bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effects of treadmill slip and trip perturbation-based balance training on falls in community-dwelling older adults (STABILITY): study protocol for a randomised controlled trial
Authors: Nørgaard Jens Eg , Andersen Stig , Ryg Jesper , Stevenson Andrew James Thomas , Andreasen Jane , Danielsen Mathias Brix , Oliveira Anderson de Souza Castelo , Jørgensen Martin Grønbech
Published: February 2022

Introduction

Falls among older adults are most frequently caused by slips and trips and can have devastating consequences. Perturbation-based balance training (PBT) have recently shown promising fall preventive effects after even small training dosages. However, the fall preventive effects of PBT delivered on a treadmill are still unknown. Therefore, this parallel-group randomised controlled trial aims to quantify the effects of a four-session treadmill-PBT training intervention on falls compared with treadmill walking among community-dwelling older adults aged 65 years or more.

Methods and analysis

140 community-dwelling older adults will be recruited and randomised into either the treadmill-PBT or the treadmill walking group. Each group will undergo three initial training sessions within a week and an additional ‘booster’ session after 26 weeks. Participants in the treadmill-PBT group will receive 40 slip and/or trip perturbations induced by accurately timed treadmill belt accelerations at each training session. The primary outcome of interest is daily life fall rates collected using fall calendars for a follow-up period of 52 weeks. Secondary outcomes include physical, cognitive and social–psychological fall-related risk factors and will be collected at the pre-training and post-training test and the 26-week and 52-week follow-up tests. All outcomes will be analysed using the intention-to-treat approach by an external statistician. A Poisson’s regressions with bootstrapping, to account for overdispersion, will be used to compare group differences in fall rates.

Ethics and dissemination

The study protocol has been approved by the North Denmark Region Committee on Health Research Ethics (N-20200089). The results will be disseminated in peer-reviewed journals and at international conferences.

Trial registration number

NCT04733222.
Accessibility and quality of haemodialysis services in an urban setting in South India: a qualitative multiperspective study
Authors: Elias Maya Annie , Van Damme Wim , Wouters Edwin
Published: February 2022

Objective

To explore the accessibility and quality of existing haemodialysis services in an urban setting.

Setting

The study was conducted in Bangalore city, India.

Participants

A total of 28 stakeholders including 2 nephrologists, 7 duty doctors, 13 dialysis technicians and 6 patients on long-term haemodialysis were selected from 20 dialysis centres in Bangalore city.

Design and methods

Qualitative study using in-depth interviews. A thematic analysis was done using the Availability, Accessibility, Acceptability and Quality Framework of WHO and the Bruce’s Quality of Care Framework.

Results

The study found several gaps with regard to the access and quality of existing services for patients with end-stage kidney disease (ESKD). The charges for dialysis sessions across settings displayed a wide variance. Patients often started dialysis services in private and later shifted to government and non-governmental organisations-run centres and reduced the number of weekly dialysis sessions due to financial constraints. Most standalone dialysis centres did not have the facilities to manage any emergencies. Most centres did not admit patients with hepatitis or HIV. The quality of care in dialysis centres seemed to be variable and most centres were managed solely by dialysis technicians. There were no psychosocial interventions available to the patients irrespective of the settings. Cost-cutting practices such as employing underqualified technicians, reusing dialysis equipment and using substandard water for dialysis were common.

Conclusion

The study highlights the need for more financial and personnel investments in ESKD care in India to ensure optimal care for the growing patient population. The study points towards the need for comprehensive management practices, including diet counselling and psychosocial support. While there are comprehensive guidelines on the establishment and management of dialysis services, more policy attention needs to be on effective implementation of these, to ensure better accessibility and quality of existing services.
Tobacco-related risk perceptions, social influences and public smoke-free policies in relation to smoke-free home restrictions: findings from a baseline cross-sectional survey of Armenian and Georgian adults in a community randomised trial
Authors: Hayrumyan Varduhi , Harutyunyan Arusyak , Torosyan Arevik , Grigoryan Lilit , Sargsyan Zhanna , Bazarchyan Alexander , Petrosyan Varduhi , Dekanosidze Ana , Sturua Lela , Kegler Michelle C , Berg Carla J
Published: February 2022

Objectives

Given high prevalence of smoking and secondhand smoke exposure in Armenia and Georgia and quicker implementation of tobacco legislation in Georgia versus Armenia, we examined correlates of having no/partial versus complete smoke-free home (SFH) restrictions across countries, particularly smoking characteristics, risk perceptions, social influences and public smoking restrictions.

Design

Cross-sectional survey study design.

Setting

28 communities in Armenia and Georgia surveyed in 2018.

Participants

1456 adults ages 18–64 in Armenia (n=705) and Georgia (n=751).

Measurements

We used binary logistic regression to examine aforementioned correlates of no/partial versus complete SFH among non-smokers and smokers in Armenia and Georgia, respectively.

Results

Participants were an average age of 43.35, 60.5% women and 27.3% smokers. In Armenia, among non-smokers, having no/partial SFHs correlated with being men (OR=2.63, p=0.001) and having more friend smokers (OR=1.23, p=0.002); among smokers, having no/partial SFHs correlated with being unmarried (OR=10.00, p=0.001), lower quitting importance (OR=0.82, p=0.010) and less favourable smoking attitudes among friends/family/public (OR=0.48, p=0.034). In Georgia, among non-smokers, having no/partial SFHs correlated with older age (OR=1.04, p=0.002), being men (OR=5.56, p<0.001), lower SHS risk perception (OR=0.43, p<0.001), more friend smokers (OR=1.49, p=0.002) and fewer workplace (indoor) restrictions (OR=0.51, p=0.026); among smokers, having no/partial SFHs correlated with being men (OR=50.00, p<0.001), without children (OR=5.88, p<0.001), daily smoking (OR=4.30, p=0.050), lower quitting confidence (OR=0.81, p=0.004), more friend smokers (OR=1.62, p=0.038) and fewer community restrictions (OR=0.68, p=0.026).

Conclusions

Private settings continue to lack smoking restrictions in Armenia and Georgia. Findings highlight the importance of social influences and comprehensive tobacco legislation, particularly smoke-free policies, in changing household smoking restrictions and behaviours.

Trial registration number

NCT03447912.
Experience-based investigation and codesign of approaches to prevent and reduce Mental Health Act use (CO-PACT): a protocol
Authors: Mooney Roisin , Newbigging Karen , McCabe Rose , McCrone Paul , Halvorsrud Kristoffer , Raghavan Raghu , Joseph Doreen , Bhui Kamaldeep
Published: February 2022

Introduction

The Independent Review of the Mental Health Act (MHA) in England and Wales confirmed increasing levels of compulsory detentions, especially for racialised communities. This research aims to: (a) understand the causes of and propose preventive opportunities to reduce the disproportionate use of the MHA, (b) use an adapted form of experience-based codesign (EBCD) to facilitate system-wide changes and (c) foreground the voices of service users at risk of detention to radically reform policy and implement new legislation to ensure the principles of equity are retained.

Methods and analysis

This is a qualitative study, using a comparative case study design. This study is composed of five work packages; photovoice workshops will be conducted in eight local systems with service users and healthcare professionals separately (WP1); a series of three EBCD workshops in each local system to develop approaches that reduce detentions and improve the experience of people from racialised communities. This will inform a comparative analysis and national knowledge exchange workshop (WP2); an evaluation led by the patient and public involvement group to better understand what it is like for people to participate in photovoice, codesign and participatory research (WP3); an economic evaluation (WP4) and dissemination strategy (WP5). The impact of the involvement of patients and public will be independently evaluated.

Ethics and dissemination

This study is sponsored by the University of Oxford and granted ethical approval from the NHS Research Ethics Committee and Health Research Authority (21/SC/0204). The outputs from this study will be shared through several local and national channels.
Promoting patient and nurse safety: testing a behavioural health intervention in a learning healthcare system: results of the DEMEANOR pragmatic, cluster, cross-over trial
Authors: Hasselblad Michele , Morrison Jay , Kleinpell Ruth , Buie Reagan , Ariosto Deborah , Hardiman Erin , Osborn Stephen W , Nwosu Samuel K , Lindsell Christopher
Published: February 2022

Background

Based on clinical staff safety within a learning healthcare system, the purpose of this study was to test an innovative model of care for addressing disruptive behaviour in hospitalised patients to determine whether it should be scaled up at the system level.

Methods

The Disruptive bEhaviour manageMEnt ANd prevention in hospitalised patients using a behaviOuRal (DEMEANOR) intervention team was a pragmatic, cluster, cross-over trial. A behavioural intervention team (BIT) with a psychiatric mental health advanced practice nurse and a social worker, with psychiatrist consultation, switched between units each month and occurrences of disruptive behaviours (eg, documented violence control measures, violence risk) compared. Nursing surveys assessed self-perceived efficacy and comfort managing disruptive patient behaviour.

Results

A total of 3800 patients hospitalised on the two units met the criteria for inclusion. Of those, 1841 (48.4%) were exposed to the BIT intervention and 1959 (51.6%) were in the control group. A total of 11 132 individual behavioural issues associated with 203 patient encounters were documented. There were no differences in the use of behavioural interventions, violence risk or injurious behaviour or sitter use between patients exposed to BIT and those in the control group. Tracking these data did rely on nursing documentation of such events. Nurses (82 pre and 48 post) rated BIT as the most beneficial support they received to manage patients exhibiting disruptive, threatening or acting out behaviour.

Conclusions

The BIT intervention was perceived as beneficial by nurses in preparing them to provide care for patients exhibiting disruptive, threatening or acting out behaviour, but documented patient behaviour was not observed to change.

Trial registration number

NCT03777241.
Cardiac audit, data and registries: evolution of a national programme
Authors: Ratneswaren Anenta , de Belder Mark A , Timmis Adam
Published: February 2022

The UK is one of the few countries in the world with national registries that record key statistics across a broad range of cardiovascular disorders. The British Cardiovascular Society and its affiliated groups have played a central role in the development of these registries and continue to provide clinical oversight to the present day. Seven of the UK’s national registries are now integrated under the management of the National Institute for Cardiovascular Outcomes Research (NICOR) that currently holds records on nearly 6.5 million episodes of care since 1990. This represents a substantial data resource for national audit that has driven up standards of cardiovascular care in the UK with a palpable impact on patient outcomes. The registries have also spawned an impressive programme of research providing novel insights into the epidemiology of cardiovascular disease. Linkage with other datasets and international collaborations create the environment for new outputs, new opportunities for ‘big data’ research and new ways of performing clinical trials. As the centenary of the British Cardiac Society (now British Cardiovascular Society) approaches, its role in the development of the UK’s cardiovascular audits can be counted as one of its outstanding achievements.
Inhibition of integrin αvβ6 sparks T-cell antitumor response and enhances immune checkpoint blockade therapy in colorectal cancer
Authors: Busenhart Philipp , Montalban-Arques Ana , Katkeviciute Egle , Morsy Yasser , Van Passen Chiara , Hering Larissa , Atrott Kirstin , Lang Silvia , Garzon Jesus Francisco Glaus , Naschberger Elisabeth , Hartmann Arndt , Rogler Gerhard , Stürzl Michael , Spalinger Marianne Rebecca , Scharl Michael
Published: February 2022

Background

Integrin αvβ6 is a heterodimeric cell surface protein whose cellular expression is determined by the availability of the integrin β6 subunit (ITGB6). It is expressed at very low levels in most organs during tissue homeostasis but shows highly upregulated expression during the process of tumorigenesis in many cancers of epithelial origin. Notably, enhanced expression of integrin αvβ6 is associated with aggressive disease and poor prognosis in numerous carcinoma entities. Integrin αvβ6 is one of the major physiological activators of transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β), which has been shown to inhibit the antitumor T-cell response and cause resistance to immunotherapy in mouse models of colorectal and mammary cancer. In this study, we investigated the effect of ITGB6 expression and antibody-mediated integrin αvβ6 inhibition on the tumor immune response in colorectal cancer.

Methods

Using orthotopic and heterotopic tumor cell injection, we assessed the effect of ITGB6 on tumor growth and tumor immune response in wild type mice, mice with defective TGF-β signaling, and mice treated with anti-integrin αvβ6 antibodies. To examine the effect of ITGB6 in human colorectal cancer, we analyzed RNAseq data from the colon adenocarcinoma dataset of The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA-COAD).

Results

We demonstrate that expression of ITGB6 is an immune evasion strategy in colorectal cancer, causing inhibition of the antitumor immune response and resistance to immune checkpoint blockade therapy by activating latent TGF-β. Antibody-mediated inhibition of integrin αvβ6 sparked a potent cytotoxic T-cell response and overcame resistance to programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) blockade therapy in ITGB6 expressing tumors, provoking a drastic increase in anti-PD-1 treatment efficacy. Further, we show that the majority of tumors in patients with colorectal cancer express sufficient ITGB6 to provoke inhibition of the cytotoxic T-cell response, indicating that most patients could benefit from integrin αvβ6 blockade therapy.

Conclusions

These findings propose inhibition of integrin αvβ6 as a promising new therapy for colorectal cancer, which blocks tumor-promoting TGF-β activation, prevents tumor exclusion of cytotoxic T-cells and enhances the efficacy of immune checkpoint blockade therapy.
Youth should decide: the principle of subsidiarity in paediatric transgender healthcare
Authors: Ashley Florence
Published: February 2022

Drawing on the principle of subsidiarity, this article develops a framework for allocating medical decision-making authority in the absence of capacity to consent and argues that decisional authority in paediatric transgender healthcare should generally lie in the patient. Regardless of patients’ capacity, there is usually nobody better positioned to make medical decisions that go to the heart of a patient’s identity than the patients themselves. Under the principle of subsidiarity, decisional authority should only be held by a higher level decision-maker, such as parents or judges, if lower level decision-makers are incapable of satisfactorily addressing the issue even with support and the higher level decision-maker is better positioned to satisfactorily address the issue than all lower level decision-makers. Because gender uniquely pertains to personal identity and self-realisation, parents and judges are rarely better positioned to make complex medical decisions. Instead of taking away trans youth’s authority over their healthcare decisions, we should focus on supporting their ability to take the best possible decision for themselves.
Quantum oscillations and physical properties of LaCu2Si2
Authors: Podrebersek Zachary , Baer Florian , Mun Eundeok
Published: February 2022

High quality single crystals of LaCu2Si2 are successfully grown from a high temperature ternary melt. The physical properties are investigated by measurements of specific heat, electrical resistivity, thermoelectric power, and magnetization. The electrical resistivity follows an ordinary metallic behavior with a residual resistivity ρ0 = 0.87 μΩ cm and residual resistivity ratio (RRR) ρ(300 K)/ρ0 ∼ 13. Quantum oscillations for H || ab are clearly observed from electrical resistivity, magnetization, and thermoelectric power measurements in magnetic fields as low as 30 kOe and at temperatures as high as 20 K. In the earlier studies no quantum oscillations have been observed from both single crystal and polycrystalline samples. The small value of ρ0 and quantum oscillations indicate a high quality of LaCu2Si2 samples used in the present study. The cyclotron effective mass obtained from the analysis of the de Haas – van Alphen (dHvA) oscillations is small m0 ∼ 0.14me, which is consistent with the small electronic specific heat coefficient γ ∼ 3.4 mJ/mol K2. The detected dHvA frequencies of LaCu2Si2 are compared with those of the RCu2Si2 (R = Y, Th, and Ce) family.
Investigation of hidden-charm pentaquarks with strangeness $$S=-1$$
Authors: Hu Xiaohuang , Ping Jialun
Published: February 2022

Recently, a new hidden-charm pentaquark state $$P_{cs}(4459)$$

P

cs

(
4459
)

was reported by the LHCb Collaboration. Stimulated by the fact that all hidden-charm pentaquark states in $$S=0$$

S
=
0

systems were successfully studied by the chiral quark model, we extended this study to the $$S=-1$$

S
=
-
1

systems. All possible states with quantum numbers $$IJ^P=0(\frac{1}{2})^-$$

I

J
P

=
0

(

1
2

)

-

, $$0(\frac{3}{2})^-$$

0

(

3
2

)

-

, $$0(\frac{5}{2})^-$$

0

(

5
2

)

-

, $$1(\frac{1}{2})^-$$

1

(

1
2

)

-

, $$1(\frac{3}{2})^-$$

1

(

3
2

)

-

and $$1(\frac{5}{2})^-$$

1

(

5
2

)

-

have been investigated. The calculation results shows that the newly observed state $$P_{cs}(4459)$$

P

cs

(
4459
)

can be explained as $$\Xi _c \bar{D}^*$$

Ξ
c

D

¯

∗

molecular state and the quantum numbers are $$0(\frac{1}{2})^-$$

0

(

1
2

)

-

. In addition, we also find other molecular states $$\Xi _c \bar{D}$$

Ξ
c

D

¯

, $$\Xi _c^* \bar{D}$$

Ξ
c
∗

D

¯

and $$\Xi _c' \bar{D}^*$$

Ξ
c
′

D

¯

∗

. It is worth mentioning that $$\Xi _c \bar{D}^*$$

Ξ
c

D

¯

∗

can form a two-peak structure from states in system $$0(\frac{1}{2})^-$$

0

(

1
2

)

-

and $$0(\frac{3}{2})^-$$

0

(

3
2

)

-

. The decay width of all molecular states is given with the help of real scaling method. These hidden-charm pentaquark states is expected to be further verified in future experiments.
Explosives and warfare agents remote Raman detection on realistic background samples
Authors: Cantu Luca M. L. , Gallo Emanuela C. A.
Published: February 2022

Ultraviolet Raman spectroscopy measurements have been taken to detect non-uniform and self-prepared samples of both explosives and warfare agent simulants on realistic backgrounds. The main goal was to quantify the minimum requirements for an unambiguous identification in remote detection (distance 50 cm) with a commercial Czerny-Turner spectrometer coupled with a ICCD camera. Different backgrounds in the categories of metals, natural, construction materials, transparent and plastics were used to simulate realistic encounters in a possible warzone scenario. The distribution of the chemicals was random in order to simulate a realistic measurement, and the exact detected amount was determined during the post-processing. Measurements show the capability of the developed Raman system to detect amount always in the range of μg range. Further data analysis will demonstrate the extension of the detection up to ng range for few cases. An analysis of the incident laser beam angle, size (diameter) and energy dependency is also discussed to demonstrate the technological limits outside the optimal detecting conditions.
Inflation, swampland and landscape
Authors: Noori Gashti S. , Sadeghi J.
Published: February 2022

In this paper, we evaluate a new refined de Sitter (dS) conjecture perspective. This conjecture provides interesting conditions in studying various inflationary models. Therefore, we challenge refined dS conjecture with a general method for analyzing the potentials with the inflectional point near the top ([Formula: see text]). We find the compatible spaces for our inflationary model that lives out of swampland according to the latest observational data such as Planck 2018.
PREPARATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF Sr-DOPED HAp BIOMEDICAL COATINGS ON POLYDOPAMINE-TREATED Ti6Al4V SUBSTRATES
Authors: SINGH GURMOHAN , SAINI ABHINEET , PABLA B. S.
Published: February 2022

Ti6Al4V alloy of titanium is a significant biomaterial due to its biocompatible nature, but it lacks required bioactivity to make it mimic properties to a human bone. Thus, hydroxyl-apatite (HAp), an inorganic compound found in human bones, is generally coated onto Ti6Al4V substrates to improve their bio-characteristics. But, HAp itself lacks certain bio-functionalities, such as allowing tissue bone regeneration and poor binding to the Ti6Al4V substrate, which results in osteoporosis and reduced bioactivity of the bio-implant, respectively. The proposed way out for this is the further doping of HAp with Strontium (Sr) for enabling tissue bone regeneration as well as addition of Polydopamine (PDA) for improved adhesion of HAp-based coatings with the substrate. Moreover, PDA results in increased drug delivery area and thus can be used as a material for enhancing resistance to bacterial growth. The present study demonstrates an experimental work on deposition of HAp, HAp with PDA and HAp with PDA and Sr coatings deposited onto Ti6Al4V alloy by means of biomimetic coating technique. Initially the pure HAp coatings were deposited using 10 SBF (simulated body fluid) solution and optimized in terms of time duration for desired coating uniformity. Then, for the optimized coating duration, the PDA pretreated Ti6Al4V substrates were coated, utilizing HAp, and Sr (at two different compositions) combinations were deposited through modified 10 SBF solutions. The characterization involving microstructural analysis and phase detection was performed for all these coatings using Scanned Electron Microscopy (SEM), Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS) and X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) of the coated substrates and adhesion strength was calculated using a standard pull out adhesion test ISO 13779–4. The study showed an effective and comparatively cheap method of depositing organic coatings using biomimetic technique to obtain improved bio-functionalities in metallic implants at low temperatures.
Analysis of size-dependent variation in nonlinear absorption coefficient of multiferroic bismuth ferrite nanoparticles synthesized at different sintering temperature
Authors: Salmani Imran Ahmad , Murtaza Tahir , Khan Mohd. Saleem , Khan Mohd. Shahid
Published: February 2022

Third-order nonlinear optical property of multiferroic bismuth ferrite (BiFeO3) nanoparticles sintered at different temperatures has been studied by employing Z-Scan technique. BiFeO3 (BFO) nanoparticles (NPs) were synthesized by the sol–gel process with different sintering temperature of 823[Formula: see text]K, 923[Formula: see text]K and 1023[Formula: see text]K. XRD reveals that all samples have single-phase rhombohedral structure with R3c space group with no secondary phases present. The calculated crystallite size for samples sintered at 823[Formula: see text]K, 923[Formula: see text]K and 1023[Formula: see text]K is found to be 75[Formula: see text]nm, 87[Formula: see text]nm and 94[Formula: see text]nm, respectively. Crystal structure parameters and phase analysis of the BFO samples are obtained by the Rietveld refinement (FullProf) method. FTIR spectra show the absorbance peaks at 448[Formula: see text]cm[Formula: see text] and 533[Formula: see text]cm[Formula: see text] which confirm the synthesis of NPs. SEM images show the agglomerated spherical particles. Average crystallite and particle size of the samples are found to increase by increasing the sintering temperature. EDX verifies the constituent elements and reveals that stoichiometry in sample preparation is well-matched with the atomic ratio of the experimental quantity. The nonlinear absorption coefficient is characterized by the Z-Scan method employing continuous wave (CW) laser operating at 532[Formula: see text]nm wavelength. Nonlinear absorption coefficient ([Formula: see text]), evaluated by open aperture Z-scan data, is found to decrease with an increase in the particle size of the BFO NPs. BFO nanoparticles synthesized by optimizing the synthesis temperature can be used for the various applications of futuristic multiferroic and optical devices.
Deep Sequence Models for Ligand-Based Virtual Screening
Authors: Nair Viswajit Vinod , Pradeep Sonaal Pathlai , Nair Vaishnavi Sudheer , Pournami P. N. , Gopakumar G. , Jayaraj P. B.
Published: February 2022

The past few years have witnessed machine learning techniques take the limelight in multiple research domains. One such domain that has reaped the benefits of machine learning is computer-aided drug discovery, where the search space for candidate drug molecules is decreased using methods such as virtual screening. Current state-of-the-art sequential neural network models have shown promising results and we would like to replicate similar results with virtual screening using the encoded molecular information known as simplified molecular-input line-entry system (SMILES). Our work includes the use of attention-based sequential models — the long short-term memory with attention and an optimized version of the transformer network specifically designed to deal with SMILES (ChemBERTa). We also propose the “Overall Screening Efficacy”, an averaging metric that aggregates and encapsulates the model performance over multiple datasets. We found an overall improvement of about [Formula: see text] over the benchmark model, which relied on parallelized random forests.
Kicks and their significance in pore pressure prediction
Authors: Lee Jack , Swarbrick Richard , O'Connor Stephen
Published: February 2022

Knowledge of subsurface formation pressures is critical for the calibration of predictions and models needed for safe drilling of deep wells, historically for oil and gas wells. The same details apply to the sequestration of CO
2
, ephemeral storage of gases such as hydrogen and for geothermal power. An estimated 10–14% of wells globally experience an unexpected influx of formation fluid, indicative of the controlling mud in the borehole at that time having a lower pressure than the surrounding formation. The drilling events, known as kicks and wellbore breathing, lead to, at best, downtime on the drilling rig which might affect the economic viability of the well, or in the extreme its safety with possible loss of life such as in the case of an uncontrolled blowout. Not all kicks are of equivalent value: dynamic and static kicks can be classified with a high degree of confidence and may become values for true formation pressure. Other types of fluid influx during drilling, including swab kicks and wellbore breathing, need to be identified and will not be accepted in a kick database. These types of influx may be eliminated as potential formation pressure values but, along with mud weights, can be valuable data to constrain the range of possible formation pressures, of significant where no other data exist. A new, rigorous evaluation procedure for determining formation pressure is presented, and compared with direct pore pressure measurements (e.g. RFT, MDT, RCI values). The comparison shows that the proposed methodology illustrates typical uncertainty of about 10 bar (145 psi) pressure over the full range of pressures for which data are available in this study.

Thematic collection:
This article is part of the Geopressure collection available at:
https://www.lyellcollection.org/cc/geopressure
Plant GATA Factors: Their Biology, Phylogeny, and Phylogenomics
Authors: Schwechheimer Claus , Schröder Peter Michael , Blaby-Haas Crysten E.
Published: February 2022

GATA factors are evolutionarily conserved transcription factors that are found in animals, fungi, and plants. Compared to that of animals, the size of the plant GATA family is increased. In angiosperms, four main GATA classes and seven structural subfamilies can be defined. In recent years, knowledge about the biological role and regulation of plant GATAs has substantially improved. Individual family members have been implicated in the regulation of photomorphogenic growth, chlorophyll biosynthesis, chloroplast development, photosynthesis, and stomata formation, as well as root, leaf, and flower development. In this review, we summarize the current knowledge of plant GATA factors. Using phylogenomic analysis, we trace the evolutionary origin of the GATA classes in the green lineage and examine their relationship to animal and fungal GATAs. Finally, we speculate about a possible conservation of GATA-regulated functions across the animal, fungal, and plant kingdoms.
Orientation of Cell Polarity by Chemical Gradients
Authors: Ghose Debraj , Elston Timothy , Lew Daniel
Published: February 2022

Accurate decoding of spatial chemical landscapes is critical for many cell functions. Eukaryotic cells decode local chemical gradients to orient growth or movement in productive directions. Recent work on yeast model systems, whose gradient sensing pathways display much less complexity than those in animal cells, has suggested new paradigms for how these very small cells successfully exploit information in noisy and dynamic pheromone gradients to identify their mates. Pheromone receptors regulate a polarity circuit centered on the conserved Rho-family GTPase, Cdc42. The polarity circuit contains both positive and negative feedback pathways, allowing spontaneous symmetry breaking and also polarity site disassembly and relocation. Cdc42 orients the actin cytoskeleton, leading to focused vesicle traffic that promotes movement of the polarity site and also reshapes the cortical distribution of receptors at the cell surface. In this article, we review the advances from work on yeasts and compare them with the excitable signaling pathways that have been revealed in chemotactic animal cells.
Entering the Energy Superhighway
Authors: Kinoshita Kim
Published: February 2022

As its very name indicates, energy is the main focus of the ECS Energy Technology Division. Any discussion of energy-related topics usually revolves around statistical data, often presented in different energy units.
Stable All Solid State Z-Scheme Based TiO2/M/CdxZn1-Xs Photo-Catalysts for Efficient Hydrogen Generation
Authors: Isimjan Tayirjan Taylor
Published: February 2022

Water splitting to hydrogen and oxygen molecules suing semiconductors as photocatalysts to store solar energy, is one of the “Holy Grails” in solar energy conversion1. The performance of a photocatalyst is largely limited by four requirements: 1) long term stability with respect to photo corrosion, 2) a narrow band gap materials to absorb a large fraction of solar light, 3) suitable band edges that match the redox potential of water, and 4) slow charge carrier recombination systems. In particular, with respect to point 4, many artificial Z-scheme based photocatalytic systems have been widely investigated2. Recently, Rao et al.,3 reported an all-solid state Z-scheme anisotropic ZnO/Pt/Cd0.8Zn0.2S heterojunction system which exhibited a high photocatalytic activity owing to an efficient electron-hole transfer between the ZnO conduction band and the CdS valence band through Pt nanoparticles (using benzyl alcohol and acetic acid as sacrificial reagents). However, this system is not stable over the long term mainly because ZnO is stable in a very narrow pH range (6-8)4, whereas the ideal pH for hydrogen production, either by sacrificial or direct water splitting, is often outside this range. As a consequence, the original Z-scheme structure is gradually destroyed following the dissolution of the ZnO which subsequently causes the decomposition of Cd0.8Zn0.2S.

In this work, we have developed a novel TiO2/Ag-Pd/Cd(Zn)S based Z-scheme photocatalytic system. This system was found to be stable in the presence of aqueous solution containing benzyl alcohol/acetic acid (the role of both has been investigated). Catalysts were prepared and characterized by XRD, XPS, TEM and UV-Vis and the catalytic tests were conducted over the complete series of the Z-Scheme system and its individual components such as Ag-Pd/TiO2 and Cd0.8Zn0.2S. The hydrogen generation rate of the best system and that of its components were 3.3 mmol/h.gcatal. (TiO2/Ag-Pd/Cd0.8Zn0.2S), 1.1 mmol/h.gcatal. (Ag-Pd/TiO2) and 0.5 mmol/h.g catal. (Cd0.8Zn0.2S) respectively under identical conditions as described below.

Figure 1
Neprilysin inhibition improves intravenous but not oral glucose-mediated insulin secretion via GLP-1R signaling in mice with β-cell dysfunction
Authors: Esser Nathalie , Mongovin Stephen M. , Parilla Jacqueline , Barrow Breanne M. , Mundinger Thomas O. , Fountaine Brendy S. , Larmore Megan J. , Castillo Joseph J. , Akter Rehana , Hull Rebecca L. , Zraika Sakeneh
Published: February 2022

The neprilysin inhibitor, sacubitril, improves glycemic status in a mouse model of reduced insulin secretion. Sacubitril enhances intravenous but not oral glucose-mediated insulin secretion. The increased glucose-mediated insulin secretion is GLP-1 receptor-dependent. Neprilysin inhibition does not raise postprandial circulating active GLP-1 levels.
Kidney-specific KO of the circadian clock protein PER1 alters renal Na+ handling, aldosterone levels, and kidney/adrenal gene expression
Authors: Douma Lauren G. , Costello Hannah M. , Crislip G. Ryan , Cheng Kit-Yan , Lynch I. Jeanette , Juffre Alexandria , Barral Dominique , Masten Sarah , Roig Emilio , Beguiristain Kevin , Li Wendy , Bratanatawira Phillip , Wingo Charles S. , Gumz Michelle L.
Published: February 2022

For the first time, we show that knockout of the circadian clock transcription factor PERIOD 1 using kidney-specific cadherin Cre results in increased renal Na+ reabsorption, increased aldosterone levels, and changes in gene expression in both the kidney and adrenal gland. Diurnal changes in renal Na+ excretion were not observed, demonstrating that the clock protein PER1 in the kidney is important for maintaining homeostasis and that this effect may be independent of time of day.
Bioconvection Flow of MHD Viscous Nanofluid in the Presence of Chemical Reaction and Activation Energy
Authors: Asjad Muhammad Imran , Zahid Muhammad , Jarad Fahd , Alsharif Abdullah M.
Published: February 2022

Enhancement of heat transfer due to stretching sheets can be appropriately controlled by the movement of the nanofluids. The concentration and settling of the nanoparticles in the viscous MHD fluid and bioconvection are addressed. In this scenario, the fluid flow occurring in the presence of a normal and uniform magnetic field, thermal radiation, and chemical reaction is taken into account. For the two-dimensional flow with heat and mass transfer, five dependent variables and three independent variables constitute the system of partial differential equations. For this purpose, similarity functions are involved to convert these equations to corresponding ODEs. Then, the Runge–Kutta method with shooting technique is used to evaluate the required findings with the utilization of MATLAB script. The fluid velocity becomes slow against the strength of the magnetic parameter. The temperature rises with the parameter of Brownian motion and thermophoresis. The bioconvection Lewis number diminishes the velocity field. Compared with the existing literature, the results show satisfactory congruences.
Digital Protection of Ancient Buildings Based on BIM Simulation Technology
Authors: Yang Jiarui
Published: February 2022

To improve the digital protection effect of ancient buildings, this study improves the space digital technology, combines the digital interpolation method to carry out the space digital simulation algorithm research, and combines the BIM simulation technology on the basis of the improved algorithm to carry out the digital protection processing of the ancient buildings. Moreover, this study starts from the actual situation to construct an intelligent digital protection system of ancient building. In addition, through the ancient building spatial data database, this study uses the visualization function and the powerful spatial analysis ability of GIS technology to design and research the digital protection system of ancient building. Through simulation research, it can be known that the digital protection system of ancient buildings based on BIM simulation technology proposed in this study has a good simulation effect and can provide reliable technical support for the protection and subsequent restoration of ancient buildings.
Antimicrobial Resistance Situation in Indonesia: A Challenge of Multisector and Global Coordination
Authors: Siahaan Selma , Herman Max J. , Fitri Nyoman
Published: February 2022

High levels of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in Indonesia are caused by the use of inappropriate antimicrobials (AM) in healthcare services and the livestock and fisheries sector. The available data and information about overused antibiotics and the AMR threat in Indonesia are limited. The aim of the study is to describe the AMR situation in Indonesia based on perceptions of government officials, health professionals, and the community to determine actions needed to develop AMR-related strategy and policy. The study was done in eight provinces in Indonesia and included reviewing AMR-related policy, collecting antibiotic use reports in primary health care from health offices and hospitals, and conducting in-depth interviews and focus group discussions with informants from health and nonhealth sectors. The results of the study show that AM misuse happens not only in healthcare facilities but also in communities. Medical officers are unfamiliar with AMR-related policy, as are officers in the livestock and fisheries sectors. There is limited coordination between sectors regarding the AMR situation in Indonesia. The government has to take stronger measures to oversee better implementation of AMR policies.
Wireless Communication Technologies for IoT in 5G: Vision, Applications, and Challenges
Authors: Khanh Quy Vu , Hoai Nam Vi , Manh Linh Dao , Le Anh Ngoc , Jeon Gwanggil
Published: February 2022

Communication technologies are developing very rapidly and achieving many breakthrough results. The advent of 5th generation mobile communication networks, the so-called 5G, has become one of the most exciting and challenging topics in the wireless study area. The power of 5G enables it to connect to hundreds of billions of devices with extreme-high throughput and extreme-low latency. The 5G realizing a true digital society where everything can be connected via the Internet, well known as the Internet of Things (IoT). IoT is a technology of technologies where humans, devices, software, solutions, and platforms can connect based on the Internet. The formation of IoT technology leads to the birth of a series of applications and solutions serving humanity, such as smart cities, smart agriculture, smart retail, intelligent transportation systems, and IoT ecosystems. Although IoT is considered a revolution in the evolution of the Internet, it still faces a series of challenges such as saving energy, security, performance, and QoS support. In this study, we provide a vision of the Internet of Things that will be the main force driving the comprehensive digital revolution in the future. The communication technologies in the IoT system are discussed comprehensively and in detail. Furthermore, we also indicated indepth challenges of existing common communication technologies in IoT systems and future research directions of IoT. We hope the results of this work can provide a vital guide for future studies on communication technologies for IoT in 5G.
Intratumoral Microbiota Impacts the First-Line Treatment Efficacy and Survival in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Patients Free of Lung Infection
Authors: Zhang Miao , Zhang Yan , Sun Yi , Wang Shaochun , Liang Huan , Han Yaguang
Published: February 2022

Background. It has been known that there are microecology disorders during lung cancer development. Theoretically, intratumoral microbiota (ITM) can impact the lung cancer (LC) survival and treatment efficacy. This study conducted a follow-up investigation of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients without lung infection to prove whether ITM indeed impacts the first-line treatment efficacy and survival. Methods. We enrolled all patients diagnosed with NSCLC in our department from 2017 to 2019, whose tumor samples were available (through surgery or biopsy) and sent for pathogen-targeted sequencing. All patients received the first-line treatment according to the individual situation. In the short term, the efficacy of the first-line treatment was recorded. During the follow-up, the survival status, progress events, and overall survival (OS) period were recorded if a patient was contacted. Results. Firstly, 53 patients were included, and our following analysis focused on the stage III and stage IV cases with ADC, SCC, or ASC tumors (47 cases). Several bacteria are associated with the LC status and progression, including N stages, metastasis sites, epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutation, first-line outcome, and later survival. The risk bacteria include Serratia marcescens, Actinomyces neesii, Enterobacter cloacae, and Haemophilus parainfluenzae; and the protective (against LC development and progression) ones include Staphylococcus haemolyticus and Streptococcus crista. In the logistic regression, the two-year survival can be predicted using the results of four bacteria (Haemophilus parainfluenzae, Serratia marcescens, Acinetobacter jungii, and Streptococcus constellation), with an accuracy rate of 90.7%. Conclusion. ITM have links to malignancy, EGFR mutation, first-line outcome, and survival of NSCLC. Our results implied the potential anti-NSCLC activity of antibiotics when used reasonably. It is still necessary to deepen the understanding of the characteristics of ITM and its interactions with NSCLC tumors and the immune cells, which is significant in individualized approaches to the LC treatment.
Visual Sensor Image Analysis and Massage Techniques to Prevent and Treat Common Injuries of Sports Dance Practitioners
Authors: Yu Chengxuan , Li Ru
Published: February 2022

In recent years, the performance of sports dance in China has become better and better. Naturally, the technical requirements for this dance are getting higher and higher, and the number and intensity of training have also increased, which has led to increasing injuries in sports dance. This article is based on visual sensor images to analyze and study the common injuries and prevention of sports dance practitioners. It is aimed at providing a certain reference basis for athletes’ injuries, so that dance practitioners and coaches can better master sports dance training and teaching. Injury-related rules and prevention reduce the injury rate. This article puts forward the related technology of a visual sensor image and applies its technology to the prevention and research of common injuries in sports dance. At the same time, it analyzes the causes of sports dance practitioners’ injuries and seeks economical and affordable massage techniques for prevention, and the method of treatment provides protection for dance practitioners. The experimental results in this article show that the Tuina group cured 15 subjects, 41 subjects were markedly effective, 13 subjects were improved, and 6 subjects were unhealed. The total effective rate was 92%.
Curvature-Driven Deformable Convolutional Networks for End-To-End Object Detection
Authors: Gu Xiaodong , Fu Ying
Published: February 2022

Recently, deformable convolution networks have shown the superior performance in object detection due to its ability to adapt to the geometric variations of object. These methods learn the offset fields under the supervision of localization and recognition. Nevertheless, the spatial support of these networks may be inexact because the offsets are learned implicitly via extra convolutional layer. In this work, we present curvature-driven deformable convolutional networks (C-DCNets) that adopt explicit geometric property of the preceding feature maps to enhance the deformability of convolution operation and make the networks easier to focus on pertinent image region. To be consistent with postprocessing technology of object detection, we multiply the class prediction probability by the similarity of predicted boxes and ground truth boxes as the final class prediction probability and substitute it into the binary cross entropy loss function. The obtained loss function correlates the bounding box regression and classification. Experimental results on PASCAL VOC and COCO data set show that C-DCNets-based YOLOv4 with the proposed loss function outperforms state-of-the-art algorithms.
Noninvasive Spectroscopic Detection of Blood Glucose and Analysis of Clinical Research Status
Authors: Man Boqi
Published: February 2022

Frequent measurement of blood glucose concentration in diabetic patients is an important means for diabetes control. Blood glucose monitoring with noninvasive detection technology can not only avoid the pain of patients and eliminate the harm of some biological materials for measuring glucose in vivo but also improve the frequency of detection, so as to control blood glucose concentration more closely. Traditional blood glucose detection methods are invasive and have some limitations. In this study, the significance of noninvasive blood glucose testing was analyzed and was pointed out that noninvasive blood glucose testing can monitor the blood glucose concentration of patients and relieve the pain of patients. Then, this study analyzed the spectral detection methods of noninvasive blood glucose, including conservation of energy metabolism, near infrared spectroscopy, and other spectral detection methods. Finally, this study made a comprehensive analysis of the domestic and international clinical application of noninvasive glucose spectrum monitoring and summarized the clinical application status of noninvasive glucose spectrum monitoring.