bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Antenna Modification in a Fast-Growing Cyanobacterium Synechococcus elongatus UTEX 2973 Leads to Improved Efficiency and Carbon-Neutral Productivity
Authors: Sengupta Annesha , Bandyopadhyay Anindita , Schubert Max G. , Church George M. , Pakrasi Himadri B.
Published: June 2023

Light energy is essential for the existence of life on this planet, and only photosynthetic organisms, equipped with light-harvesting antenna protein complexes, can capture this energy, making it readily accessible to all other life forms. However, these light-harvesting antennae are not designed to function optimally under extreme high light, a condition which can cause photodamage and significantly reduce photosynthetic productivity.
Linezolid-Resistant Enterococcus faecalis of Chicken Origin Harbored Chromosome-Borne
optrA
and Plasmid-Borne
cfr
,
cfr
(D), and
poxtA2
Genes
Authors: Tang Biao , Zou Chenhui , Schwarz Stefan , Xu Chunyan , Hao Wenbo , Yan Xiao-Mei , Huang Yuting , Ni Juan , Yang Hua , Du Xiang-Dang , Shan Xinxin
Published: June 2023

In this study, the simultaneous occurrence of four acquired oxazolidinone resistance genes [
optrA
,
cfr
,
cfr
(D), and
poxtA2
] was identified in an
E. faecalis
isolate of chicken origin. The association of the
cfr
gene with a novel pseudocompound transposon Tn
7515
integrated into a pCF10-like pheromone-responsive conjugative plasmid will accelerate its dissemination.
Evaluating Effects of AIV Infection Status on Ducks Using a Flow Cytometry-Based Differential Blood Count
Authors: Jax Elinor , Werner Elena , Müller Inge , Schaerer Beatrice , Kohn Marina , Olofsson Jenny , Waldenström Jonas , Kraus Robert H. S. , Härtle Sonja
Published: June 2023

Outbreaks of avian influenza in poultry and humans are a global public health concern. Aquatic birds are the primary natural reservoir of avian influenza viruses (AIVs), and strikingly, AIVs mainly cause asymptomatic or mild infection in these species.
A Machine Learning-Based Analytic Pipeline Applied to Clinical and Serum IgG Immunoproteome Data To Predict Chlamydia trachomatis Genital Tract Ascension and Incident Infection in Women
Authors: Liu Chuwen , Mokashi Neha Vivek , Darville Toni , Sun Xuejun , O’Connell Catherine M. , Hufnagel Katrin , Waterboer Tim , Zheng Xiaojing
Published: June 2023

Biomarker discovery to aid early diagnosis and treatment using machine learning (ML) approaches is a rapidly developing area in host-microbe studies. However, lack of reproducibility and interpretability of ML-driven biomarker analysis hinders selection of robust biomarkers that can be applied in clinical practice.
Salvage of a severely mangled limb following traumatic injury
Authors: Jha Rakesh Kumar , Jayaram Prasad Vijay , Shankaran Ramakrishnan , Pillai Hari Janardhan
Published: June 2023

Management of a severely damaged extremity poses a dilemma—whether to perform a primary amputation or attempt limb salvage. A multitude of factors—such as the extent of neurovascular injury, limb ischaemia time, severity of bone and soft tissue loss, physiological reserve of the patient and availability of surgical expertise and resources—influence this decision. The Mangled Extremity Severity Score (MESS) was developed as a predictor of the need for limb amputation, and a MESS of 7 or more is considered a predictor of primary amputation. Here we describe a case where a man in his 20s sustained traumatic avulsion of his right ankle with severe neurovascular damage and multiple tendon injuries onboard a ship at high sea. Despite a MESS of 10, limb ischaemia time of more than 10 hours and injuries to all three extremity vessels (anterior tibial, posterior tibial and peroneal arteries), limb salvage was successfully carried out at a level-II trauma centre.
Amsterdam 2022 process: A summary of the methodology for the Amsterdam International Consensus on Concussion in Sport
Authors: Schneider Kathryn J , Patricios Jon S , Meeuwisse Willem , Schneider Geoff M , Hayden K Alix , Premji Zahra , Ahmed Osman Hassan , Blauwet Cheri , Broglio Steven , Cantu Robert C , Davis Gavin A , Dvorak Jiri , Echemendia Ruben J , Emery Carolyn A , Iverson Grant L , Leddy John J , Makdissi Michael , McCrea Michael , McNamee Michael , Putukian Margot , Yeates Keith Owen , Black Amanda M , Burma Joel S , Critchley Meghan , Eliason Paul H , Räisänen Anu M , Tabor Jason B , Toomey Clodagh , Ronksley Paul E , Cassidy J David
Published: June 2023

The purpose of this paper is to summarise the consensus methodology that was used to inform the International Consensus Statement on Concussion in Sport (Amsterdam 2022). Building on a Delphi process to inform the questions and outcomes from the 5th International Conference on Concussion in Sport, the Scientific Committee identified key questions, the answers to which would help encapsulate the current science in sport-related concussion and help guide clinical practice. Over 3½ years, delayed by 2 years due to the pandemic, author groups conducted systematic reviews on each selected topic. The 6th International Conference on Concussion in Sport was held in Amsterdam (27–30 October 2022) and consisted of 2 days of systematic review presentations, panel discussions, question and answer engagement with the 600 attendees, and abstract presentations. This was followed by a closed third day of consensus deliberations by an expert panel of 29 with observers in attendance. The fourth day, also closed, was dedicated to a workshop to discuss and refine the sports concussion tools (Concussion Recognition Tool 6 (CRT6), Sport Concussion Assessment Tool 6 (SCAT6), Child SCAT6, Sport Concussion Office Assessment Tool 6 (SCOAT6) and Child SCOAT6). We include a summary of recommendations for methodological improvements for future research that grew out of the systematic reviews.
Essential public health functions are not enough: fostering linkages between functions through National Public Health Institutes improves public health impact
Authors: Zuber Alexandra , Pearson Jonathan , Sebeh Yesser , Jarvis Dennis , Bratton Shelly
Published: June 2023

COVID-19 has highlighted the importance of essential public health functions (EPHFs) and the coordination between them. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention defines EPHFs as ‘the public health activities that all communities should undertake’. According to multiple functional frameworks published in literature, the functions typically include workforce development, surveillance, public health research, laboratory services, health promotion, outbreak response and emergency management. National Public Health Institutes (NPHIs) are often the lead government agency responsible for execution of these functions.

This paper describes how NPHIs or other health authorities can improve public health impact by enhancing the coordination of public health functions and public health actors through functional and organisational linkages. We define public health linkages as practical, replicable activities that facilitate collaboration between public health functions or organisations to improve public health. In this paper, we propose a novel typology to categorise important public health linkages and describe enablers of linkages identified through our research.

Based on our research, investments in health systems should move beyond vertical approaches to developing public health capacity and place greater emphasis on strengthening the interactions between public health functions and institutions. Development of linkages and their enablers require a purposeful, proactive focus that establishes and strengthens linkages over time and cannot be developed during an outbreak or other public health emergency.
Muscle spindles as pain receptors
Authors: Partanen Juhani V , Lajunen Hanna-Reetta , Liljander Sara K
Published: June 2023

Background

Muscle membranes have a sensation of pain, but within the muscle tissue, the origin of pain is unclear. We present a hypothesis that the pain receptors of the muscle tissue are situated principally in the muscle spindles. A recent report reintroduced that ‘end plate spikes’ in needle electromyography (EMG) are fusimotor unit potentials of the intrafusal muscle fibres, and thus represent a marker of muscle spindles.

Methods

We studied four relaxed muscles with 50 EMG needle insertions in each and mapped the appearance of pain and spontaneous EMG activity.

Results

Only 4.0% of the needle insertions in muscle tissue elicited pain. However, needle insertions in local active points showing ‘end plate spikes’ and, thus, fusimotor unit potentials of the muscle spindles elicited pain in 86% of the insertions, whereas needle insertions in points without ‘end plate spikes’ elicited pain in only 1.0% of the insertions (p<0.001).

Conclusions

Muscle spindles have pain receptors. The extrafusal muscle tissue is practically pain-free for the needle insertions. This demonstrates a scarcity of extrafusal pain receptors. How this observation is put into perspective with the muscle pain syndromes was discussed.
Women’s views on obstetric fistula risk factors and prevention in north-central Nigeria: an interpretive descriptive study
Authors: Bulndi Lydia Babatunde , Ireson Deborah , Adama Esther , Bayes Sara
Published: June 2023

Objective

Obstetric fistula, also known as vesicovaginal fistula or rectovaginal fistula, is an abnormal opening between the vagina and rectum caused by prolonged obstructed labour that causes substantial long-term harm to women. It is most prevalent in low resource settings and although preventative measures have been proposed, they have not, to date, taken women’s own views into account. The objective of this study was to explore the views of North Nigerian women on obstetric fistula risk factors and prevention.

Design

This study was conducted using Interpretive Description methodology, which is a qualitative approach underpinned by Symbolic Interactionism. A semistructured questionnaire was used to explore the views of 15 women living with obstetric fistula about risk factors and prevention of the condition. Data were collected in one-to-one in-depth interviews conducted between December 2020 and May 2021. All interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim, and a thematic approach to data analysis was employed.

Sampling and setting

The setting for this study was a fistula repair centre in north-central Nigeria. The sample was formed of a purposively selected 15 women who had experienced obstetric fistula at a repair Centre in north-central Nigeria.

Results

Four core themes emerged from women’s views on obstetric fistula risk factors and prevention: (1) Women’s autonomy, (2) Economic empowerment, (3) Infrastructure/transportation and (4) Provision of skilled healthcare services.

Conclusion

The findings from this study highlight previously unknown women’s views on obstetric fistula risk factors and prevention in north-central Nigeria. Analysis of insights from women’s voices directly affected by obstetric fistula demonstrated that in their views and experiences, giving women autonomy (decision-making power) to choose where to birth safely, economic empowerment, enhancement of transportation/infrastructure and provision of skilled healthcare services may mitigate obstetric fistula in Nigeria.
Histopathology reporting of temporal artery biopsy specimens for giant cell arteritis: results of a modified Delphi study
Authors: Taze Dilek , Chakrabarty Arundhati , Venkateswaran Ranjana , Hartley Collette , Harden Charlotte , Morgan Ann Wendy , Mackie Sarah Louise , Griffin Kathryn Jane
Published: June 2023

The temporal artery biopsy (TAB) is regarded as the gold-standard test in the diagnosis of giant cell arteritis (GCA). There is a lack of agreement among experienced pathologists regarding the diagnostic features and classification of inflammation observed in TAB sections in the diagnosis of GCA.

Aims

The aim of this research study was to establish consensus on the key parameters which should be included in a standardised reporting proforma for TAB specimens. We specifically investigated factors pertaining to clinical information, specimen handling and microscopic pathological features.

Methods

A modified Delphi process, comprising three survey rounds and three virtual consensus group meetings, was undertaken by 13 UK-based pathology or ophthalmology consultants, with a 100% response rate across the three rounds. Initial statements were formulated after a literature review and participants were asked to rate their agreement using a nine-point Likert scale. Consensus was defined a priori as an agreement of ≥70% and individual feedback was provided after each round, together with data on the distribution of group responses.

Results

Overall, 67 statements reached consensus and 17 statements did not. The participants agreed on the core microscopic features to be included in a pathology report and felt that a proforma would facilitate consistent reporting practices.

Conclusions

Our work revealed uncertainty surrounding the correlation between clinical parameters (eg, laboratory markers of inflammation and steroid therapy duration) and microscopic findings, and we propose areas for future research.
Predictors of starting and stopping chemsex in men who have sex with men in England: findings from the AURAH2 prospective study
Authors: Hammond Robbie , Cambiano Valentina , Lampe Fiona C. , Asboe David , Clarke Amanda , Gilson Richard , Hart Graham J , Miltz Ada Rose , Nwokolo Nneka , Johnson Anne M , Phillips Andrew N , Speakman Andrew , Whitlock Gary , Rodger Alison , Sewell Janey
Published: June 2023

Background

Chemsex (the use of psychoactive drugs in sexual contexts) has been associated with HIV acquisition and other STIs, so there is benefit in identifying those most likely to start chemsex to offer risk reduction interventions such as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). To date, there have been no data from a longitudinal study analysing factors most associated with starting and stopping chemsex.

Methods

The prospective cohort study, Attitudes to and Understanding Risk of Acquisition of HIV over Time (AURAH2), collected 4 monthly and annual online questionnaire data from men who have sex with men (MSM) from 2015 to 2018. We investigate the association of sociodemographic factors, sexual behaviours and drug use with starting and stopping chemsex among 622 men who completed at least one follow-up questionnaire. Poisson models with generalised estimating equations were used to produce risk ratios (RRs) accounting for multiple starting or stopping episodes from the same individual. Multivariable analysis was adjusted for age group, ethnicity, sexual identity and university education.

Findings

In the multivariable analysis, the under 40 age group was significantly more likely to start chemsex by the next assessment (RR 1.79, 95% CI 1.12 to 2.86). Other factors which showed significant association with starting chemsex were unemployment (RR 2.10, 95% CI 1.02 to 4.35), smoking (RR 2.49, 95% CI 1.63 to 3.79), recent condomless sex (CLS), recent STI and postexposure prophylaxis (PEP) use in the past year (RR 2.10, 95% CI 1.33 to 3.30). Age over 40 (RR 0.71, 95% CI 0.51 to 0.99), CLS, and use of PEP (RR 0.64, 95% CI 0.47 to 0.86) and PrEP (RR 0.47, 95% CI 0.29 to 0.78) were associated with lower likelihood of stopping chemsex by the next assessment.

Interpretation

Knowledge of these results allows us to identify men most likely to start chemsex, thus providing an opportunity for sexual health services to intervene with a package of risk mitigation measures, especially PrEP use.
Establishing a core outcome set for blunt cerebrovascular injury: an EAST modified Delphi method consensus study
Authors: Ziesmann Markus , Byerly Saskya , Yeh Daniel Dante , Boltz Melissa , Gelbard Rondi , Haut Elliott R , Smith Jason W , Stein Deborah M , Zarzaur Ben L , Bensard Denis D , Biffl Walter L , Boyd April , Brommeland Tor , Cothren Burlew Clay , Fabian Timothy , Lauerman Margaret , Leichtle Stefan , Moore Ernest E , Timmons Shelly , Vogt Kelly , Nahmias Jeffry
Published: June 2023

Objectives

Our understanding of blunt cerebrovascular injury (BCVI) has changed significantly in recent decades, resulting in a heterogeneous description of diagnosis, treatment, and outcomes in the literature which is not suitable for data pooling. Therefore, we endeavored to develop a core outcome set (COS) to help guide future BCVI research and overcome the challenge of heterogeneous outcomes reporting.

Methods

After a review of landmark BCVI publications, content experts were invited to participate in a modified Delphi study. For round 1, participants submitted a list of proposed core outcomes. In subsequent rounds, panelists used a 9-point Likert scale to score the proposed outcomes for importance. Core outcomes consensus was defined as >70% of scores receiving 7 to 9 and <15% of scores receiving 1 to 3. Feedback and aggregate data were shared between rounds, and four rounds of deliberation were performed to re-evaluate the variables not achieving predefined consensus criteria.

Results

From an initial panel of 15 experts, 12 (80%) completed all rounds. A total of 22 items were considered, with 9 items achieving consensus for inclusion as core outcomes: incidence of postadmission symptom onset, overall stroke incidence, stroke incidence stratified by type and by treatment category, stroke incidence prior to treatment initiation, time to stroke, overall mortality, bleeding complications, and injury progression on radiographic follow-up. The panel further identified four non-outcome items of high importance for reporting: time to BCVI diagnosis, use of standardized screening tool, duration of treatment, and type of therapy used.

Conclusion

Through a well-accepted iterative survey consensus process, content experts have defined a COS to guide future research on BCVI. This COS will be a valuable tool for researchers seeking to perform new BCVI research and will allow future projects to generate data suitable for pooled statistical analysis with enhanced statistical power.

Level of evidence

Level IV.
The cosmological ultra-low frequency radio background: a solution to the Hubble tension and the 21-cm excess trough
Authors: Chan Man Ho
Published: June 2023

Recent observations of the Cosmic Microwave Background and the Hubble Space Telescope obtain two different values of the Hubble constant with a discrepancy of at least $$4.4 \sigma $$

4.4
σ

, which is now known as the Hubble tension. On the other hand, observations of 21-cm signal from the EDGES experiment reveal an unexpected excess absorption trough. These results give a big challenge to the standard cosmological model – the $$\Lambda $$
Λ
CDM model. In this article, we propose that the existence of a cosmological ultra-low frequency radio background (ULFRB) can simultaneously reconcile both discrepancies. The best-fit amounts of the energy density of this additional radio component based on the two problems give an excellent agreement with each other. The extra radio component could be arisen from the simulated decay of axions in the early universe.
Backwards inheritance in evolution coalgebras of chicken populations
Authors: Paniello Irene
Published: June 2023

In this paper, we consider evolution coalgebras defined on chicken populations, that is, genetic populations with finitely many female types but only one male type allowed. We endow these evolution coalgebras with genetic realization and take advantage of the probabilistic significance their comultiplication structure constants then have, to introduce a model which attempts to describe the backwards genetic inheritance within the chicken population, to study the transference of the genetic information between generations, from progeny to ancestors. To achieve this, we study the asymptotic behavior of the nonnegative sub-stochastic matrices defining the model.
HSP90 Antisense Oligonucleotide Enhances the Inhibitory Effect of Photothermal Therapy on Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Cells
Authors: He Li , Yin Shaoxian , Sun Ying , Li Sen , Cai Yanfei , Jin Jian , Yang Zhaoqi
Published: June 2023

Photothermal therapy is a potential strategy to treat triple-negative breast cancer. The expression of HSP90 in the tumor cells has been identified as a culprit for reducing the effectiveness of photothermal therapy, so using reagents with photothermal conversion to deliver HSP inhibitors can achieve good tumor suppression. However, the potential toxicity of small molecule HSPs inhibitors limits their further application development. Therefore, this study constructed a nanoplatform by graphene oxide (GO) to deliver antisense oligonucleotide (ASO) of HSP90 to improve the therapeutic effect. The photothermal performance of GO was confirmed by infrared thermal imager. MTT results showed that tumor cell viability was lower after the addition of ASO under irradiation. In addition, the result of western blot revealed that the expression of HSP90 decreased by 32% compared to the blank group under the action of ASO. All the above results indicated that our strategy enhances the inhibition of triple-negative breast cancer cells via suppressing the expression of HSP90 in photothermal therapy.
Signal Post Hill and Agua de la Zorra: two geological sites studied by Charles Darwin on the
Beagle
voyage and their contributions to geoheritage
Authors: Chancellor Gordon R.
Published: June 2023

Charles Darwin's research during the second voyage of HMS
Beagle
is examined within the context of Charles Lyell's ideas on crustal movement. Darwin's pre-voyage training is summarized and the impact on his own subsequent theorizing of his commitment early in the voyage to a Lyellian theoretical framework is analysed. Two sites studied by Darwin which he interpreted as strong support for Lyell's theory of vertical crustal mobility are examined: the first is Signal Post Hill in the Cape Verdes, visited in 1832; the second is Agua de la Zorra in Argentina, visited in 1835. Darwin's work at both sites was key to his first theory of globally-balanced elevation and subsidence as an explanation for the structure and distribution of coral reefs. The case is made that both sites are of international geoheritage importance and that their protection should be assured with enhanced access and interpretation.
RegKey: A Register-based Implementation of ECC Signature Algorithms Against One-shot Memory Disclosure
Authors: Fu Yu , Lin Jingqiang , Feng Dengguo , Wang Wei , Wang Mingyu , Wang Wenjie
Published: June 2023

To ensure the security of cryptographic algorithm implementations, several cryptographic key protection schemes have been proposed to prevent various memory disclosure attacks. Among them, the register-based solutions do not rely on special hardware features and offer better applicability. However, due to the size limitation of register resources, the performance of register-based solutions is much worse than conventional cryptosystem implementations without security enhancements. This paper presents RegKey, an efficient register-based implementation of
ECC (elliptic curve cryptography)
signature algorithms. Different from other schemes that protect the whole cryptographic operations, RegKey only uses CPU registers to execute simple but critical operations, significantly reducing the usage of register resources and performance overheads. To achieve this goal, RegKey splits the ECC signing into two parts, (1) complex elliptic curve group operations on non-sensitive data in main memory as normal implementations, and (2) simple prime field operations on sensitive data inside CPU registers. RegKey guarantees the plaintext private key and random number used for signing only appear in registers to effectively resist one-shot memory disclosure attacks such as cold-boot attacks and warm-boot attacks, which are usually launched by physically accessing the victim machine to acquire partial or even entire memory data but only once. Compared with existing cryptographic key protection schemes, the performance of RegKey is greatly improved. Regkey is applicable to different platforms because it does not rely on special CPU hardware features. Since RegKey focuses on one-shot memory disclosure instead of persistent software-based attacks, it works as a choice suitable for embedded devices or offline machines where physical attacks are the main threat.
Closeness Centrality on Uncertain Graphs
Authors: Liu Zhenfang , Ye Jianxiong , Zou Zhaonian
Published: June 2023

Centrality is a family of metrics for characterizing the importance of a vertex in a graph. Although a large number of centrality metrics have been proposed, a majority of them ignores uncertainty in graph data. In this article, we formulate closeness centrality on uncertain graphs and define the batch closeness centrality evaluation problem that computes the closeness centrality of a subset of vertices in an uncertain graph. We develop three algorithms,
MS-BCC
,
MG-BCC,
and
MGMS-BCC
, based on sampling to approximate the closeness centrality of the specified vertices. All these algorithms require to perform breadth-first searches (BFS) starting from the specified vertices on a large number of sampled possible worlds of the uncertain graph. To improve the efficiency of the algorithms, we exploit operation-level parallelism of the BFS traversals and simultaneously execute the shared sequences of operations in the breadth-first searches. Parallelization is realized at different levels in these algorithms. The experimental results show that the proposed algorithms can efficiently and accurately approximate the closeness centrality of the given vertices.
MGMS-BCC
is faster than both
MS-BCC
and
MG-BCC
because it avoids more repeated executions of the shared operation sequences in the BFS traversals.
Bureaucratic Politics: Blind Spots and Opportunities in Political Science
Authors: Brierley Sarah , Lowande Kenneth , Potter Rachel Augustine , Toral Guillermo
Published: June 2023

Bureaucracy is everywhere. Unelected bureaucrats are a key link between government and citizens, between policy and implementation. Bureaucratic politics constitutes a growing share of research in political science. But the way bureaucracy is studied varies widely, permitting theoretical and empirical blind spots as well as opportunities for innovation. Scholars of American politics tend to focus on bureaucratic policy making at the national level, while comparativists often home in on local implementation by street-level bureaucrats. Data availability and professional incentives have reinforced these subfield-specific blind spots over time. We highlight these divides in three prominent research areas: the selection and retention of bureaucratic personnel, oversight of bureaucratic activities, and opportunities for influence by actors external to the bureaucracy. Our survey reveals how scholars from the American and comparative politics traditions can learn from one another.
The Politics of Racist Dehumanization in the United States
Authors: Jardina Ashley , Piston Spencer
Published: June 2023

The concept of racist dehumanization is essential for political scientists who seek to understand the nature, scope, and consequences of white racial prejudice in the United States today. Racist dehumanization consists of a variety of processes that construct, refashion, and maintain race by coding some people as white and therefore fully human and others as other than white and therefore less than fully human. In this review, we focus on the racist dehumanization of Indigenous people and Black people, arguing that processes of dehumanization have long been implicated in both the practice of race-making and concurrent efforts to exploit and dominate racialized groups. We posit that contemporary white racial prejudice can be understood, in part, as the residue of these processes, and we conclude by describing how accounting for racist dehumanization can transform the study of white racial prejudice.
Teaching with core concepts to facilitate the integrated learning of introductory organismal biology
Authors: Cliff William H.
Published: June 2023

This paper is 1) a personal view on why the teaching of introductory animal and plant biology ought to be more integrated and how an integrated module for introductory organismal biology can be designed, and 2) a practical guide to instructors on how core concepts can be used as learning tools to promote the integrated learning of introductory organismal biology.
High dietary K+ intake inhibits proximal tubule transport
Authors: Wang Tong , Liu Tommy , Xu Shuhua , Frindt Gustavo , Weinstein Alan M. , Palmer Lawrence G.
Published: June 2023

In rats fed a diet rich in K+, proximal tubules reabsorbed less fluid, Na+, and K+ compared with those in animals on a control diet. Glomerular filtration rates also decreased, probably due to glomerulotubular feedback. These reductions may help to maintain balance of the two ions simultaneously by shifting Na+ reabsorption to K+-secreting nephron segments.
In situ fluorescence-photoacoustic measurement of the changes of brown adipose tissue in mice under hindlimb unloading
Authors: Gong Baojie , Tang Jianxin , Jiang Xiaoxiao , Zhang Zhe , Li Shiying , Jin Hongjun , Nie Liming , Huang Guojia
Published: June 2023

We found that the mechanism of weight loss of astronauts in space flight may be that hindlimb unloading (HU) promotes the activation of brown adipose tissue (BAT) and the increase of uncoupling protein (UCP1) expression, which accelerates the body’s heat production. Meanwhile, the activation of BAT is accompanied by the proliferation of blood vessels. With the help of peptide CPATAERPC conjugated indocyanine green targeting to vascular endothelial cells, fluorescence-photoacoustic imaging has selectively tracked the vascular structure of BAT on the micron scale, which provided noninvasive imaging tools to in situ measure the changes of BAT.
Active ascent accelerates the time course but not the overall incidence and severity of acute mountain sickness at 3,600 m
Authors: Beidleman Beth A. , Figueiredo Peter S. , Landspurg Steven D. , Femling Jon K. , Williams Jason D. , Staab Janet E. , Buller Mark J. , Karl J. Philip , Reilly Aaron J. , Mayschak Trevor J. , Atkinson Emma Y. , Mesite Timothy J. , Hoyt Reed W.
Published: June 2023

This research demonstrated that active ascent accelerated the time course but not overall incidence and severity of acute mountain sickness (AMS) following rapid ascent to 3,600 m in unacclimatized lowlanders. Active ascenders became sicker faster and recovered quicker than passive ascenders, which may be due to differences in body fluid regulation. Findings from this well-controlled large sample-size study suggest that previously reported discrepancies in the literature regarding the impact of exercise on AMS may be related to differences in the timing of AMS measurements between studies.
Improvement in cardiac function and regional LV strain following intramyocardial injection of a theranostic hydrogel early postmyocardial infarction in a porcine model
Authors: Avendaño Ricardo , Midgett Dan , Melvinsdottir Inga , Thorn Stephanie L. , Uman Selen , Pickell Zachary , Lee Shin Rong , Liu Zhao , Mamarian Marina , Duncan James S. , Spinale Francis G. , Burdick Jason A. , Sinusas Albert J.
Published: June 2023

Our study demonstrates that contrast cineCT imaging can be used to evaluate the acute effects of intramyocardial delivery of a therapeutic hydrogel to the central MI region early post MI, which resulted in a rapid stabilization of LV hemodynamics and improvement in regional and global LV function.
Independently Tunable Triband Patch Antenna with Band-Notched Characteristics for X-Band Applications
Authors: Le Thi Kieu Nga , Schwartau Fabian , Paul Sebastian , Phan Duy Tung , Soh Ping Jack , Schoebel Joerg
Published: June 2023

This paper presents a triband antenna with a simple design for X-band applications. The proposed antenna is designed based on a patch with a truncated corner slot and complementary split-ring resonators in the ground plane. In this way, the antenna exhibits three operating bands and its resonant frequencies can be controlled independently by changing dimensions of the slot in the patch and the resonator structures in the ground plane. In addition, due to the antiresonant behavior of the complementary split-ring resonator structures, the antenna exhibits a notch-band characteristic at 10.7 GHz. A parametric study is performed to provide a detailed understanding of the independent resonance tuning behavior of the antenna. Both simulated and measured results of the proposed antenna are presented, which are in good agreement. The proposed antenna shows three operating bands in the X-band including (with absolute and relative bandwidths) 9.4–9.7 GHz (300 MHz, 3.14%), 10.3–10.6 GHz (300 MHz, 2.86%), and 11.05–11.32 GHz (297 MHz, 2.66%). In addition to that, a notched band of 10.6–11.05 GHz is introduced to exclude operation in the frequency bands of radiometric observation systems (10.6–10.7 GHz). To the best of our knowledge, this work is unique in its combination of independent tuning of three frequency bands of operation with single-layer implementation in the X-band. Such a structure provides additional degrees of freedom to the antenna design, customizing operation in the required bands while avoiding operation in other bands.
Comparison of Outcomes and Survival of Two Cohorts of Patients with Simultaneous Pancreas‐Kidney Transplantation: A Retrospective Cohort Study in a Latin American Hospital
Authors: Martin-González Iván Darío , Barrera-Lozano Luis Manuel , Villada-Ochoa Oscar Alonso , Ramírez-Arbeláez Jaime Alberto , López-Pompey Néstor Alfonso , Palacios Dabely América , Becerra-Romero Jorge Andrés , Muñoz Cristian Leonardo , González-Arroyave Daniel , Ardila Carlos M.
Published: June 2023

Background. Simultaneous pancreas‐kidney transplantation (SPKT) is a complex and demanding procedure with a considerable risk of morbidity and mortality. Advances in surgical techniques and organ preservation have introduced changes in care protocols. Two cohorts of patients receiving SPKT with two different protocols were compared to determine overall survival and pancreatic and renal graft failure‐free survival. Methods. This retrospective observational study was conducted in two cohorts of SPKT recipient patients that underwent surgery between 2001 and 2021. Outcomes were compared in transplant patients between 2001 and 2011 (cohort 1; initial protocol) and 2012‐2021 (cohort 2; improved protocol). In addition to the temporality, the cohorts were defined by a protocolization of technical aspects and medical management in cohort 2 (improved protocol), compared to a wide variability in the procedures carried out in cohort 1 (initial protocol). Overall survival and pancreatic and renal graft failure‐free survival were the primary outcomes. These outcomes were determined using Kaplan‐Meier survival analysis and the log‐rank test. Results. Fifty‐five SPKT were performed during the study period: 32 in cohort 1 and 23 in cohort 2. In the survival analysis, an average of 2546 days (95% CI: 1902‐3190) was found in cohort 1, while in cohort 2, it was 2540 days (95% CI: 2100‐3204) (p > 0.05). Pancreatic graft failure‐free survival had an average of 1705 days (95% CI: 1037‐2373) in cohort 1, lower than the average in cohort 2 (2337 days; 95% CI: 1887‐2788) (p = 0.016). Similarly, renal graft failure‐free survival had an average of 2167 days (95% CI: 1485‐2849) in cohort 1, lower than the average in cohort 2 (2583 days; 95% CI: 2159‐3006) (p = 0.017). Conclusions. This analysis indicates that pancreatic and renal graft failure‐free survival associated with SPKT decreased significantly in cohort 2, with results related to improvements in the treatment protocol implemented in that cohort.
Intentional Islanding of Active Distribution Networks by GenSets: An Analysis of Technical Constraints and Opportunities
Authors: Daccò Edoardo , Falabretti Davide , Vicario Andrea
Published: June 2023

The willingness to improve the security and reliability of power supply to end-users, often pushed by prescriptions of national regulatory authorities, is bringing considerable challenges for distribution system operators. Islanding a portion of the public distribution network after a fault is considered a measure to mitigate the effects of service interruptions. This procedure is usually carried out by counterfeeding the grid through a generator set (GenSet). Even if this approach is widely adopted around the world, reenergizing the grid and keeping the electric island stable is not a trivial task. In this framework, the scope of this paper is to provide a set of technical guidelines for the usage of GenSets to supply public grids in emergency conditions. The goal is to highlight the static and dynamic limits of the GenSet operations and simplify their exploitation for the grid operators. The numerical analyses, which have been carried out through the RMS simulation tool of the DigSilent PowerFactory software, also aim to evaluate the technical constraints in the case of active networks, which involve distributed generation implementing regulations according to ENTSO-E and Italian technical standards.
Enhanced Extraction of Blood and Tissue Time-Activity Curves in Cardiac Mouse FDG PET Imaging by Means of Constrained Nonnegative Matrix Factorization
Authors: Sarrhini Otman , D’Orléans-Juste Pedro , Rousseau Jacques A. , Beaudoin Jean-François , Lecomte Roger
Published: June 2023

We propose an enhanced method to accurately retrieve time-activity curves (TACs) of blood and tissue from dynamic 2-deoxy-2-[18F]fluoro-D-glucose ([18F]FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) cardiac images of mice. The method is noninvasive and consists of using a constrained nonnegative matrix factorization algorithm (CNMF) applied to the matrix (

A

) containing the intensity values of the voxels of the left ventricle (LV) PET image. CNMF factorizes

A

into nonnegative matrices

H

and

W

, respectively, representing the physiological factors (blood and tissue) and their associated weights, by minimizing an extended cost function. We verified our method on 32 C57BL/6 mice, 14 of them with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). With CNMF, we could break down the mouse LV into myocardial and blood pool images. Their corresponding TACs were used in kinetic modeling to readily determine the [18F]FDG influx constant (

K

i

) required to compute the myocardial metabolic rate of glucose. The calculated

K

i

values using CNMF for the heart of control mice were in good agreement with those published in the literature. Significant differences in

K

i

values for the heart of control and AMI mice were found using CNMF. The values of the elements of

W

agreed well with the LV structural changes induced by ligation of the left coronary artery. CNMF was compared with the recently published method based on robust unmixing of dynamic sequences using regions of interest (RUDUR). A clear improvement of signal separation was observed with CNMF compared to the RUDUR method.
SonicGest: Ultrasonic Gesture Recognition System Combined with GAN on Smartphones
Authors: Wang Xuebing , Zhang Junbao , Yang Mengxue
Published: June 2023

In recent years, with the widespread popularity of mobile devices, gesture recognition as a way of human‐computer interaction has received more and more attention. However, existing gesture recognition methods have their limitations, such as requiring additional hardware devices, invading user privacy, and causing difficulty in data collection. To address these issues, we propose SonicGest, a recognition system that utilizes acoustic signals to sense in‐air gestures. The system only needs the built‐in speaker and microphone of the smartphone, without any additional hardware and no privacy disclosure. SonicGest transforms the features of the acoustic Doppler effect caused by gesture movements into a spectrogram, uses spectrogram enhancement techniques to remove noise interference, and then builds a convolutional neural network (CNN) classification model to recognize different gestures. To solve the problem of data collection difficulties, we utilize the Wasserstein distance based on gradient penalty to optimize the loss function of the generative adversarial network (GAN) to generate high‐quality spectrograms to expand the dataset. The experimental results show that SonicGest has a recognition accuracy of 98.9% for ten kinds of gestures.
Application of Modified Cassava Starch as a Fat Substitute in Cracker Production
Authors: Otero-Guzmán Niza , Cadena-Chamorro Edith , Ciro-Velásquez Héctor José , Mejía-Villota Alejandro , Rodriguez-Sandoval Eduardo
Published: June 2023

Crackers are a popular food with an appreciable share of the consumer market. Fat is essential for the sensory properties of this product; however, a high fat content is associated with health disorders. For this reason, developing low-fat products with the same desirable attributes as the corresponding full-fat ones is a high priority for the food industry. The objective of the study was to evaluate the inclusion of modified cassava starch as a fat substitute in crackers by measuring their physical and sensory properties and behavior during storage. Fat reduction in crackers led to higher fracturability values for all treatment but the pregelatinized (PREGEL) one (

11.73
±
0.39

 N). The expansion ratio decreased with fat reduction, and the treatments with the highest expansion ratio and specific volume were the control (CTRL) (

10.51
±
0.21

and

1.97
±
0.09

 mL/g), the one with amyloglucosidase (AMG) (

10.24
±
0.10

and

2.20
±
0.023

 mL/g), and the pregelatinized (PREGEL) one (

10.40
±
0.16

and

1.99
±
0.15

 mL/g). The samples with modified starch showed an average total fat reduction of 49.51% compared with the control treatment. The results of sensory analysis by the acceptability test showed a greater inclination towards the CTRL and AMG treatments, in both color (

6.73
±
1.81

and

6.45
±
2.08

, respectively) and texture (

6.95
±
1.72

and

6.67
±
1.69

, respectively) parameters. During storage, the fracture strength decreased from

13.66
±
0.32

 N to

11.39
±
0.57

 N for AMG and from

12.5
±
0.42

 N to

10.77
±
0.61

 N for CTRL treatment, while the moisture content increased for both AMG (from

4.09
±
0.85
%

to

4.72
±
0.13
%

) and CTRL (from

3.87
±
0.14
%

to

4.31
±
0.43
%

) treatments between 0 and 30 days of storage. According to these results, it can be concluded that physically and enzymatically modified cassava starches can work as fat replacers in crackers.
Anisotropic Behavior of S-Wave and P-Wave States of Heavy Quarkonia at Finite Magnetic Field
Authors: Lal Manohar , Solanki Siddhartha , Sharma Rishabh , Agotiya Vineet Kumar
Published: June 2023

We studied the effect of momentum space anisotropy on heavy quarkonium states using an extended magnetized effective fugacity quasiparticle model (EQPM). Both the real and imaginary part of the potential has been modified through the dielectric function by including the anisotropic parameter ξ. The real part of the medium-modified potential becomes more attractive in the presence of the anisotropy and constant magnetic field. The binding energy of the 1S, 2S, and 1P quarkonium states including anisotropy effects for both the oblate and the isotropic case were studied. We find that the binding energy of QQ¯ states becomes stronger in the presence of anisotropy. However, the magnetic field is found to reduce the binding energy. The thermal width of the charmonium and bottomonium 1S states has been studied at constant magnetic field eB=0.3 GeV2 for isotropic and prolate cases. The effect of magnetic field on the mass spectra of the 1P state for the oblate case was also examined. The dissociation temperature for the 1S, 2S, and 1P states of charmonium and bottomonium has been determined to be higher for the oblate case with respect to the isotropic case.
Dimethyl Fumarate Protects Rats against Testicular Ischemia–Reperfusion Injury
Authors: Onishi Atsushi , Chiba Koji , Kawamura Shun , Sato Katsuya , Kaku Yasuhiro , Okada Keisuke , Fujisawa Masato
Published: June 2023

Ischemia–reperfusion injury (IRI) after testicular torsion is linked to significant damage in testicular tissue. Dimethyl fumarate (DMF) activates the nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) signaling pathway, thereby inducing antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. We analyzed the usefulness of DMF in preventing IRI following testicular torsion/detorsion in Sprague-Dawley rats (

n
=
32

). The animals were classified into control (sham), DMF (200 mg/kg/day), IRI, and IRI+DMF (IRI with 200 mg/kg/day DMF) groups. Testicular IRI was induced by detorsion after 1.5 h of torsion. DMF was administered via oral gavage daily from 1 h before testicular detorsion until day 7, when orchiectomy was performed. The testis-to-body weight ratio was calculated. Histopathological evaluation was performed using the Johnsen and Cosentino scores for seminiferous tubules. Malondialdehyde, superoxide dismutase, and total glutathione levels were determined in testicular tissues. Moreover, Nrf2, heme oxygenase 1 (HO-1), NAD(P)H quinone dehydrogenase 1 (NQO1), nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB), and inflammatory cytokine (interleukin 1b (IL1b), IL6, and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α)) levels were determined through quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Nuclear Nrf2 and cytoplasmic HO-1 and NQO1 protein levels were also evaluated. DMF significantly improved the testis-to-body weight ratio and reduced histopathological damage in the testes. Moreover, it significantly improved the concentration of malondialdehyde, superoxide dismutase, and total glutathione. Furthermore, it inhibited NF-κB and inflammatory cytokine mRNA expression compared with the findings obtained in untreated rats with IRI (all

p
<
0.05

). Nrf2, HO-1, and NQO1 expressions (mRNA and protein) were markedly elevated following DMF treatment in rats with IRI (all

p
<
0.05

). DMF administration activated the Nrf2 signaling pathway and induced antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects, thereby improving IRI-induced testicular damage. Thus, DMF may prevent IRI following testicular torsion.
Random Error Estimation and Propagation Analysis for Satellites’ Initial Positions
Authors: Wu Huanqin , Wang Maocai , Song Zhiming , Chen Xiaoyu , Dai Guangming
Published: June 2023

An increasing number of satellites are currently being launched into orbit to work in the form of clusters or constellations. However, the initial orbit position is accompanied by random errors, which will propagate during their running. Therefore, the orbit precision of the satellites directly affects space safety, network accuracy, and operating efficiency. Hence, accurate and fast random error estimation is essential to improve satellite control. The traditional method will take much time and cost, and it is associated with complex calculations or low accuracy, especially for large-scale constellations. In this paper, a random error evaluation model based on the ellipsoid is proposed. It can be used to estimate initial positions and error propagation for any orbit satellites. By comparing with the experiment results using the Monte Carlo method, it is proved that the proposed model is relatively simple, highly effective, and good at accuracy.