogicNet proposes a framework to infer the logic gates among any number of regulators, with a low time-complexity. This distinguishes wpLogicNet from the existing logic-based models that are limited to inferring the gate between two genes or TFs. Our method applies a Bayesian mixture model to estimate the likelihood of the target gene profile and to infer the logic gate a posteriori. Furthermore, in structure-aware mode, wpLogicNet reconstructs the logic gates in TF–gene or gene–gene interaction networks with known structures. The predicted logic gates are validated on simulated datasets of TF–gene interaction networks from Escherichia coli. For the directed-edge inference, the method is validated on datasets from E.coli and DREAM project. The results show that compared to other well-known methods, wpLogicNet is more precise in reconstructing the network and logical relationships among genes.

Availability and implementation

The datasets and R package of wpLogicNet are available in the github repository, https://github.com/CompBioIPM/wpLogicNet.

Supplementary information

Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Presence of ovarian stromal aberrations after cessation of testosterone therapy in a transgender mouse model
Authors: Kinnear Hadrian M , Hashim Prianka H , Dela Cruz Cynthia , Chang Alexis L , Rubenstein Gillian , Nimmagadda Likitha , Ramamoorthi Elangovan Venkateswaran , Jones Andrea , Brunette Margaret A , Hannum D Ford , Li Jun Z , Padmanabhan Vasantha , Moravek Molly B , Shikanov Ariella
Published: February 2023

Some transmasculine individuals may be interested in pausing gender-affirming testosterone therapy and carrying a pregnancy. The ovarian impact of taking and pausing testosterone is not completely understood. The objective of this study was to utilize a mouse model mimicking transmasculine testosterone therapy to characterize the ovarian dynamics following testosterone cessation. We injected postpubertal 9–10-week-old female C57BL/6N mice once weekly with 0.9 mg of testosterone enanthate or a vehicle control for 6 weeks. All testosterone-treated mice stopped cycling and demonstrated persistent diestrus within 1 week of starting testosterone, while control mice cycled regularly. After 6 weeks of testosterone therapy, one group of testosterone-treated mice and age-matched vehicle-treated diestrus controls were sacrificed. Another group of testosterone-treated mice were maintained after stopping testosterone therapy and were sacrificed in diestrus four cycles after the resumption of cyclicity along with age-matched vehicle-treated controls. Ovarian histological analysis revealed stromal changes with clusters of large round cells in the post testosterone group as compared to both age-matched controls and mice at 6 weeks on testosterone. These clusters exhibited periodic acid–Schiff staining, which has been previously reported in multinucleated macrophages in aging mouse ovaries. Notably, many of these cells also demonstrated positive staining for macrophage markers CD68 and CD11b. Ovarian ribonucleic acid-sequencing found upregulation of immune pathways post testosterone as compared to age-matched controls and ovaries at 6 weeks on testosterone. Although functional significance remains unknown, further attention to the ovarian stroma may be relevant for transmasculine people interested in pausing testosterone to carry a pregnancy.
Semiparametric efficient G-estimation with invalid instrumental variables
Authors: Sun B , Liu Z , Tchetgen Tchetgen E J
Published: February 2023

The instrumental variable method is widely used in the health and social sciences for identification and estimation of causal effects in the presence of potential unmeasured confounding. To improve efficiency, multiple instruments are routinely used, raising concerns about bias due to possible violation of the instrumental variable assumptions. To address such concerns, we introduce a new class of G-estimators that are guaranteed to remain consistent and asymptotically normal for the causal effect of interest provided that a set of at least $\gamma$ out of $K$ candidate instruments are valid, for $\gamma \leqslant K$ set by the analyst ex ante without necessarily knowing the identities of the valid and invalid instruments. We provide formal semiparametric efficiency theory supporting our results. Simulation studies and applications to UK Biobank data demonstrate the superior empirical performance of the proposed estimators compared with competing methods.
Poorer sleep health is associated with altered brain activation during cognitive control processing in healthy adults
Authors: Smevik Hanne , Habli Sarah , Saksvik Simen Berg , Kliem Elisabeth , Evensmoen Hallvard Røe , Conde Virginia , Petroni Agustin , Asarnow Robert F , Dennis Emily L , Eikenes Live , Kallestad Håvard , Sand Trond , Thompson Paul M , Saksvik-Lehouillier Ingvild , Håberg Asta Kristine , Olsen Alexander
Published: February 2023

This study investigated how proactive and reactive cognitive control processing in the brain was associated with habitual sleep health. BOLD fMRI data were acquired from 81 healthy adults with normal sleep (41 females, age 20.96–39.58 years) during a test of cognitive control (Not-X-CPT). Sleep health was assessed in the week before MRI scanning, using both objective (actigraphy) and self-report measures. Multiple measures indicating poorer sleep health—including later/more variable sleep timing, later chronotype preference, more insomnia symptoms, and lower sleep efficiency—were associated with stronger and more widespread BOLD activations in fronto-parietal and subcortical brain regions during cognitive control processing (adjusted for age, sex, education, and fMRI task performance). Most associations were found for reactive cognitive control activation, indicating that poorer sleep health is linked to a “hyper-reactive” brain state. Analysis of time-on-task effects showed that, with longer time on task, poorer sleep health was predominantly associated with increased proactive cognitive control activation, indicating recruitment of additional neural resources over time. Finally, shorter objective sleep duration was associated with lower BOLD activation with time on task and poorer task performance. In conclusion, even in “normal sleepers,” relatively poorer sleep health is associated with altered cognitive control processing, possibly reflecting compensatory mechanisms and/or inefficient neural processing.
Even in preschools: analysing the preschool and neighbourhood segregation gap in Swedish municipalities
Authors: Alm Fjellborg Andreas , Forsberg Håkan
Published: February 2023

Preschool segregation has not been the focus of research efforts to the same extent as compulsory school segregation. This is at least in part a consequence of the lack of large-scale, registry-based data sources on where children live and where they attend preschool. This paper presents a full-population account of discrepancies between preschool segregation and neighbourhood segregation covering the Swedish population. Data includes preschool children as well as their parents’ income, education, ethnic background, and place of residence. Findings indicate that while preschool segregation does not differ from neighbourhood segregation to the same extent as previous research has shown for school segregation, there are systematic differences affecting the level of segregation across Sweden and in various types of municipalities. Studies on school level show segregation by foreign background and income to be most prominent, whilst preschool segregation mostly concerns parents’ educational attainment. Furthermore, the findings show that the geographical distribution of private and public preschools affects levels of segregation. This conclusion supports the general argument that the free-choice reform in the Swedish school system tends to raise levels of school segregation above the levels of residential segregation—even in preschools.
Renal denervation in the management of hypertension in adults. A clinical consensus statement of the ESC Council on Hypertension and the European Association of Percutaneous Cardiovascular Interventions (EAPCI)
Authors: Barbato Emanuele , Azizi Michel , Schmieder Roland E , Lauder Lucas , Böhm Michael , Brouwers Sofie , Bruno Rosa Maria , Dudek Dariusz , Kahan Thomas , Kandzari David E , Lüscher Thomas F , Parati Gianfranco , Pathak Atul , Ribichini Flavio L , Schlaich Markus P , Sharp Andrew S P , Sudano Isabella , Volpe Massimo , Tsioufis Costas , Wijns William , Mahfoud Felix
Published: February 2023

Since the publication of the 2018 European Society of Cardiology/European Society of Hypertension (ESC/ESH) Guidelines for the Management of Arterial Hypertension, several high-quality studies, including randomised, sham-controlled trials on catheter-based renal denervation (RDN) were published, confirming both the blood pressure (BP)-lowering efficacy and safety of radiofrequency and ultrasound RDN in a broad range of patients with hypertension, including resistant hypertension. A clinical consensus document by the ESC Council on Hypertension and the European Association of Percutaneous Cardiovascular Interventions (EAPCI) on RDN in the management of hypertension was considered necessary to inform clinical practice. This expert group proposes that RDN is an adjunct treatment option in uncontrolled resistant hypertension, confirmed by ambulatory BP measurements, despite best efforts at lifestyle and pharmacological interventions. RDN may also be used in patients who are unable to tolerate antihypertensive medications in the long term. A shared decision-making process is a key feature and preferably includes a patient who is well informed on the benefits and limitations of the procedure. The decision-making process should take (i) the patient’s global cardiovascular (CV) risk and/or (ii) the presence of hypertension-mediated organ damage or CV complications into account. Multidisciplinary hypertension teams involving hypertension experts and interventionalists evaluate the indication and facilitate the RDN procedure. Interventionalists require expertise in renal interventions and specific training in RDN procedures. Centres performing these procedures require the skills and resources to deal with potential complications. Future research is needed to address open questions and investigate the impact of BP-lowering with RDN on clinical outcomes and potential clinical indications beyond hypertension.
Increased risk of cardiovascular disease associated with diabetes among adult cancer survivors: a population-based matched cohort study
Authors: Oh Sanghyun , Lee Jihwan , Hong Yoo S , Kim Kyuwoong
Published: February 2023

Aims

Diabetes is a well-established risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD), but little is known about the differences in contribution of diabetes to incident CVD between adult cancer survivors and those without history of cancer. The aim of this study was to evaluate the magnitude of association between diabetes and CVD risk among adult cancer survivors and their general population counterparts.

Methods and results

The National Health Insurance Service database was used to abstract data on 5199 adult cancer survivors and their general population controls in a 1:1 age- and sex-matched cohort setting. The Cox proportional hazards model adjusted for socioeconomic status, health status, lifestyle, and clinical characteristics was used to calculate hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) of incident CVD associated with glycaemic status in adult cancer survivors and the general population. The partial likelihood ratio test was used to compare the magnitude of the association between diabetes and CVD risk in the two groups. Compared to those without diabetes, adult cancer survivors (adjusted HR = 2.30; 95% CI: 1.24–4.30) and their general population controls (adjusted HR = 1.91; 95% CI: 1.02–3.58) with diabetes had a higher risk of incident cardiovascular outcomes. The magnitude of diabetes–CVD association was significantly stronger in adult cancer survivors than that in those without history of cancer (P = 0.011).

Conclusions

The magnitude of association between diabetes and incident CVD was stronger in adult cancer survivors as compared to that in their general population counterparts, supporting evidence for the importance of glycaemic control for prevention of CVD among those with history of cancer diagnosis and treatment.
Conversion of Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) H. Karst.) tree stem volume to volumes of produced logging residues and wood chips
Authors: Dvořák Jiří , Jankovský Martin , Kormanek Mariusz , Natov Pavel , Straka Pavel
Published: February 2023

As a renewable fuel, logging residues, as well as other dendromass, are in high demand. On the other hand, they can serve as a natural fertilizer and stabilize biodiversity in forest ecosystems. Therefore, they need to be used rationally, with due care for the volumes extracted from a particular stand. The volume of logging residues is difficult to measure; thus, foresters need a tool to estimate it, ideally via a simple method based on easily measurable parameters. Conversion factors, based on tree stem volume can serve this purpose. In this study, we develop such conversion factors for thinnings of Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) H. Karst.) stands. First, we analyzed the relationship between the tree stem volume (ranging between 0.03 and 0.44 m3 stem−1) and the volumes of related logging residues or wood chips via linear regression and correlation analysis. Then, we assessed the significance of differences between volumes of logging residues or wood chips for trees in the five relevant stem volume classes and determined appropriate conversion factors. The conversion factors for wood chips ranged between 1.37 loose cubic meters of logging residue per cubic meter of timber in the largest stem volume class to 2.17 for the smallest stem volume class. The model, on which the conversion factors were based had a coefficient of determination of 0.88. Conversion to logging residue volume yielded factors ranging from 2.2 stacked cubic meters per cubic meter of timber for the largest stem volume class to 10.2 in the smallest stem volume class. The coefficient of determination of the underlying model was 0.69. The conversion factors are based on sufficiently accurate models and can be used in practical forestry for planning purposes, recordkeeping, and remuneration of loggers.
The Impact of Sample Size and Population History on Observed Mutational Spectra: A Case Study in Human and Chimpanzee Populations
Authors: Ghafoor Suhail , Santos João , Versoza Cyril J , Jensen Jeffrey D , Pfeifer Susanne P
Published: February 2023

Recent studies have highlighted variation in the mutational spectra among human populations as well as closely related hominoids—yet little remains known about the genetic and nongenetic factors driving these rate changes across the genome. Pinpointing the root causes of these differences is an important endeavor that requires careful comparative analyses of population-specific mutational landscapes at both broad and fine genomic scales. However, several factors can confound such analyses. Although previous studies have shown that technical artifacts, such as sequencing errors and batch effects, can contribute to observed mutational shifts, other potentially confounding parameters have received less attention thus far. Using population genetic simulations of human and chimpanzee populations as an illustrative example, we here show that the sample size required for robust inference of mutational spectra depends on the population-specific demographic history. As a consequence, the power to detect rate changes is high in certain hominoid populations while, for others, currently available sample sizes preclude analyses at fine genomic scales.
Associations Between Loneliness and Cognitive Resilience to Neuropathology in Older Adults
Authors: Jackson Kathryn L , Luo Jing , Willroth Emily C , Ong Anthony D , James Bryan D , Bennett David A , Wilson Robert , Mroczek Daniel K , Graham Eileen K
Published: February 2023

Objectives

Loneliness in the aging population is associated with decreased cognitive function and increased neuropathology; less is understood about the association of loneliness and cognitive resilience (CR), defined as the discordance between a person’s actual and expected cognition given their neuropathology. Here we assess the effect of loneliness and change in loneliness on CR at end of life and across older adulthood.

Methods

Data were combined from 2 longitudinal studies of older adults. CR proximate to death (CRlast_level) and across time (CRslope) was obtained by independently regressing global cognition and change in cognition onto multiple neuropathology indicators and extracting the resulting residuals. We used a series of simple linear regression models to assess the effect of loneliness level and change on CRlast_level and CRslope.

Results

Higher baseline loneliness was associated with lower CRlast_level (β = −0.11, 95% confidence interval [95% CI; −0.18, −0.04], p < .01); higher baseline loneliness and increasing loneliness over time was associated with lower CRslope (β = −0.13, 95% CI [−0.22, −0.05], p < .01 and β = −0.12, 95% CI [−0.20, −0.04], p < .01, respectively). Results were robust to covariate inclusion and independent of objective social isolation.

Discussion

Higher and increasing loneliness was associated with lower CR in the face of neuropathology. These results suggest that some individuals are less resilient to the accumulation of neuropathology than others, and experiencing high/increasing loneliness is a key factor putting some at risk. Interventions aimed at optimizing cognitive function across older adults should include loneliness reduction as a potential area of focus.
Modeling earthquake cycles and wear on rough faults with the mortar finite element method
Authors: Tal Yuval
Published: February 2023

This paper presents a mortar-based finite element formulation for modelling earthquake cycles and wear on rough faults governed by rate and state friction. The method allows large sliding on the fault and accounts for all stages in the earthquake cycle, using a variable time step size with a transition between quasi-static and fully dynamic time discretizations. Wear laws with linear and power law forms are discretized and implemented into the mortar method, as well as a minimum level of normal traction constraint to treat fault opening. We examine the effect of wear laws on the slip behaviour and near-fault stresses during simulations of earthquake cycles on rough faults. The simulations demonstrate that the implementation of wear allows more realistic modelling of the earthquake cycle without the development of unrealistically large stresses and with less reduction of earthquake magnitude with total fault slip. Moreover, the method enables to study the effects of roughness and fault slip on the gouge zone thickness.